On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 12:32 AM, jbclem > wrote:
> Sorry, but I was asking about batter (flour, water, salt, starter all mixed and kneeded but before rising). I've kept
> starter in the fridge for a month at a time and it always seems to come back when I refresh it, although I can't say if
> it loses properties such as taste and strength.

OK - so mixed dough, ready to rise.

There are a couple of issues.

A - amount of dough i. e. volume to cool - the larger, the longer and
the more it ferments in the middle since cooling is delayed.

I see bodies of cooked vegetables - cubes of 6 x 6 x 6" put in the
freezer still unfrozen in the middle after 24 hours.

B - Hydration increases with fermentation i. e. the dough gets wetter
the longer it ferments.

So - I'd say, freezing is out of question because it will destroy a
lot of your dough sourdough organisms needed for rise.
With cooling the dough, maybe overnight or 24 hours max and then with
a reduced hydration to compensate the additional water by fermentation
during cooling down.

If anyone has better ideas, please post.

Sam