Why punch down dough

And indeed there may be some particular breads out there whose process requires a vigorous flattening to achieve a traditional and inevitably dense crumb structure. But the current fashion is to treat dough as gently as possible so as to preserve and protect gas bubbles within it so that they may grow and produce an airy crumb. The "best" way to do that is be extremely gentle.

Extremely gentle. Of course, the dough's hydration, the chemistry of your flours, the vigor of your starter and the efficiency of your monitoring fermentation progress also impact ultimate crumb structure. I did a search in the box at upper right for "punch down", thinking that perhaps getting very few hits would be evidence that the practice is no longer even discussed here. But in fact there are pages and pages of hits though very few are recent.

So the terminology is at least still in use. But that manipulation cannot be considered a "punch". More of a light, even "press", depending upon how much the dough needs it. If it has over-fermented during the first rise, then a firmer overall "press" can promote a more even distribution of the internal gases during the final proof and an opening up the crumb structure of the baked loaf.

Or, to oversimplify, just eliminate the few bubbles that are too big. A certain amount of unevenness is fine, maybe even good - but the really huge bubbles get in the way. So is there any point in doing the first rise in a separate bowl to and then transferring to the baking tin or is it best to just put the freshly kneaded dough into the baking tin let it rise for an hour then bake it?

If the latter is best why did anyone ever do the former. Some recipes recommend kneading after the first rise. So one little question that's been nagging me: what does punching down dough after the first rise accomplish? What is the exact difference to the end product from if you hadn't punched down the dough? It would seem that you're letting gasses out of the dough, which one would think would lead to a denser bread.

But I see it in recipes to make very light airy breads frequently. It's not that I'm doubting centuries of technique. I just want to know what is physically happening and why some dough recipes ask that you punch down the dough while others do not. McGee has failed me on this one or else just hid the explanation well.

O'Shaughnessy When the usual pie lineup feels boring and uninspired for your dessert repertoire, you've got to make Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest tips, tricks, recipes and more, sent twice a week. By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Different types of bread require different shaping, and your recipe will provide the necessary details. Here are some general pointers for shaping any bread.

Dough for breads with large internal holes such as ciabatta or focaccia needs to be handled very gently so as not to deflate the air bubbles, which create the holes. For flat breads such as focaccia and ciabatta, dimpling the dough with your fingertips pushes the air bubbles together to create the characteristic large, irregular holes.

These doughs are poured or scraped onto a baking sheet that's been coated lightly with nonstick vegetable-oil spray or vegetable oil. While breads like ciabatta and focaccia are only gently handled before baking, others, such as rolls or sandwich loaves, are given a more definite shape.

When shaping loaves or rolls, pinching the seam at the bottom helps to form a tight outer "skin" and results in a higher rise and better form. There are two surfaces to rising dough—the lower surface that is touching the bottom of the bowl or dough-rising container, which is usually bumpy, and the upper surface, which is not pressing against any surface and so is usually smooth. You want the smooth surface to become the outside or top of the loaf, so when shaping, place it against the work surface.

As you shape the dough, the smooth surface will grip the work surface slightly, helping to create a better final shape. Once dough is shaped, it needs to rise be proofed for a final time. It should be transferred to the pan it will be baked in or on most often a loaf pan or baking sheet first.