Howdy… I spend most of my time talking on the cake forums, but I’ve got a bread question.

I do bake bread fairly regularly, but I usually mix, proof and bake it all the same day.  I’m getting ready to go on vacation to the beach Sunday and I want to make some dough Sat night (maybe Sun morning) for cinnamon buns Monday or even Tuesday… can I get away with the dough in a 1gal plastic bag in the fridge until then?

You should be able to, although I’d use a 2 or 2.5 gallon bag, and I’d cut back on the amount of yeast; look at the no-knead recipes for hints in using this method.

I agree with htom. All good recommendations. I have found the second rise takes longer than normal. I usually knead it lightly to redistribute the yeast and help warm the dough.

i make challah a lot, but this week i didn’t have time to shape it, so i stored it in the fridge, in the kitchenaid bowl, for 2 days. when i took it out, it smelled like fermenting - in a bad way. So I tossed it.
Was it OK? It was this recipe.

Thanks for any advice.

I would have baked it. Your recipe didn’t have any ingredients that would have spoiled in the refrigerator. Bread baking temps are high enough to sterilize and the extra alcohol from your extra fermentation evaporates rapidly. You might have had to wait awhile to get a final rise out of it. A little kneading and a warm spot.

A lot of the recipes I’ve been using lately take a long time on purpose. I made wild yeast sourdough croissants last weekend that took all weekend. See more here:
http://www.improveyourbaking.com/2009/01/21/sourdough-croissants/
Actually, the wild yeast sarter part of the recipe I’ve been working on for 2 weeks. So, yes, it is possible to delay your baking. Once you get a feel for it, you will confidently be able to make the baking schedule work for you.

Dan, if you are making Rose’s brioche base for sticky buns, I can say that I have left it in the fridge for two days before the final shape/rise/bake.  It does seem to take longer for the final rise after a long rest in the fridge, so you can work that into your time frame.  Also, brioche is very active, I recommend keeping it at refrigerator temmperature and wrapping it loosely in plastic wrap, then ziploc bag.  I’ve had refrigerated brioche dough “break through” just plastic wrap, so the outer bag is necessary.

What lucky friends to be getting sticky buns!