Began with a good thick bubbly starter. Bulk proof 10.5 hrs. Good rise. Due to schedule, I needed to do the 2nd proof overnight in the frig- 9 hrs. When I took the dough out it looked smaller than when I put it in! I let it sit on the patio with an ambient temp of 80+ degrees. After 2 hrs I needed to bake. The dough was still chilly, however it didn’t bounce back when I stuck my finger in the dough. Praying for some oven rise, I placed in the oven & baked. It did rise some, but still seems a bit small to me. Anything here suggest I did something wrong? (A newbie - My 2nd attempt)
Welcome to bread baking. Even as not a newbie, i ask these questions 
I’d say possibly overproofed - a photo of the interior might help with diagnostics, along with info on how much if any and what kind of whole grain flour.
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Thanks, Melissa. I’ve attached a pic of the inside. It did seem dense, a bit hard to cut. Although it tasted great! I use the recipe from this site for No Knead Sourdough. Suggestions welcome!
Overall the bread looks lovely, but I think I’d lean toward a little underproofed based on the somewhat tight crumb. Moderately overproofed has a similar lack of major opening in the score (bloom), but the crumb is more honeycomb open. I like moderately overproofed crumb and flavor. Way overproofing can also end up tight, but usually flatter I think.
If the bread were way overproofed, I would guess that it happened during the bulk fermentation not the final proof, given the hours and temperatures.
How did the dough feel when you were shaping it after the bulk fermentation? Was it loose and flowing around the counter, or was it tight and easy to shape?
After the bulk proof, the dough felt spongy & sticky. I had already cut back on the water slightly. It was easy to shape, with some flour on my hands. With the temps, I agree that may have been the time it over proofed. Logically, that tells me the starter used up all its ‘oomph’ before the final proof. Hope my assumption is correct. Thanks, Melissa!
You’re welcome! I wish I could say with certainty one way or the other. Regardless, another batch of dough, and you’ll have your more info and data for your process!
I let my dough proof 2/3s of the way before putting it in the fridge for an overnight proof. Then in the morning it goes straight into a hot oven. Otherwise, if the whole proof is in the fridge, I find the crumb gummy.
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Hi, Linda. Interestingly I was thinking of trying something similar this weekend. Bulk proof for 8ish hours, then proof overnight in the frig. I’ll compare the results going from 10+ hours to 8 for the bulk rise. Thanks for responding- feel free to pass along any other suggestions!
I found that suggestion on an old post on the Fresh Loaf, I think. I was despairing because I was always unhappy with the crumb on my overnight-in-fridge proofs. FYI I put my cloches into the oven when I turn it on and preheat to 500 to get everything nice and hot. I have transferred the dough from their brotforms straight out of the fridge into the hot cloches - Breadtopia’s clay, Emile Henry and Romertopf - with nary a problem.
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