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Resting Time When Baking Bread: Why Dough Resting is Important

Anyone who has ever baked bread knows it: the bread dough needs at least one resting time. Professionals even let the dough rest twice before it can go into the oven and come out as crusty bread. Find out why this is so here.

Resting time for the bread dough – that’s why it’s so important

Basically, the process of baking bread is always the same. The dough is kneaded from a few ingredients, which are then put away for a rest period.

  • In many bread doughs, baker’s yeast is an essential ingredient. The fact that the bread dough has to rest before it can go into the oven is ultimately also due to the yeast. Baker’s yeast is a single-celled organism that feeds on sugar. For this reason, the fungus is often referred to as a sugar fungus.
  • During the resting period of the dough, a biochemical process called fermentation takes place. The baker’s yeast multiplies and absorbs the sugar from the flour during the rest period. In the course of their metabolism, the protozoa convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
  • The emitted carbon dioxide cannot escape. Because of this, many small air bubbles form in the bread dough. This process is also known as fermentation, for example in the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer.
  • Ultimately, the bread dough at least doubles in size as a result of the fermentation process. For this reason, it is advisable to place the bread dough in a bowl, which can best hold three to four times its volume, before the resting time.
  • Because the dough has become nice and fluffy after the resting time, your bread rises and gets its aromatic taste.
  • Tip: During the resting time, place the bread dough in a warm place. The temperature should be between 30 and 35 degrees, but in no case warmer. The sugar fungus does not tolerate higher temperatures. The same applies if you dissolve the yeast in water. Never use hot water, only warm water.

Dough resting – these are the differences in the resting time

Baking bread using sugar dough is a process that has been known for thousands of years. Our ancestors also noticed at some point that the bread dough turns out much better if it is allowed to rest before baking.

  • Hobby bakers often only give their bread dough a resting time. That is usually completely sufficient.
  • Professional bakers, on the other hand, let the bread dough rest twice for many types of bread.
  • The first resting process is referred to as stock fermentation and the second resting period is piece fermentation.
  • During the stick proofing, the dough rests for several hours at temperatures below 25 degrees in a low-oxygen place. The aim of this process is to multiply the yeast fungi in the bread dough.
  • After stick proofing, the dough is briefly kneaded again and put into the second resting phase. With piece fermentation, the fermentation described above takes place and the dough needs a warm place with a temperature between 30 and 35 degrees.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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