Hi Jody, great question! The good news: the yeast will ferment and make the dough rise whether it's at room temperature or in the fridge. It simply works faster when it's at a cozy temperature and slows down at cooler ones. We have some bakers here who have experience making brioche in large batches at bakeries, and they've shared that you shouldn't feel guilty about skipping that first room temperature rise. Sometimes with such a heavily enriched dough in a warm environment, it makes it easier to handle after it's chilled. Our suggestion: make one batch of dough, divide it in half. Let one rise at room temperature before putting it in the fridge and put the other right into the fridge. Bake as you normally would and see which flavor you prefer. Some people pick up on subtle flavor differences that come from being proofed at a cool temperature, which sometimes tastes deeper and richer. So it may very well be that your customers will prefer the brioche that uses only a cool rise. It's certainly worth testing though to see which method produces the best results. We hope that helps! Kye@KAF

• Reply