Autolysation is (if taken) the second step of baking. The process involves mixing all the flour and water of a dough recipe and leaving it to hydrate. Flour contains two proteins called glutenin and gliadin. When water is added the two proteins combine to form gluten....
Mixing in the simplest term is the even distribution of ingredients throughout the dough. But of course, it is more complex than that. The first step of mixing is determining your water temperature. Correct water temperature dictates the final dough temperature. If...
As soon as you stop kneading your dough fermentation begins. There are several leavening agents that can be used to ferment dough. From a leaven made from a sourdough starter to yeast or yeasted preferments like poolish or biga. During the bulk fermentation stage, the...
Folding is a step taken for most types of dough. It can achieve various results that may be beneficial. At the least it will degas the dough which is recommended to be done for almost all types of dough. But it gets a lot more useful than just de-gassing. Folding will...
Dividing the dough marks the end of bulk fermentation. It is as simple as it sounds. But there are a few things to consider. First of all, you would not divide the dough if you were only making one loaf of bread. The dough can be divided by just eyeballing it. This...
