Baking bread: What is stick proofing?

June 6, 2023 Julia Haberecht
Brot backen | Ratgeber

Baking bread: What is stick proofing?

Who wouldn't like to know what ingredients are in the bread? Not only allergy sufferers, but also many other epicureans bake bread themselves to be sure that no additives or flavour enhancers are used. The most important ingredient in baking bread is the time factor. The dough needs time to mature and develop its flavour. The leavening is the beginning of the process.

The leavening is the resting phase that the dough gets after it has been kneaded. Once all the ingredients have been mixed together and the dough has been kneaded to the right consistency, it is put into the leavening phase. This can take from a few hours to 24 hours. This depends on which flours are used, whether the proofing takes place at room temperature or in the refrigerator, and a few other factors. The kneaded dough is then placed in an airtight container and left to proof.

Possibilities for proofing:

at room temperature: the warmer it is, the faster the leavening agent in the dough works, the faster the dough is ripe for further processing.
in the refrigerator: a stock fermentation in the refrigerator can take many hours. Fermentation is slowed down and the bread slowly matures in flavour and gluten structure.

Advantages of stock ripening

During the leavening process, the dough springs to life, which means that the leavening agents do their work
The volume of the dough increases
The gluten structure has time to develop
The structure of the bread is created
The taste develops

Conclusion

The leavening process is a step in the dough making process of bread baking. The leavening process is important for baking perfect bread. The leavening helps to improve the consistency and taste of the bread.