Switched from cold proofing to room temp for my bagels, huge difference

I've been making bagels for about 2 years now and always did the overnight cold proof in the fridge. Last week I tried leaving them out at room temp for 90 minutes instead, and the crumb was way more open and chewy. The cold ones always came out a bit dense and tight, even with the same hydration at 62%. I think the yeast just had more time to develop flavor and structure without the fridge stalling it. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has tried this and gone back to cold proofing for a specific reason, like timing or crust color.

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patp791mo ago

Funny how slowing down usually makes things better in the end.