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As you cann in this picture those little dot on the dough are pockets of flour.

It only happenes when I pre shape and put in the fridge.

1.why does it happen? 2. How can I avoid it when proofing slowly in the fridge

enter image description here

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  • 2
    What kind of flour are you using? Are you kneading until the window pane test?
    – Stephie ♦
    Dec 3, 2021 at 12:17
  • Just all purpose flour, it's for doughnuts, didn't feel like a specialty flour is required, also it works great when not slow proffing
    – Tnimni
    Dec 3, 2021 at 12:18
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    Maybe try sifting the flour before making them. That usually helps remove lumps.
    – Billy Kerr
    Dec 4, 2021 at 9:36
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    Are you covering the dough in the fridge? It looks to me like it may be drying out a bit too much.
    – Mark Wildon
    Dec 4, 2021 at 12:40
  • it is sifted and covered, maybe need to cover better
    – Tnimni
    Dec 6, 2021 at 12:46

2 Answers 2

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This started as a comment that grew too long... so now it's an answer.

  1. How new (or not new) is the bag of flour? And how has it been stored? if it's an old bag or has been stored somewhere where it's exposed to very moist air and/or temperature swings, maybe try again with a fresh bag of flour. Also, as suggested in the comments, try sifting the flour first.

  2. How are you preparing the dough? If using a mixer or bread maker, make sure the machine is properly adjusted. Stand mixers can be adjusted too high and leave a layer of unmixed ingredients on the bottom (this can happen even if the mixer is perfectly adjusted, so it's always a good idea to pause mixing a few times and use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl). Similarly, bread makers have a gap between the bottom of the paddle and the bottom of the bowl where unmixed ingredients could be left (although this is not normally a problem if you add the liquid ingredients first, before the flour).

  3. or... are you kneading by hand? In this case, as @Stephie suggested, make sure you are working the dough thoroughly enough that it passes the window pane test. It's hard to under-knead with a stand mixer, but it's very easy when hand-kneading.

  4. This could also be a problem of too little liquid, or adding it at the wrong time. It's usually OK to add or subtract around 1/2 to 1 tsp. of water for each cup of flour (sometimes even more, depending on the recipe). Adding a bit of water might help.

  5. Since this is only happening when you put them in the fridge, it might be prevented by lightly oiling the outside of the dough balls before putting them away. I am assuming since they are doughnuts they are going into oil anyway, so this might help prevent them from drying out. As Mark suggested, it would be a good idea to cover them while in the fridge (this is good to do in general, as it prevents them from picking up any funky fridge flavors or smells, which can happen even if your fridge is spotless).

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  • thank you, the flour is new, I do not use cups and such I weigh everything on an electronic scale to the gram, kneading by mixer and all the ingredients are fully combined, I guess oiling will help, wanted to avoid that
    – Tnimni
    Dec 6, 2021 at 12:42
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Only add a small amount of water at a time.

Start with a small amount of water and make a paste in the center of the flour. The paste must be perfect. Once you have a paste, you work the paste. Add the water gradually ONLY TO THE PASTE, NEVER TO THE FLOUR. So, you just gradually get more and more paste, until the whole thing is dough.

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