After the first rise, it's important to punch down the dough to prevent it from over-proofing. Overproofed bread is dense and unable to retain the gas bubbles necessary for the structure of the bread loaf. Let the dough rise to double its original size before punching it down.
The second proving has given the bread more elasticity, and made it harder to deflate the air. Second rises may add significantly to the total time it takes to complete a loaf of bread, but the step can be essential to achieving the taste and texture inherent to a number of popular breads.
Knead it two to three times before forming your desired shape or placing it into a bread pan.
Can you knead the dough after the second rise? Yes, you can. Just do it lightly if you want to keep the gas on the dough, which gives bread big holes. Also, do it short since you don't have to develop more glutens.
After the first rise, it's important to punch down the dough to prevent it from over-proofing. Overproofed bread is dense and unable to retain the gas bubbles necessary for the structure of the bread loaf. Let the dough rise to double its original size before punching it down.
You'll be able to clearly see when it has doubled. For the second rise, many recipes baked in loaf pans will recommend baking once the dough has reached 1” over the lip of the pan.
Once dough has risen to double its size, it must be pressed down or turned to prevent it from overproofing. If bread is allowed to rise to more than double its size, the gluten will stretch to the point of collapse and will no longer be able to hold the gas bubbles that provide necessary structure for the loaf.
Roll your dough into a ball and hold it in the air for a few seconds. If the dough remains a ball, it means that the gluten has been worked enough and is durable. If your dough flops between your fingers, it needs to be kneaded more.
If you let the dough rise for too long, the taste and texture of the finished bread suffers. Because the dough is fermenting during both rises, if the process goes on for too long, the finished loaf of bread can have a sour, unpleasant taste.
Most recipes call for the bread to double in size – this can take one to three hours, depending on the temperature, moisture in the dough, the development of the gluten, and the ingredients used.
Keep the dough closed for the duration of the proofing time according to your recipe. For example: 1-½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size for the first rise and 30 minutes for the second rise. Some recipes require two or even three proofs before baking.
The purpose of kneading is to develop gluten in the dough. Gluten is made of long strands of protein — it makes the dough stretchy, so it can contain the bubbles created by the yeast or sourdough culture, enabling the dough to rise. Therefore, you need to knead before rising.
Look: Your dough should be about double the size it was when it started. If it's in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, then use a marker to trace an outline of the dough on the plastic — the dough is done rising/proofing when it stretches beyond that mark by about double.
It can take between 5 and 10 minutes until the consistency of the dough changes and it becomes smoother and more elastic. Eventually, it will begin to hold together in ball and develop a soft skin.
Loaves made with over-kneaded dough often end up with a rock-hard crust and a dense, dry interior. Slices will be very crumbly, especially toward the middle.
The surface of your dough is smooth
The Guardian instructs bread bakers to "stop [kneading] when the dough ceases to tear under your hands and forms a smooth, elastic surface." This smooth surface is due to the proper development of gluten in the dough created through the action of kneading.
A dough hook is the best tool you can use to knead dough. It does everything your hands would do, but more quickly. Not only does a stand mixer and dough hook do all the work—but you're more likely to get better results if you use them instead.
If you don't punch down your dough, it will overproof and collapse, resulting in broken gluten which can't hold the air necessary for rising. Your baked goods won't rise in the oven and will end up dense and tough. Once you have punched down your dough, the relaxed gluten makes it easier to shape the bread into loaves.
List two reasons why dough is punched after it has fermented and risen. It allows carbon dioxide gas to be released. It allows yeast to come in contact with food for the second fermentation.
You can gently deflate the dough, reshape it, and set it to rise again. Watch it very carefully, as this third rise will go quite quickly and probably won't be as high.
For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough. Now, you may be wondering “how long does it take for bread to rise?” The short answer is that it depends on the temperature of your kitchen. For bread to rise, yeast must be activated, and yeast is very sensitive to temperature.
Can you leave dough to rise overnight at room temperature? Dough that's left to rise at room temperature typically takes between two and four hours to double in size. If left overnight, the dough can rise so high it will likely collapse on the weight of itself, making the dough deflate.
Knock baking dough is a stage in bread making after its first rise. By knocking back the dough, the large air bubbles are removed, to help create an even texture in the bread loaf.