Can you refrigerate bread dough and bake it later?
The answer is yes! And you can do it with almost any recipe. Here's how.

The bakers of King Arthur are here to solve the kitchen conundrums you share with us, whether it’s on the phone, computer, or by the good old postal service. In Ask the Baker’s Hotline, Annabelle will pick the brains of the talented King Arthur Baker’s Hotline team to tackle some of your most-asked questions. Today's query: Can you refrigerate bread dough?
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Whether you’re looking to develop flavor, work around a tricky schedule, or realize you were supposed to pick up a friend from the airport halfway through a bread recipe, the ability to let your dough rise in the fridge is a tempting solution, and luckily happens to be quite practical, too. In lieu of a typical 1- to 3-hour rise at room temperature, you'd opt for a long (8- to 12-hour) rise in the refrigerator. This slow refrigerated rise is referred to as "cold fermentation" and has many benefits ranging from flexibility to flavor.
You can incorporate this chilly technique into just about any bread recipe. To guide you toward the best results, I reached out to Clara Krueger, a member of the King Arthur Baker’s Hotline who’s well-versed in bread baking, to ask her more about how to refrigerate bread dough.
Most bread recipes have two rises, a first rise (also called bulk fermentation), and a second or final rise. You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise. Your yeast won’t give you much love if it’s asked to do both rises in the fridge, so it’s best to do one or the other at room temperature.
If your recipe calls for a 1- to 3-hour rise at room temperature (either first or second rise), opt for a long (8- to 12-hour) rise in the refrigerator. It can last up to about 16 hours, depending on the recipe, but be careful not to let the bread dough overproof.
For ease of storage, using the fridge for the first rise is best if you're working with large quantities of dough. Few people have room to store a giant pan of focaccia among their milk, eggs, and leftovers. Instead, it’s easier to chill the dough in a covered container and let the shaped focaccia rise on the counter.
“Let the dough rise for about 20 to 30 minutes on the counter before sticking it in the fridge,” says Clara. “This lets the yeast get going before we chill everything down.” This time can vary based on your recipe and environment, so use your judgment if your recipe is high in yeast or it’s a warm day — you may not need that 20- to 30-minute wait.
Remember, your dough is going to grow. “Put your dough in a covered container with plenty of room. You want the unrisen dough to fill the container about 1/3 of the way so you don’t end up with a dough volcano in your fridge.” As a victim of a full-on doughy Mt. Vesuvius myself, trust me, you want to remember that one!
Make sure your dough doesn’t lose its moisture. “You want the dough to be covered so it doesn’t dry out on the surface,” says Clara. A hard crust can prevent dough from rising to its full potential. “Dough Rising Buckets are great for single loaves and small batches, but my personal favorite [for double batches] is our 6-Quart Food Storage Container. ” Avoid covering your dough with breathable materials like linen. Instead, use lids or wraps that keep moisture in.
After a cold bulk fermentation, allow your dough to regain some warmth on the counter for 40 to 60 minutes and become slightly puffy before shaping it. You can help the process along by stretching and folding the dough. For a visual of the folding process, check out our blog post on bulk fermentation.
Rolls are a little less high-maintenance. You can start shaping the dough straight out of the fridge. The warmth of your hands and motion of shaping will heat up the smaller pieces of dough fairly quickly, so there’s no need to perform folds or wait for the dough to come to room temperature on its own.
For ease of handling and scheduling convenience, many bakers purposefully adjust bread recipes to have their second rise in the fridge. Clara shares: “I make a lot of crusty hearth breads and sourdoughs. These benefit from an overnight fermentation (rise) in the refrigerator to score cleanly and make the bread recipe fit around my schedule.”
Free-form artisan loaves may be chilled without a cover. Simply drape the edges of a floured linen over the top if you’re using one. “The loaf may dry out a bit on the surface, but a touch of dryness just makes it easier to handle. Though if you find that your fridge maintains very low humidity, you may still want to cover the loaf with plastic wrap or a pot lid,” says Clara.
Sandwich loaves can be refrigerated too! “Shape the dough and pop it into a greased loaf pan. Use a cover that won’t touch the dough itself but will keep the surface moist. A shower cap or bowl cover is perfect. In a pinch, you can lay greased plastic wrap over the dough’s surface.”
Be mindful of your dough’s temperature. “If your dough is above 80°F, the fridge may not be able to cool it down before the loaf overproofs,” Clara explains. “If you're planning on refrigerating your shaped dough, aim for a dough temperature between 75°F and 80°F.” Learn more in our blog on Desired Dough Temperature.
The beauty of chilling shaped loaves is that it makes them very easy to handle. Artisan loaves will likely be bakeable right away. Simply turn them out of their floured brotform onto or into your chosen baking vessel, score, and bake.
Whether you’ve made a free-form or a pan loaf, trust your eyes to decide whether it’s ready to bake straight from the fridge or not. Clara says: “If your loaf doesn’t seem to have risen or puffed at all in the refrigerator, it may benefit from an hour on the counter before baking. This is a judgment call, and the more familiar you are with your recipe, the better you will be at reading your dough.”
We don't recommend this if it can be avoided; it's really a last resort. Yeast dough will never rise as well post-freeze as it would if you baked it the day you made it. This is because some of the yeast will inevitably die in the cold of the freezer. If you have to freeze yeast dough, try increasing the yeast by about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per 3 cups (360 grams) of flour; some yeast will naturally die off in the cold, so adding a little more at the beginning will help ensure you have enough living, working yeast in the end. Learn more: Can I freeze my yeast dough?
Whether you refrigerate your dough during the first or second rise, there’s one thing you can count on: a boost in flavor. Fermentation creates organic acids that aid in strengthening your dough and lend MAJOR flavor. Don’t believe me? Try making two loaves of the same bread recipe. Bake one loaf right away and the other after an overnight rise. You’ll be amazed at how much more flavor the second loaf develops!
If you’re refrigerating dough to save time, think carefully about your schedule. If you’re in a rush today but have extra time tomorrow, a first-rise refrigeration will fit the bill. If you have time to spare today but only a small window to bake the next, go with a second-rise refrigeration so your loaf can go straight into the oven.
Got a question you'd like answered? Drop it in the comments below, and I’ll see you next month with more baking insights from the King Arthur Baker’s Hotline!
Cover photo by Mark Weinberg.
April 19, 2022 at 2:21pm
In reply to Everytime I make braided… by Sue (not verified)
Hi Sue, it sounds like your dough may be a bit over proofed. I would recommend reducing your rise times to prevent the gluten from over stretching and falling. If you have any additional questions always feel free to reach out to our Baker's Hotline at (855) 371- 2253 (BAKE).
April 13, 2022 at 9:03am
Quick question, could I make the roll recipe linked in the article, let it rise the first time on the counter and then shape it into rolls and do the second rise in the fridge overnight? That way all I would have to do on Easter is pop the already formed rolls into the oven? Thanks as always for great articles!
April 16, 2022 at 2:20pm
In reply to Quick question, could I make… by Jocelyn (not verified)
Hi Jocelyn, the link to "rolls" in this recipe actually links to a number of roll recipes. While the method you suggest can work sometimes, it's a bit risky. That's because depending on how warm the dough is when you put it in the refrigerator, and how much yeast is in the recipe, the rolls may over-rise in the refrigerator and fall before you have a chance to bake them. To be on the safe side, I would recommend refrigerating the dough in bulk form (in the bowl), as described in this article, and then dividing and shaping the rolls the next day.
April 12, 2022 at 1:07pm
Thank you for teaching me the proper use of refrigerators
April 12, 2022 at 1:05pm
Thank you for teaching me the proper use of refrigerators
April 10, 2022 at 10:06am
I was at the final stage of prep: did my lamination, followed by 4-5 coil folds: had to leave for the night. I put in the refrigerator overnight. I did not not do shaping or final proof in my banneton basket. I pulled out of fridge this morning: is it back to business as normal? The dough is really cold & still needs to proof to dbl in size? Thoughts on where to pick up?
April 10, 2022 at 11:42am
In reply to I was at the final stage of… by JEFF Shapiro (not verified)
Hi Jeff, you didn't mention if the dough was yeast-raised or naturally leavened, and whether or not it rose well overnight in the fridge, but I suspect an hour or two at warmer temperatures (75-80F) will be helpful before you'll want to shape your loaf and let it rise in the banneton. I would give it a fold and put it in a warm spot for an hour or so, give it another fold and see how it's progressing, adding another hour, if necessary. The folds will help even out the temperature of the dough and will give you a good chance to check in with the dough. Once your dough is rising nicely and gettting lighter and airier in texture, that's a good sign that it's ready to shape.
March 24, 2022 at 8:30pm
My SD is ready to be put in loaves and baked. I have gotten sick can I put the risen dough in fridge n bake in am!
March 26, 2022 at 4:17pm
In reply to My SD is ready to be put in… by Bernadine (not verified)
Hi Bernadine, I'm sorry we weren't able to reply more promptly to your question! If ever you're in immediate need of an answer, please consider calling our Baker's Hotline at 855-371-BAKE (2253). We're here M-F from 9am-9pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST. If you ever have a situation like this in the future here's how I would answer: If your sourdough loaf is fully risen and ready to bake, it probably won't last until morning, even in the refrigerator. However, if you just shaped your sourdough loaf or it's only partially risen, you could put the shaped loaf in the refrigerator and it should last until you're able to bake it tomorrow. This works best if your loaf is in a supportive (and very well-floured) basket, or a bowl lined with a very well-floured tea towel. Cover the bread well while it's in the refrigerator, so it doesn't dry out. Most likely it will be ready to bake straight from the refrigerator.
March 23, 2022 at 9:46am
I made the honey oat pain de mie, after deflating the dough from the first rise, shape and did the 2nd fermentation in the fridge for 3-4hrs, then put it in room temp fir almost 2hrs. It was rising. But no oven spring. Did i do something wrong?
Pagination