Hi Donna! Rising happens during both times but a good portion of it will be at room temperature. The denseness could have been caused by a young starter, a loose shaping, or a combination of the two. A fantastic visual of shaping so your loaves have a really nice tight skin is in step 6 of the Bake page in our Sourdough Guide, so we definitely recommend checking that out! Having that tight skin can make a big difference in how the loaf rises, as the surface tension plays an important roll in holding in the gasses created by the sourdough. 

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