Skeptical about cold proofing, now I won't bake any other way

I spent 15 years doing same day dough for my croissants at my shop in Austin. Everyone kept raving about overnight cold proofing but I thought it was just extra fridge space for no reason. Then one busy Friday I ran out of time and had to stick a batch in the walk-in for 18 hours. The layers came out twice as tall and the flavor had this deep tangy note that blew my mind. I did a side by side test with two identical batches last Tuesday and the cold proofed one won on every single bite. Now I plan my whole weekend around that fridge time, even at home for my personal loaves. Has anyone else had a technique they ignored for ages that turned out to be the real deal?

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caseys301mo ago

38F caught my eye, I've been pulling dough at 42F and getting decent layers but nothing like that tangy depth you described.

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the_riley1mo ago

That tangy note is lactic acid from the long slow ferment, and 18 hours at around 38F is right in the sweet spot. Just watch your dough temp going in, if it's over 50F you'll get blown out layers instead of that nice rise.

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