don't worry, i will keep these people away from your bread

(every dough is special in its own special way)

special thanks to my bud Jamie out in NYC for snapping and sending this one along.

just in case you were wondering: the act of "retarding" dough is a common practice in baking in which you place dough in a cooler environment (somewhere around 40-60F), thereby slowing the whole process down. ya see, yeasties get all hyped up in warmer temps - produce gas faster - so if you stick some dough in what is essentially a fridge (dough retarders also have humidity control), you can slow down the fermentation, and then take a nap while the dough gets retarded. while retarding may have negative connotations in certain social circles with regard to humans, retarding dough is widely accepted in baking circles as increasing favorable characteristics of bread, especially sourdough bread.

love ya cuties

<3 josey