Proofing (baking technique)

In cooking, proofing (also called proving) is a step in the preparation of yeast bread and other baked goods in which the dough is allowed to rest and rise a final time before baking. During this rest period, yeast ferments the dough and produces gases, thereby leavening the dough.

In contrast, proofing or blooming yeast (as opposed to proofing the dough) may refer to the process of first suspending yeast in warm water,^[1] a necessary hydration step when baking with active dry yeast.^{[note 1]}^[2]^[3]^[4] Proofing can also refer to the process of testing the viability of dry yeast by suspending it in warm water with carbohydrates (sugars).^[5] If the yeast is still alive, it will feed on the sugar and produce a visible layer of foam on the surface of the water mixture.

Fermentation rest periods are not always explicitly named, and can appear in recipes as "Allow dough to rise." When they are named, terms include "bulk fermentation", "first rise", "second rise", "final proof" and "shaped proof".

^ Barbara G. Salsbury (2006). Preparedness principles: the complete personal preparedness resource guide. Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 0-88290-806-5. Proofing yeast involves letting the yeast sit in warm water for about five minutes before it is ready to mix with other ingredients.
^ Baking handbook. Washington D.C.: Navy Department, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. 1961. pp. 1–7. NAVSANDA publication 342. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
^ Peter Reinhart (2001). The bread baker's apprentice: mastering the art of extraordinary bread. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p. 61. ISBN 1-58008-268-8. ... active dry yeast is grown on larger grains of nutrients that have to be dissolved first in warm water (this is called proofing the yeast).
^ DiMuzio, Daniel T. (2010). Bread baking: an artisan's perspective. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-470-13882-3. Active dry yeast ... must be resuscitated in 4-5 times its own weight in warm (38–43 °C or 100–110 °F) water, which is then subtracted from the quantity of total water in a bread formula. The time for blooming or proofing the yeast in warm water is around 10 minutes....
^ Cite error: The named reference Cunningham_1984 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

[1] Barbara G. Salsbury (2006). Preparedness principles: the complete personal preparedness resource guide. Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 0-88290-806-5. Proofing yeast involves letting the yeast sit in warm water for about five minutes before it is ready to mix with other ingredients.

[Navy.Baking.Handbook.1961-3] Baking handbook. Washington D.C.: Navy Department, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. 1961. pp. 1–7. NAVSANDA publication 342. Retrieved 2012-02-22.

[4] Peter Reinhart (2001). The bread baker's apprentice: mastering the art of extraordinary bread. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p. 61. ISBN 1-58008-268-8. ... active dry yeast is grown on larger grains of nutrients that have to be dissolved first in warm water (this is called proofing the yeast).

[DiMuzio_pg_22-5] DiMuzio, Daniel T. (2010). Bread baking: an artisan's perspective. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-470-13882-3. Active dry yeast ... must be resuscitated in 4-5 times its own weight in warm (38–43 °C or 100–110 °F) water, which is then subtracted from the quantity of total water in a bread formula. The time for blooming or proofing the yeast in warm water is around 10 minutes....

[Cunningham_1984-6] Cite error: The named reference Cunningham_1984 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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