Rest time when baking bread: Why dough rest is important
Related Videos: How to Let Dough Rise (May 2024).
Everyone who has ever baked bread knows it: the bread dough needs at least one rest period. Professionals even leave the dough to rest twice before it can be put in the oven and come out again as crispy bread. You can find out why this is here.
Rest time for the bread dough - that's why it's so important
The process of baking bread is basically the same. A dough is kneaded from a few ingredients and then put away for a rest period.
- For many bread doughs, baker's yeast is an essential ingredient. Ultimately, the yeast also owes the fact that the bread dough has to rest before it can be put in the oven. There is a single cell behind the baker's yeast that feeds on sugar. For this reason, the mushroom is often referred to as sugar mushroom.
- During the dough's rest period, a biochemical process takes place called fermentation. The baker's yeast multiplies and absorbs the sugar from the flour during the rest period. In the course of their metabolism, the protozoan converts the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- The carbon dioxide emitted cannot escape. Because of this, the 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 process of fermentation increases the bread dough at least twice. For this reason, it is advisable to place the bread dough in a bowl before the rest period, which is best able to hold three to four times the volume.
- Because the dough has become nicely loose after the rest period, your bread opens and receives its aromatic taste.
- Tip: During the rest period, put the bread dough in a warm place. The temperature should be between 30 and 35 degrees, but never warmer. The sugar mushroom cannot tolerate higher temperatures. The same applies if you dissolve the yeast in water. Never use hot, only warm water.
Dough rest - these are the differences in the rest period
Baking bread using sugar dough has been known for thousands of years. Our ancestors also noticed at some point that the bread dough works much better when it is allowed to rest before baking.
- Hobby bakers often only give their bread dough a rest period. That is usually enough. Professional bakers, however, let the bread dough rest twice for many types of bread.
- The first resting process is called stock cooking and the second resting time is batch cooking.
- During the stick cooking, the dough rests in a low-oxygen place for several hours at temperatures below 25 degrees. This process is about multiplying the yeast in bread dough.
- After the stick cooking, the dough is kneaded again briefly and put into the second resting phase. The fermentation described above takes place in the case of piece cooking and the dough needs a warm place with a temperature between 30 and 35 degrees.
In the following article you will learn how to bake a delicious spelled sourdough bread yourself.