Glossary entry

What is cold retard?

Last updated June 13, 2026

A long, slow rise in the refrigerator (usually 12-72 hours). Slows fermentation dramatically — yeast activity drops by half for every ~18°F / 10°C cooler — while the bacterial side of a sourdough or pre-ferment continues to develop flavor at its own slower pace. The net effect: deeper sourness, more complex aromatics, and a more open crumb structure than the same dough fermented in one warm stretch. Cold retarding also has practical benefits beyond flavor. It splits a long bread project across two days, firms the dough enough to score cleanly, and lets cold-start oven techniques work without overproofing in the warm-up window. Cold-retarded doughs go into the oven straight from the fridge — no warming required.

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Related terms in the glossary

levain
A natural-leaven pre-ferment built from your sourdough starter, used as the leavening agent in a sourdough recipe. Refreshed 8-12 hours before mix day so it peaks right when you need it. Typically built at a 1:5:5 ratio — one part starter, five parts flour, five parts water — in an amount sized to the recipe (often 100-200g total). The levain is the bread's yeast and bacterial culture multiplied to recipe-strength: starter provides the seed; the long refresh gives the wild yeast time to multiply and the bacteria time to produce the flavor acids that define sourdough. Use the levain when it's domed, bubbly, and either floats in water or has clearly more than doubled. Skipping the levain build (using cold starter straight from the fridge) is the most common reason home sourdough doesn't rise.

More baking terms in the full glossary, or browse the bread library to see recipes use these techniques in context.