Alexander at King Arthur

February 6, 2022 at 2:10pm

In reply to by Kenny G (not verified)

Good question, Kenny! It sounds to me like your dough may have been on the over-proofed side, but perhaps not detrimentally so.  It can be difficult to tell exactly when to stop bulk fermentation, but generally you are looking for dough strength, increase in volume (either significantly increase or doubling), a few generous air bubbles and domed structure on the top (rather than flat) and some responsiveness or extensibility when agitated . Doubling in volume can be a helpful indicator that your dough is ready, but tripling in volume can often mean it has gone a bit too far, though it depends on the dough. The good news is that as long as you degas the dough in time, you generally have a second chance to read the proof correctly in the final fermentation. I hope you find this helpful, happy baking!

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