Step Number 6 – Dividing

Home 9 The Steps of Baking 9 Step Number 6 – Dividing

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 works best at home and if you are only making two breads. Otherwise, scales should be used to achieve an even batch.

If all your dough pieces are various sizes, then they will require various baking times.

When dividing dough that is not sticky no flour is needed. But when dividing sticky dough, you should keep all surfaces including the scales and your hands floured.

If you are making a large batch or if you must divide your dough into a lot of small pieces, then you have to work quickly as the dough is still fermenting whilst you are dividing it.

Try and cut the dough into the required weight in as few cuts as possible. It is always better to have a piece of dough that is comprised of as little smaller pieces as possible.

I like to use my dough scraper for dividing my dough.

Watch the video here

Understanding the principles of bread making will let you be in complete control every time you make bread. It will reduce the failure rate and turn you into an even more confident home baker.

I highly recommend you check out the Learning page where I have detailed, easy to understand explanations on each step of the bread baking process and the principles behind it.

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