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After I punch down bread dough (after it has already risen for 1.5 hrs), do I let it rise again? If so for how long? Or do I put it right in the oven?
when forming dough you usually end up with a seam or seams from either combining multiple pieces of dough to make the weight you want (say a 1 pound loaf) or just simply the edges of the dough forming a single loaf.
the easiest thing to do is to take your loaf when you have it roughly the shape you want and pull/roll (in your hands) the seams to the bottom of the loaf during the final formation. I probably didn't explain that well. But anywhere the dough has a seam or join line it stands a chance of blowing out IF it isn't on the bottom of the dough where it will be contained by the weight of the loaf or the pan it's in. You can try the old watery hands trick and tease the seam together on the outside, but sometimes trapped air tends to make a large pocket in the bread.