The Feel Test From the moment we f inished mixing, our dough has
gas . As we folded and shaped our dough, we organized our gluten so it would better hold
been inflating with
bake, we want our dough to be fully inflated — all the way to the center of our loaves —but for our gluten to still be in charge of the situation. In my experience, the best way to judge this is to
press
on the center of the loaves with a lightly floured hand.
The Tests
gas, and maintain its shape during baking. When we
Push firmly but not aggressively . If we've shaped our loaves properly, they should be able to handle this. As the center of the dough is pressed, the edges should billow outwards, like a water-balloon or over-stuffed pillow. Pay careful attention to how much your dough resists your hand. The exterior of the dough will always feel
soft,
even when underproofed. To get the most lift
during baking, we need to make sure that the center of the loaf feels
aerated
dough feels signif icantly
as well. If, when pressed, the
denser
in the middle, then it
no resistance whatsoever, then you might be overproofing them, and isn't time to bake. But if the dough offers
should bake immediately.
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