111 bakefromscratch
test kitchen technique
FROM SOURDOUGH (PAGE 33) TO SWEET BUNS (PAGE 75), ALL BREAD RECIPES NEED TIME FORRESPIRATION—THE PROCESS BY WHICH YEAST CAN DEVOUR SUGAR AND RELEASE CARBON DIOXIDE.FOLLOW OUR GUIDE BELOW TO MASTER THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF PROOFING: BULK FERMENTATION.proofing bread dough
the 8-cup wonder of the world
You’ve read it before, and you’ll defi nitely read it again: “until doubled in size.” The best way to
track this vague proofi ng measurement? Invest in a glass 8-cup measuring cup. Once you place
your dough in the measuring cup, you’ll be able to track exactly the growth of your dough with the
notches on the side. •Underproofed: Your fi nger dent will
immediately spring back, indicating
underproofed or under-fermented dough. The
gluten is strong, but the carbon dioxide bubbles
haven’t expanded enough to allow the dough to
rise to its full potential. This will produce pale,
shrunken bread with less fl avor.Overproofed: The fi nger dent never fi lls back
in, but stays fi rmly there like a stubborn dimple.
The carbon dioxide bubbles have stretched
the gluten past its limits and popped like burst
balloons. Baked overproofed bread can defl ate
and produce a dense crumb, lacking proper
gluten development.Perfectly Proofed: You pressed the dough and
the fi nger indentation remains. Plus, you'll note
that the dough has roughly doubled in size from
its original amount. This is perfectly proofed
dough. Once it's baked in the oven, it will create
well-developed, intensely fl avored bread.
Mission accomplished.The Conditions: Yeast dies at temperatures
above 130°F (54°C) and goes dormant at
40°F (4°C), but what’s its happy place for
respiration? For proofi ng bread, the ideal
temperature is a balmy 75°F (24°C) to 80°F
(27°C), somewhere draft-free. Too warm an
environment and your bread will overproof; too
cold and your bread will struggle to proof at all.The Time: Depending on the temperatures and
conditions, your bread can rise for 1 to 2 hours.
If the room is on the cooler side, it'll take a
longer time to proof. Conversely, a hotter room
equals a quicker proof. So how will you know
when it’s ready? Enter the fi nger dent test.The Finger Dent Test: Once you think your
dough has properly proofed and it has doubled
in size, conduct the fi nger dent test. Gently
press two fi ngers about ½ inch into the top of
the dough. If it slowly and partially fi lls back in,
the dough has correctly proofed.