Punching down the dough releases any gas bubbles that have formed during rising, and also redistributes the yeast, sugar, and moisture within the dough. To “punch” the dough properly, simply firmly, but gently push your fist into the center of the dough.
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. Overproofed dough is usually very dense. Punching down deflates the dough and controls its rate of proofing.
What Does It Mean to Punch Down Dough? Punching down dough refers to the motion used for deflating air pockets in bread dough. This step releases carbon dioxide, relaxes the gluten, and redistributes the yeast cells in bread dough.
After rising, the dough needs to be 'knocked back'. This process makes it easier to handle and shape and helps create a uniform texture to the dough.
Some recipes have you “punch down” the dough one or two times. Some recipes do not have this step at all. If your recipe asks to do it, do it! From my experience making regular yeast breads, I punch down once after first rise and then once again before forming into loaves.
If the dough is not knocked back the fermentation rate slows down as time goes by. Of course, there are only so many times that you can knock it back and expect it to rise again. But in most cases, we don't have to worry about it as there is no good reason to degas the dough multiple times during bulk fermentation.
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.
Punching down the dough releases any gas bubbles that have formed during rising, and also redistributes the yeast, sugar, and moisture within the dough.
The second knead breaks up these large bubbles of CO2. These came from the first frenzy of yeast activity once it came in contact with food from the flour and water. The second rise (or proof) is less active, so the gas bubbles are smaller. That's the reason for this 2 stage process, alongside building flavor.
The slap and fold technique is a method of building strength in high hydration doughs. Doughs with a very high percentage of water are notoriously sticky and difficult to work with, but the slap and fold technique uses that stickiness to its advantage to build gluten strength in the dough.
Bread Loaves made with over-kneaded dough commonly end up with a hard crust and dry interior. Often upon cutting, slices will crumble. If your perfect bread loaf turns into a crumbly mess, don't worry. The overworked dough will work great when used as croutons or breadcrumbs.
The crumb can look dense and compressed, especially towards the bottom of the loaf. This happens because the dough is weak and falls back on itself after trying to rise up. Notice the crumb is compressed towards the bottom of the slice. Dough that is over-fermented will start to spread once scored and look bubbly/weak.
Overkneaded dough will be tough and make tough, chewy bread. If you've kneaded by hand, you don't need to be too worried about overworked dough—you'll start to notice it getting difficult to manage. It takes a lot of elbow grease to knead bread dough; you'll likely tire yourself out before you can over-knead.
How long can dough sit out on the counter? The maximum amount of time dough can sit out on the counter is four hours for yeast-made bread, six for sourdough. Temperature, the characteristics of the sugars in the flour, the amount of yeast and the humidity of the room alter the length of the rise.
Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.
If the dough doesn't spring back when pressed with a finger, or tears when you pull it, it needs more kneading. If it springs back immediately when lightly pressed, and doesn't tear when you pull it, it's been kneaded enough and is ready to rise.
This rest allows the starches and the gluten to expand and fully absorb the water, which makes the dough easier to handle and can shorten the time needed to fully knead the dough. This is especially helpful in dough that is very sticky, like ciabatta.
Over-proofing happens when dough has proofed too long and the air bubbles have popped. You'll know your dough is over-proofed if, when poked, it never springs back. To rescue over-proofed dough, press down on the dough to remove the gas, then reshape and reproof. (This method won't work for sourdough bread.)
Several factors can cause your bread to collapse, including adding too much water to your dough, there could be problems with the yeast you used, you may have over-proofed your bread dough, or maybe you did not knead dough enough.
Yes. After the first rise, you can knead the dough lightly to remove some gas that causes air bubbles. This step is ideal if you want your dough to be flat and dense or if you want bread with a close crumb, like sourdough. If you prefer sourdough with an open crumb, just knead the dough lightly.