How to Make Bread in Advance

[Siegal]

Tuesday evening my in-laws are coming (yay me!) and they requested a light dinner after the 24 hours of travel. I wanted to bake a Challah but I have the maid coming Tues morning as my housekeeping keeping skills are not so good....and husband did not want any comments from his parents.
Anyway - I didn't want to dirty the kitchen after the maid came so I was hoping I could make the dough tonight and keep it in the fridge and bake it tm (about 24 hours in fridge).
How do I do this. What stage is best to refrigerate. Fermenting/preshape or proofing/post shaping. And then how long do I take it out before I bake it assuming my house is in the high 70's.
Thanks so much in advance - I am a bit stressed now due to the visit.

 

[justplainbill]

Tuesday evening my in-laws are coming (yay me!) and they requested a light dinner after the 24 hours of travel. I wanted to bake a Challah but I have the maid coming Tues morning as my housekeeping keeping skills are not so good....and husband did not want any comments from his parents.
Anyway - I didn't want to dirty the kitchen after the maid came so I was hoping I could make the dough tonight and keep it in the fridge and bake it tm (about 24 hours in fridge).
How do I do this. What stage is best to refrigerate. Fermenting/preshape or proofing/post shaping. And then how long do I take it out before I bake it assuming my house is in the high 70's.
Thanks so much in advance - I am a bit stressed now due to the visit.

Let it go through an hour or two rise unrefrigerated in a covered bowl, then knock down / degas and refrigerate for 24 hours. Preheat oven, remove dough from fridge, shape while cold, let sit for 15 minutes or less, then bake until browned (350 - 75 for ~45 minutes). Acquire a copy of Zoe Francois' "Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day" Read the first few chapters before selecting a recipe.

 

[GLC]

You can let Challa dough do the second rising over night in refrigeration. But let it rise once, first, at room temperature. Let it warm up a hour or two, whatever it takes to bring it to room temperature all the way through, and knead it and do the braid and last rise the next day. Oil the dough before refrigerating, so that you don't get a dry skin forming.

And to anticipate a not unheard of potential disaster, if it refuses to rise during or after refrigeration and just lays there, the yeast having been exhausted, you can come to the rescue by proofing more yeast and kneading it in for another rise.

 

[justplainbill]

You can let Challa dough do the second rising over night in refrigeration. But let it rise once, first, at room temperature. Let it warm up a hour or two, whatever it takes to bring it to room temperature all the way through, and knead it and do the braid and last rise the next day. Oil the dough before refrigerating, so that you don't get a dry skin forming.

And to anticipate a not unheard of potential disaster, if it refuses to rise during or after refrigeration and just lays there, the yeast having been exhausted, you can come to the rescue by proofing more yeast and kneading it in for another rise.

The 'not unheard of potential disaster' might be more likely caused by flour with an inadequate gluten content. Cold dough is easier to handle and promotes greater oven spring.

 

[Siegal]

So if I understand correctly. Today I can make the dough, do the first rise, punch it down. Do Not Shape. Refrigerate. Tomorrow, bring it to room temperature, shape (Which I guess would degass it again), let it rise again, then bake.
THANKS

 

[CharlieD]

You got it. Enjoy your in-laws.