Pâte Fermentée

Pâte fermentée, or simply “old dough,” is just that: a piece of white-flour dough that is reserved after mixing and incorporated into the next batch of bread. Although the term is French, the practice exists wherever bread is made. Aside from the flavor benefits of using some old dough in the new mix, it is obvious that using it is economically preferable to throwing it away. Of the major yeasted pre-ferments, this is the only one that contains salt.

Like other yeasted pre-ferments such as poolish and biga, pâte fermentée has a limited life expectancy, unlike natural sourdough cultures, which can be perpetuated for years. Refrigerated, pâte fermentée will last at most 48 hours before its leavening potential is expended. With ample freezer space, it can be frozen, although within a week the yeast in it will begin to die off and the pâte fermentée will suffer a loss of vigor. For the home baker who bakes once a week or so, freezing may be an option. The effort required to make a pâte fermentée the night before a bake day is minimal, however, and is justified by the superior bread that will result.