Sourdough rye experiment - overnight ferment

Here is a batch of sourdough rye from Bread Alone. I tried 3 new things today:

1. Adding vital wheat gluten. Last time I made this formula, it was dense and gummy. I'm hoping the VWG improves the texture.

2. Overnight ferment. I kneaded the dough, let it proof at room temp about an hour, then put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I put it in a warm spot for 2 hours until it had almost doubled from its original size.

3. Used a heating pad under the couche. Since I seem to always get a lackluster final rise (and the dough was still a bit cool from its overnight fridging), I decided to try the heating pad. It seems to have worked, as I got a nice rise out of the loaves, but it didn't happen overly fast. It took almost 2 hours for the loaves to almost double.

They sure look beautiful! Making good use of all available stome space ;) The round one sprung so much in the oven that it split the top. I made 4 slits that didn't connect, but the oven spring took care of that :)

-Joe