To proof dough, activate yeast with warm water and check it’s alive. Knead dough to build up gluten, then let it rest until doubled in size before baking. Use warm water between 105°F and 115°F to activate yeast. Kneading builds up gluten and activates yeast. Dough needs heat to rise, so leave it covered until it doubles in size. Most recipes call for dough to rise at least twice.
Proof dough or dough rising begins by activating the yeast with warm water and then checking that the yeast is alive before adding other ingredients. While the yeast creates bubbles in the dough causing it to expand, you need to make sure that the dough itself has built up enough gluten to hold the gas bubbles by kneading the dough. The last step in proofing the dough is to let it rest until doubled in size, in some cases more than once, before baking.
For most recipes, you should start by proving the dough by activating the yeast with warm water. The amount of water to use for the yeast depends on the recipe, although the temperature of the water will never change. Yeast requires warm water between 105°F (about 40°C) and 115°F (about 46°C); anything less than this won’t activate the yeast, and anything more than that can kill it, making proofing the dough impossible. The yeast and water combination should bubble after a few minutes, indicating the yeast is active and ready for the rest of the ingredients.
After adding the rest of your ingredients to the activated yeast, you need to make sure that the dough is elastic enough and has built up enough gluten to contain the gas bubbles created by the yeast. Without this gluten, the dough typically collapses the bubbles, making proper leavening impossible. This step is accomplished by kneading the dough, which not only builds up the gluten, but also helps fully activate the yeast and incorporate it into the ingredients so you can successfully test the dough. The recipe you use typically states how long you need to knead the dough, and you can do this by hand or with a mixer and dough hook.
After the yeast has been fully activated and the dough has built up enough gluten to rise successfully, you can proof the dough. In order for the yeast to create enough bubbles for the dough to rise, it needs heat. Typically, you can leave the dough in the bowl you started with, cover it, and leave it undisturbed until it doubles in size. Depending on the recipe, you may only need to try the dough once, although most call for the dough to rise at least twice. In this case, you’ll wait for the dough to double in size for the first proofing, then punch the dough, shape it into the pan you plan to bake it in, and let it proof again before baking.
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