1. (adj.) double
twice as large, heavy, strong, etc.; twofold in size, amount, number, extent, etc.
In lots of bread baking recipes you will encounter a line like this; ‘Let shaped dough rise until it has doubled in size’. The scientist in me always wonders what the recipe writer means. Does the writer of the recipe realize that a round shape, for instance the shape of a boule, increases 8 times! in volume when the boule doubles in diameter. What does ‘double’ (or even ‘almost’ double!) mean in the context of a piece of dough in whatever shape? Twice the diameter? Twice the volume? Twice something?
And what about the word ‘size’, size is not a measurement of anything, size can mean volume, height, weight, etc. all depending on the context. So what does ‘size’ mean in the context of a piece of dough? According to a dictionary ‘double’ means ‘twice the size’, so double in size means; twice in size size. What I do know is that the line ‘rise until it has almost doubled in size’ reads like sheer laziness of the recipe writer!
1. (n.) size
the spatial dimensions, proportions, magnitude, or extent of anything:
the size of a farm.
Imagine a measurement cylinder filled with a piece of dough. When you let the yeast do its job this little piece of dough will grow inside the cylinder. As for the dough the only way is up it will slowly fill the cylinder and it is really simple to see when the dough has doubled in volume. It will be when you read twice the number on the measurement cylinder compared to when you started! What has doubled in this experiment is the volume.
Now imagine a piece of dough shaped in a boule. And again we let the yeast do its job and the dough will grow and grow and grow. When will this piece of dough be ‘doubled in size’? With the cylinder it was very easy to see when the volume has doubled but with this round ball shape it is much harder to see when the volume has increased twice. With a batard shape it is even harder to imagine the real mathematical or geometrical truth.
Another mind game. Take a nice lime (the fruit) and imagine it to grow. When will the lime be ‘doubled in size’? When it is the size of a mandarin, an orange, a grapefruit or a watermelon? It is hard to visualize when a round fruit is ‘doubled in size’ in comparison to another fruit.
If we simplify the shape of a dough boule to the geometrical shape of a halved sphere (Wikipedia Sphere) we can calculate the volume of the boule; the formula to calculate the volume of a halved sphere reads;
volume = 2/3 * pi * radius³ ≈ 0.667 * 3.141 * radius * radius * radius
With this we can do some calculations.
When you measure the height of the boule of dough you can use this height with the formula above as the height is mathematically the same as the radius because we have a halved sphere. For my calculations I start with an imaginary boule of dough with a height of 10cm. This gives us a boule of dough with the volume of 2093cm³ which is a little over 2 liters of dough. When you take a boule with a height of 20cm this equals about 16745cm³ which is about 16 liters of dough! So a doubling in diameter equals 8 times the growth in actual volume.
The funny thing is you only need an increase of 2.5cm in height to get a doubling of the volume of boule of dough. A height of 12.5cm gives about 4088cm³ of volume which is about 4 liters of dough. The increase of 2.5cm is hard to notice and you will not perceive this as the dough having ‘doubled in size’.
After this whole rant I still do not have the answer to what recipes writers mean with ‘wait until double in size’. Do they mean double in volume, double in height, they probably mean something like ‘wait until the dough has increased until you think it is enough’.
So, what’s the answer?
The important thing during the final proof is to stop before the gluten network collapses. When the gluten can not hold the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the yeast, the little gluten balloons explode and your bread will deflate before your eyes. The first thing is to control your dough temperature. As the temperature has the biggest influence on dough rising speeds, controlling temperature gives you stable proofing times. Please read; A Few Tips on Dough Temperature. Because I stabilize my dough temperature, my proofing times are more or less the same each time and this takes the guessing out of proofing- and bulk fermentation times.
The next tip is to use the finger poking test;
With your finger gently poke in your dough. If you have a high hydration dough you can first dip your finger in a little bit of flour to prevent sticking.
- If the hole disappears completely: under-proofed
- If the hole dent pops half way back out: proofing is just right
- If the hole stays entirely dented in: over-proofed
It is hard to explain the difference completely. The best way is to learn from experience. Poke as many proofing loaves as possible, and you will figure out what you are looking for. If you apply the finger poke test immediately after shaping, sometimes the hole stays dented, just as it would if the loaf were over-proofed. You can tell the difference by feel, because when proofed the loaf is light, “bubbly” and elastic, whereas right after shaping the loaf is not elastic.
So, proof, poke and bake as much as you can!
Invitation
What is your opinion on double in size? What is your favorite way of testing if your dough is ready for the next phase?
We would love to hear from you and learn from your experience. Please leave a comment.
Ed
Gordon Stewart says
I’ve baked enough bread that looks and tastes like a brick to know that deciding when the dough is properly proofed is the critical decision in the process.
The poke test is helpful but a bit subjective and the shape of the banneton I use makes it difficult to judge volume.
I realized that if I proofed my dough in a container with graduations like a measuring cup or mixing bowl it would be easy to recognize a doubling in volume.
So, I decided to graduate my banneton.
The banneton I use is made of a wicker coil. The wicker is about 1 cm in width. The top of the banneton is about 10 coils high. If I knew the volume of the banneton at the level of each coil I could estimate the volume of my un-risen dough and also determine how many coils it has to rise before it has doubled in volume.
To make the calibration, I lined the banneton with some clear plastic and placed it on a digital scale tared out to give a zero reading. I then filled the banneton with water all the way to the top so the water just reached the lowest point of the top coil. The weight of water was 1980 grams. I then removed enough water to reduce the level to the next coil down and recorded that weight and so on
Since a gram of water is defined as a cubic cm I know my banneton has a volume of 1980 cubic cm and I also know its volume at the level of each coil. My results were:
Full 1980 cu cm.
1 coil down 1700 cu cm.
2 coils down 1450 cu cm.
3 coils down 1220 cu cm.
4 coils down 1000 cu cm.
5 coils down 800 cu cm.
6 coils down 630 cu cm.
7 coils down 480 cu cm.
8 coils down 330 cu cm.
The unrisen dough from my typical loaf is 5 1/2 coils from the top – about 900 cu cm in volume. So, I let it rise till it’s less than one coil from the top and I’m ready to bake.
My banneton is round, 9.5 cm high with an inside diameter of 21 cm and about 13 cm at the bottom. If yours is roughly the same shape these numbers should work for you too.
This basic calibration technique should work for virtually any container regardless of shape. Hope that helps.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Gordon,
Thank you for sharing your method with us and other bakers. It is great you found a way that works so well for you to get the best baking results. We have never calculated our baskets like this, but we do know, after baking lots of loaves of a certain kind, that the dough should rise to a certain coil or just above the basket of a certain shape to get a good end result, next to the look and feel of the dough. Of course it very much depends on the type of dough and its capacities what rise you are looking for, because the ‘double in size’ should not be taken literally of course. Compare a fluffy white sandwich loaf and dinner roles with high gluten flour with a whole rye loaf for example. The white will even quadruple in size while the rye bread stays much closer to its pre-rise shape.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge with us and enjoy your baking!
Richard says
Thanks for posting this interesting and informative article. Love the title, which was just what my frustrated wife wanted to hear! (I found it by asking “Why doesn’t my yeast double in size?”) By the time I had finished reading the highlights to her, the yeast in question was verging on over-proofed by the finger test, so now she has the confidence to not leave it too long next time, as well as not feeling inadequate because of lack of dough volume!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Richard,
Tahnk you so much for your excellent comment. Very recognizable too, for us the way you help each other out, each with our own strengths.
Enjoy your baking and sharing!
Greetings from Holland,
Marieke & Ed
PaulK says
Thanks for posting this! Hopefully some bread book authors will read it. The problem is even tougher when dealing with today’s Tartine style doughs asking for a 20-30% volume increase during bulk fermentation. If you are judging this for dough fermented in a bowl, that can be a challenge. For my dough and my bowl, this increase is a less than 1/4″ higher level – pretty hard to eyeball that change over hours as you visit the bowl every 30 minutes. Not to mention accounting for any doming occurring in your dough. Maybe we should all be using straight-sided, graduated mixing containers until we know what to look for besides volume change.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your very interesting addition. We totally agree and this is also the reason why we are advocates of making a recipe over and over. It’s to gain a lot of experience and really get to know the dough and how it behaves and feels. It is hard to explain for example using a recipe with a certain hydration percentage, opening a new bag of flour and seeing this one needs a bit more or less water, but experience teaches you this. So we keep our eyes on the dough, but we do not ‘eyeball’, we measure (temp) and adjust and poke and most of the time with satisfying results.
Happy baking!
Dennis Clarke says
I have an engineers approach and I have assumed double in volume is what was ment. So I have always judged the increase by eye and the poke test but unlike your more scientific approach waited for the indentation to stay. This undoubtedly accounts for why my loves tend to be a tad denser than I would have wished.
I am 88 and as I continually find out there is always more to learn. So the second proof will end when my finger poke returned about half way. (By eye, not depth gauge.)
I am recovering from a couple of fractured vertebrae and cannot stand too long so I make mini baguettes just for the two of us. I make the dough in a bread machine, divide it by four roll into balls with olive oiled hands, wrapped in plastic wrap, and ziplock bag and frozen immediately.
To bake a loaf I defrost in fridge overnight, still in the plastic wrap in a medium size container with tight fitting lid. Next day it goes into the oven which has been pre warmed with the oven light, with plastic wrap undone, the same contained but with the lid just resting on top to prevent too much evaporation, It is left until it appears to be twice it’s start volume and given the poke test. Then it is flattened, folded, rolled and shaped. Meanwhile the forced air oven is set for 375F. The shaped baguette is placed on metal pizza tray sprinkled with cornmeal. Loosely coved in the same plastic wrap and placed on top of oven for second proof.
A metal tray filled with boiling water was already on the lower rack so when the dough was ready, four slashes with a chefs knife, just sharpened with a steel, made on the top. Spritzed with water and placed on center shelf. The oven was then spritzed to generate a good head of steam. And left for fifteen minutes. Another spritzing and in ten minutes time the pain ordinaire is ready. Oven off, bread onto cooling rack and, Ooo, that aroma.
I also like baking Black Russian Bread.
Dennis.
Weekend Bakers says
Dear Dennis,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and method. We can only hope to get to your age and still be able to bake our own bread, which would be awesome. So great to read you still enjoy the process, the smells, the tasting and sharing and you optimized everything so it fits your requirements. Glad you found some useful information on our website.
Hope you will be able to enjoy your baking and baguettes for a long time. We wish you a speedy recovery and overall good health of course.
Greetings from Holland,
Ed & Marieke
davina says
Hi Ed,
You said “whereas right after shaping the loaf is not elastic.” Mine is always bubbly and elastic after shaping and during shaping. I have to slam it and roll it to get some air out. But after all that works, the dough still very fluffy and elastic. I also try to let it rest for 15 minutes. Once i work on it, it reactivate the elasticity. I wonder why. Do i overwork my dough? Or having over proofed it at the first time and too many air traps inside? Can you help? I am not an experienced baker.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Davina,
To better answer your question, can you tell us what flour you use with what percentage of protein?
Timothy Sumrall says
Wow! A current reply! Well done Weekend Bakers and great article www.weekendbakery.com/posts…e-in-size/
I’m new to sourdough and I’m waiting for a long cold ferment to warm up a bit but based on what I saw yesterday I don’t expect major issues. This is a first test with a new starter so I did the graduated cylinder trick to watch the 1st rise. When I saw 90% of double I placed it in the fridge over night. Overnight turned into 18 hours (stupid day job 🙂 so I came here to help me determine the 2nd rise.
…
Bread is in, fingers are crossed, worst case.. it’s a test of the starter power.
Weekend Bakers says
Sounds good, hope it turned out well Timothy. You are right worst case you will have gained more knowledge but it is very well possible you already ended up with a decent loaf we hope…
Melissa Husted says
I’m sure it must mean volume. I think this particular instruction probably originated with sandwich bread baked in loaf pans. Being vertical expansion in its container, it’s easy to tell, as you say. Waiting for a boule to double would no doubt collapse the gluten structure.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Melissa,
Very good point, thank you for this addition. And based on experience with a certain recipe you would judge your loaf is ready for the oven as the dough reaches that certain height.
David V says
Thank you for this post. I used it today when trying a Swedish sweet roll for the first time. I can never remember how big the loaves or rolls are when I shape them but never remember either if the hole is supposed to spring back or not, or not completely. My rolls came out perfectly thanks to your tip. Nice to see how the love of baking, greater because of how much can go wrong, is uniting people.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you so much for your heartfelt comment David, could not agree more!
Happy baking and happy Holidays!
Escafon says
At the moment I have just started a sourdough Italian style, Pasta madre, and I have become member of a facebook group “Pasta madre”. Here, among these Italians doubled in size is indeed something very significant. Put sourdough into a cylindrical glass container and you can scientifically follow your dough until it has doubled in size.
Weekend Bakers says
Exactly! This is the way to do it 🙂
Ray says
I go with double volume as a rough guide, especially for the first rise, but the finger test is the defining test for the second rise.
I’ll admit that it did take a number of loaves before I became comfortable with the finger test
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Ray,
As you get more familiar with the dough and results, you also get a better and better understanding of how it should look and feel. Practice and experience and important factors like control of dough temperature will lead to excellent loaves!
Escafon says
Hmm, well, I have written “doubled in size” myself, quite recently, but this was about the bulk fermentation ,( in a pan with a lid on it, no plastic foil) but maybe bulkfermentation is ready when to the eye “substantially increased in volume” Poking is something i allso do, but I just judge the feel of the dough. Thanks for the tip to watch what happens after poking.
Still, judging when dough is ready for the next fase is one of the most difficult in bread baking, and sometimes i get a lot of oven spring when i dont expect it, or i expect oven spring and it is a lot less than expected. Temperature is allso a factor, when possible, i like to proof relatively cold, the colder the dough the more carbondioxide can be in solution in water so the colder the proofing the bigger the oven spring is my thought behind this.
Still, one of the most difficult parts of baking is judging proofing times, especially in summertime where I cannot control temperature.
Another thing which I find difficult is judging when your dough is kneeded enough, and recipes come with frases kneed until your dough is a smooth……But I am going to think about this question more and ask it somewhere else.
Escafon says
Well this one was posted accidentally before it was ready, I wanted to get rid of spelling errors, punctuation errors etc. In general indeed I think “until doubled in size” is not annoying me when about bulkproofing, in a pan one can estimate volume, but a complete hollow frase when about final proofing where the loaf does not only increase in volume but allso flattens out so in that case one cannot possibly estimate when doubled in volume.
Escafon says
Another way for me to judge proofing is just looking at the lump of dough inflating. I have an idea how big a loaf of bread made out of for example 500 grams of a certain flour should be (bigger when white flour smaller with fibres in it) I allso have an idea about oven spring. So if the loaf looks like having the volume it should finally have, minus the amount of oven spring I expect I put it in the oven.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi,
You are right, next to measuring and poking the best thing is experience with the dough, getting a feel for the recipe and the right consistency of the dough, using your hands, ingredients and equipment. After many bakes, you know almost exactly what to look for. But there always be days for some reason, things will not go according to plan…. every baker knows this.
Adam says
Ps – my fridge temperature is 4 degrees.
Adam says
I love your blog! A great number of the different Sourdough recipes I use say to retard the dough for 8+ hours, sometimes up to 24. However I find when I retard in the refrigerator for extended periods my dough is sometimes over proved. Generally I am bulk proofing for around 2 hours before retarding. Do you have any advice?
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Adam,
The hard thing with a recipe is to get the perfect balance. So it is a bit trial and ‘edible error’ in the beginning. You can of course try several things like a shorter bulk proof, less fridge time or less sourdough to slow down the proofing.
Good luck with it!
Karen K says
Thank you for the poke test! Wow, what a simple hint.
Weekend Bakers says
Yes it works! Simple yet effective.
Joy Roxborough says
thanks for this, Ed. I have always wondered how you know when it is dully proofed and now I know!
Rambles says
Hi, Marieke and Ed! Thank you for pointing the useless instruction in recipes!
When I started out baking bread in June this year, I got a recipe book that also talks about ‘double in size’. It never talks about the temperature, but gives a suggested time. Since I couldn’t figure out what ‘double in size’ means, I just go ahead and use the time suggested. I have certainly poked it several times and it will usually be ready to bake (dent in dough) at about the same time. Temperatures here in Malaysia are pretty stable all year round with the exception of rainy days.
During rainy days, I proof my dough in my turned off oven with a pan of warm-hot water below to create steam and constant temperature. It has always worked well for me.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello there Rambles,
Thank you for your feedback and hats off to you for baking under these challenging and hot conditions. Great to hear ho everybody adapts to their surroundings, getting inventive and making it work!
Happy baking and greetings from a much colder and a bit foggy Holland,
Marieke & Ed
Charlene Moore says
Thank you for this….I found your website after I had gone thru the same thought process….double in height, weight, volume???? And yes, I am a scientist 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Charlene. The double in size message keeps on being repeated on TV too, because this ‘science stuff’ is probably not the easiest of messages to get across. But if someone at least would at one point mention something about it or use the finger poking test I would give a little cheer 🙂
Happy (baking) weekend!
Curt Clemens says
V1/V2 = 2 = ((2pi/3) r1^3)/((2pi/3) r2^3)
2 = (r1/r2)^3
r1/r2 = cuberoot(2) = 1.26
Doubling in volume corresponds roughly to a 25% increase in width.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you for this addition Curt.
Hugo says
Hi Weekend bakers,
Maybe it was pointed out already between the lines, but,
can you do the finger poling test also for bulk rising (boule)?
Thanks for all your good info. learned alot.
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks Hugo!
Personally we never use the finger poking test at the bulk stage, but are much more focused on temperature of the dough. As long as that is around the 24C mark where we want it, combined with the times in the recipe, we know we are on the right track.
Elizabeth says
Just the info I needed to inspire confidence tomorrow–it is the weekend of Norwegian Christmas bread baking. Temperature is hard to regulate in my house, so I’m looking forward to reading your info on temps.
Thanks for both the information and the spirit in which it is presented 🙂
Will be poking loaves gleefully tomorrow!
E
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Elizabeth,
That sounds like a lovely activity. We love Norway and we love the baking culture you have. It is very special.
Hope our tips help and the breads will be awesome!
God Jul og Godt Nyttår
Hilsen fra ed & Marieke
Kate says
Love it! Just the mix of geekiness and common sense I was looking for. Plus a clear answer!
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks Kate, that’s what we are aiming for 😉
Petra Robinson says
I have a lovely big German feather pillow and I put the clingfilm covered bowl ,with the dough in , under the pillow and it works a treat.
I remember my mum putting pots with food under the feather Duvet so that it was still hot/warm when Dad came from work.
Weekend Bakers says
That is such a wonderful comforting and warm tip Petra, I love it!
Marieke
Petra Robinson says
Do me double in size means what I see.
When I form a dough ball and put it i the oiled bowl to proof I see when it has about doubled.
I poke and know that the time is right to get to the next step.
I never knew that my dough is over proofed when the little poke hole stays in and not coming halfway up.
Good Tip.
I love recipes, follow them the first few times and learn by doing… when I am more confident with a recipe I add my own twists.
Oh the joy of baking:)
Juli Farkas says
Hi Marieke and Ed,
I’d just like to say how much I have enjoyed and learned from your lovely website. I keep recommending it to all my bread- making friends.
I have a question about temperatures. As you say it is one of the most important factors to control, do you have any simple (ish) ways of doing this, should I use a proofing box and where can I get one or rig one up?
I usually use a very slightly warm oven switched off, but it then I have to take it out well before baking to heat the oven up to 230 degrees.
All the best.
Julia
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Julia,
There are many options and people are very inventive making their own proofing cabinets. Ed has also made one in the past, just a cardboard box lined with some foam with a light bulb as a heating element. You can find many DIY projects on website like the Fresh Loaf (www.thefreshloaf.com/node/…oofing-box). Buying a professional cabinet is a bit of an investment. These days we use our small Rofco oven or sometimes or our Siemens household oven as a proofing place. We also use a digital thermometer to check the temperature of the oven is around 25 to 27 degrees.
If you get creative we would love to hear about it!
Good luck and happy baking,
Ed & Marieke
Peter Cotton says
Obviously to get an idea of one and a half to twice the volume of dough then proof in a tin instead of a banneton or colander. Useful for the inexperienced. One soon gets to know whats happening together with the poke test.
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks for your addition Peter!
Ray says
Thanks for these tips! Almost got caught out today as this morning is a beautiful sunny day and the kitchen has been streamed with sunlight. i usually prove for about 2 1/2 hours but today my sourdough is ready after 90 minutes. I tried your finger poke test and i think it is ready…. we shall see!
Thanks for sharing the resources on your site, it is a real help for amateur beginners like me.
Weekend Bakers says
Glad you like it Ray!
And glad the weather is improving and hope the finger poking test will be of help to you too.
Happy Proofing & Baking,
Marieke & Ed
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Freerk,
The thing we hold on to ourselves
First and most important measure : When dough temp is ideal 24/25 degrees C, proving times given in the recipe are (just about) right. A big help.
Second, to check: the finger poking test described above.
So measuring and feeling works way better than looking and guessing.
Of course post sharing is OK 🙂
Keep up the wonderful baking!
Ed & Marieke
freerk says
I’m so guilty of doing it myself in a recipe…
Is there a good compact description that is more true to the actual process? I never seem to be able to find it, and I try every time. It gets more complicated, I find
Any pointers appreciated, ’cause i would love to be more accurate with this as well
I’m sharing this post on my FB if that’s ok with you guys!
Freerk
gill says
I have used the float test several times with your SD sourdough recipe. But only prior to making the main dough. I think its the tartine chaps that advocate this. Each time my teaspoon of starter dough has sunk! However if you just leave it in the jug it floats up after a short time which is when I move on to make the batch dough. This might just be due to temperature change as when I drop the dough in it has just come out of the fridge. End result is always good! This probably your excellent recipe.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Gill,
We never tried it ourselves. The question remains that if something floats does that mean it is ready or could it also mean it is already overproofed, because an overproofed piece of dough will surely float I guess.
Still if the method used results in great loafs it is clear that this method works for you.
And the fact remains that you still have to judge with other methods when your shaped loafs are ready for the oven.
Happy baking,
Ed & Marieke
Magda says
I will start using the poking method.
Thanks for the tips!
One question though: if a dough overproofs, is it beyond salvation? Do I throw it out?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Magda,
Our best suggestion would be to give it a quick knead and try again. We have not tried this ourselves, only read about it.
But the end result will not be the same of course. Still worth a try if the alternative is trowing it away, and if the bread is not that great you can always use it like you would do with stale bread. (see tips: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…w-it-away/).
Hopefully with the poking and other tips you will not encounter many ‘overproofings’!
Jeremy says
So glad you eventually got to methods for testing whether your dough has proved enough; I was spluttering the whole way through that doubling means nothing anyway.
Weekend Bakers says
I even read somewhere that novel bread bakers are afraid to ask what double in size means, afraid it is found a ‘dumb question’ and every real bread baker would immediately understand and know what to look for.
Joanna says
You are so right! 🙂 So many instructions are fraught with conceptual problems and the people who get caught out most by ‘the double in size’ one are beginners who rely on and follow instructions to the letter, as they don’t really have any alternative.
I am sure I have come across someone who had a bread proving straight sided glass or plastic container and they used that to judge the doubling, presumably that was a volumetric doubling like your first drawing… just been and had a look… here’s an example www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/…ing-bucket what do you reckon? would that be helpful? I don’t see how it would help with the final prove though….
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Joanna,
Like they also say on the King Arthur website:
“How good are you at eyeballing whether a batch of dough has “doubled in bulk”? ”
You are so right, how would you judge the final proofing of your shaped loaf…
Still, it is unclear if this doubling also gives you optimum proofing and it also depends on the type of dough of course if doubling is enough or too much.
I say get to know your dough by measuring and poking and feeling…
Thanks for your contribution!
Lots of loaf,
Marieke
nbeespace says
Has anybody ever tested the theory that if you put a golf ball size piece of dough in a pot of water and when it floats the bread is proved?
Weekend Bakers says
We know about the method. The dough starts to float as soon as enough carbon dioxide gets trapped to get an equilibrium between the volume of the dough and the weight of the water being displaced by this volume (Archimedes). We have never tried it though. It will be interesting to see, but I think the method will only work during bulk fermentation because you would not want to take a piece of dough from a shaped loaf. Holding a golf ball size piece back before shaping would mean this piece, being so small, will act different from the bigger piece of dough (esp. temperature wise, less thermal mass). It will also depend on the type of dough made (e.g. slacker dough holds less air than a stiff high gluten dough)
And does floating also equal optimal proofing?
Anyone?
Karin Anderson (Karin's Bäckerei) says
Maria Speck in her excellent book “Ancient Grains for Modern Meals” (no – I don’t get a commission!) has a recipe for a “Floating Sesame Loaf”, where this method is used.
I made the bread, the loaf really rises to the surface when it is proofed enough. But I find this method a bit awkward to work with (dripping wet loaf), more an interesting experiment, than a practical everyday technique.
I use the finger poke test, and base my subsequent observations on the very sophisticated, extremely accurate, highly scientific scale Nontox (www.der.Sauerteig.de ) came up with:
1. The dough feels firm and elastic: “I’m just getting comfortable in my basket, please leave me alone!”
2. The dough feels already a bit spongy, but springs right back: “I have enough pressure to stand for another half hour.”
3. The dough is nice and fluffy, but still springs back into his old shape: “I’m barely proofed, and can go into the oven, if you really want the slashes to crack wide open.”
4. The dough keeps the dent for a while, and then slowly comes back: “I’m ready for baking – now or never!”
5. The dough moans, caves in a bit where it was poked, and doesn’t recover again: “Now! Please now!”
6. The dough turns to dust – even at the slightest touch. “I already was with Ramses and Tut-Ankh-Amun – let me die in peace….”
Happy Baking,
Karin
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Karin,
Thank you so much for your addition. We love the way you describe the scale, educational and very funny:))
We will check out the book by Maria Speck too.
Lots of loaf,
Maieke
J.A.I.L. says
Similar idea with different drawings (in Spanish)
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks for the contribution. Some good math work too.