Barb at King Arthur

August 27, 2022 at 2:23pm

In reply to by larry goforth (not verified)

Hi Larry, if you can fit your shaped loaf in the microwave, and your dough needs the warmth, then it's fine to use the microwave for both the bulk and the shaped rise, but you may find that if the dough has been kept nice and warm (75-78F) during the bulk ferment, you won't need to use the microwave for the final rise. As long as your dough is rising well and is nice and airy by the end of the bulk ferment, I wouldn't worry if it hasn't quite doubled in size. For the shaped rise you want the dough to have some rising power when it hits the hot oven, so I wouldn't want or expect it to double before it goes in the oven. Assuming I've been able to shape a loaf with good structure and a taut surface, I like to gently poke a floured finger in the rising loaf and look to see that the indentation fills in slowly as a good sign that the bread is ready to go in the oven. If the dough bounces right back, then it needs more time before baking. On the other hand, if the print remains, then your dough is probably a little over-proofed. 

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