Proofing Without Overthinking
Timers are helpful, but dough is not a microwave. I start with the clock, then I move to the cues: a slight dome, visible bubbles, and a dough that holds strength when you lift an edge. The best habit you can build is taking notes: dough temperature, room temperature, and how long it took. After a few bakes, you stop guessing.
In Bend, dryness and temperature swings matter. Dough will skin over if you let it. Cover the bowl, keep things draft-free, and remember that cold rooms stretch timelines. Warmth speeds everything up. Neither is wrong, but pretending your kitchen is a lab is how you get surprised.
The poke test is a tool, not a verdict. A gentle poke that springs back fast means it needs more time. A poke that slowly returns means you are close. If it collapses, you went too far. That happens. The fix is to bake and learn. Bread is forgiving as long as you are paying attention.
Proofing gets simpler when you accept one truth: every day is different. Flour absorbs differently, starter behaves differently, your house is warmer or colder. Good bakers do not control the day. They read it. Then they make decisions that keep the loaf honest and the crumb tender.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 350g water
- 100g active starter
- 10g salt
Instructions
- Mix flour and water; autolyse 30 minutes.
- Add starter and salt; mix until cohesive.
- Bulk ferment 3–4 hours at 75°F with 3 folds in the first 90 minutes.
- Shape into boule; place in floured basket. Cold proof 6–8 hours.
- Bake at 475°F in Dutch oven: 20 minutes covered, 25 minutes uncovered. Cool completely.