YEAST PRODUCT TYPES

STEPS IN
YEAST DOUGH
PRODUCTION
There are 12 basic steps in the production of yeast breads. These steps are
generally applied to all yeast products, with variations depending on the
particular product. In particular, many of the handcrafted artisan breads that
have become popular require more complex procedures.
1. Scaling ingredients
2. Mixing
3. Fermentation
4. Punching
5. Scaling
6. Rounding
7. Benching
8. Makeup and panning
9. Proofing
10. Baking
11. Cooling
12. Storing
As you can see, mixing ingredients into a dough is only one part of a
complex procedure.
This section describes each of these 12 steps, including the basic procedures.
In the next sections, dough making and fermentation are discussed in
greater detail.

SCALING INGREDIENTS
All ingredients must be weighed accurately.
Water, milk, and eggs may be measured by volume.They are scaled at 1 pt
per pound, or 1 kg per liter.However, if quantities are large, it is more accurate
to weigh these liquids.
Special care must be taken when measuring spices and other ingredients
used in very small quantities. This is particularly important with salt, which
affects the rate of fermentation .

MIXING
Mixing yeast doughs has three main purposes:
• To combine all ingredients into a uniform, smooth dough.
• To distribute the yeast evenly throughout the dough.
• To develop the gluten.
Three principal mixing methods are used for yeast doughs: the straight
dough method, the modified straight dough method, and the sponge method
(also called the sponge-and-dough method).
Straight Dough Method
In its simplest form, the straight dough method consists of only one step:
Combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix.Many bakers make goodquality
products by using this procedure.However,the yeast may not be evenly
distributed in the dough. It is therefore safer to mix the yeast separately with a
little of the water.

Procedure: Straight Dough Mixing Method
for Yeast Products
1. Soften the yeast in a little of the water.
Fresh yeast: Mix with about 2 times its weight in water, or more.
Ideal water temperature: 100°F (38°C).
Active dry yeast: Mix with about 4 times its weight in water.
Ideal water temperature: 105°F (40°C).
2. Combine the remaining ingredients, including the rest of the water, in the mixing
bowl. Add the dissolved yeast, taking care not to let it come in contact with the salt.
3. Mix to a smooth, developed dough.
Modified Straight Dough Method
For rich sweet doughs, the straight dough method is modified to ensure even
distribution of the fat and sugar.
Procedure: Modified Straight Dough Method
1. Soften the yeast in part of the liquid, using a separate container.
2. Combine the fat, sugar, salt, milk solids, and flavorings and mix until well combined,
but do not whip until light.
3. Add the eggs gradually, as fast as they are absorbed.
4. Add the liquid and mix briefly.
5. Add the flour and yeast. Mix to a smooth dough.
Sponge Method
Sponge doughs are prepared in two stages. This procedure gives the yeast
action a head start.
The first stage is called a sponge,a yeast starter, or a yeast pre-ferment. All
of these terms mean the same thing. There are many variations of this procedure. Part of the liquid is
sometimes reserved for step 2.
A note on the system of baker’s is needed here.There
are two possible ways to express percentages when using a sponge:
1. Consider the sponge or pre-ferment as a separate formula. Express the
flour in the sponge as 100%.Then, in the main formula, express the total
weight of the sponge as a percentage of the flour weight in the main
formula.
2. Consider the sponge as part of the main formula. Express the flour in the
sponge as a percentage of the total flour in the complete formula.
Each method has its advantages,and bakers have their own preferences.In
this book, both methods are used, depending on the formula, so you can have
experience working with each.
Mixing Times and Speeds
The first two purposes of mixing—combining the ingredients into a dough
and distributing the yeast—are accomplished during the first part of this step.
The remaining time is necessary to develop the gluten. Overmixed and
undermixed doughs have poor volume and texture.
Mixing times given in formulas in this book are guidelines only.You must
learn to tell by sight and feel when a dough is thoroughly mixed.This can be
done only through experience.A properly developed dough feels smooth and
elastic. A lean dough should not be sticky.
Mixing speeds, too, should be taken as guidelines rather than as firm
instructions. Small mixers, whose motors and gears are not as strong as those
of larger mixers, can be damaged if they are run at too high a speed with stiff
bread doughs. In such cases, a lower speed than the one indicated in the
formula should be used. For the same reason, batches of stiff dough should be
kept small.Too large a batch puts excessive strain on the machine.
Follow the recommendations of the mixer manufacturer with regard to
mixing times and batch sizes. If a slower speed is used,extend the
mixing time as necessary to obtain a properly mixed dough.Depending on the
mixer, developing a dough at first or slow speed requires approximately twice
as much time as at second speed.
Rich doughs are generally undermixed slightly because a greater
tenderness is desired for these products. Rye breads are also mixed less
because of their weaker gluten, which tears easily.
Overmixing is a common error in bread making. Gluten that is developed
too long has stretched nearly as far as it can and loses its elasticity. Then it
tears instead of stretches, and molding is more difficult. The texture and
volume of overmixed products are less desirable.
Salt, used in proper quantities, helps alleviate this problem because it
makes gluten stronger and more elastic.
Procedure: Sponge
Method
1. Combine part or all of the liquid, all
of the yeast, and part of the flour
(and, sometimes, part of the sugar).
Mix into a thick batter or soft dough.
Let ferment until double in bulk.
2. Punch down and add the rest of the
flour and the remaining ingredients.
Mix to a uniform, smooth dough.

FERMENTATION
Fermentation is the process by which yeast acts on the sugars and starches in
the dough to produce carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and alcohol.
Gluten becomes smoother and more elastic during fermentation, so it
stretches farther and holds more gas. An underfermented dough will not
develop proper volume, and the texture of the product will be coarse. A
dough that ferments too long or at too high a temperature becomes sticky,
hard to work, and slightly sour. An underfermented dough is called a young
dough. An overfermented dough is called an old dough.
Doughs with weak gluten, such as rye doughs and rich doughs, are usually
underfermented or “taken to the bench young.”
Yeast action continues until the yeast cells are killed when the
temperature of the dough reaches 140°F (60°C) in the oven. It is important to
be aware that fermentation continues during the next steps in yeast dough
production—punching, scaling, rounding, benching, and makeup or molding.
Failure to allow for this time may result in overfermented doughs. Doughs that
are to be made into rolls and loaves requiring a great deal of makeup time
should be slightly underfermented to prevent the dough from being too old by
the time makeup is completed.

PUNCHING
Punching is not hitting the dough with your fist. It is a method of deflating the
dough that
• expels carbon dioxide
• redistributes the yeast for further growth
• relaxes the gluten
• equalizes the temperature throughout the dough
Additional fermentation and punching may or may not be necessary,
depending on the product.

SCALING
Using a baker’s scale, divide the dough into pieces of the same weight,
according to the product being made.
During scaling, allowance is made for weight loss due to evaporation of
moisture in the oven.This weight loss is approximately 10 to 13% of the weight
of the dough. Allow an extra 11⁄2 to 2 oz dough for each 1 lb baked bread, or 50
to 65 g per 500 g.
Actual baking loss depends on baking time, size of the unit, and whether it
is baked in a pan or freestanding.
Scaling should be done rapidly and efficiently to avoid overfermenting the
dough.
If a dough divider is used to make rolls, the dough is scaled into presses,
which are then divided into 36 equal pieces .For example,if 11⁄3-oz
rolls are desired, the presses should be scaled at 3 lb (36 × 11⁄3 oz), plus 6 oz to
allow for baking loss. Presses are rounded, relaxed, and divided; the divided
units may or may not be rounded again, depending on the product.

Procedure for
Fermenting Yeast Dough
Place the dough in a container large
enough to allow for expansion of the
dough. Cover the container and let the
dough rise at a temperature of about
80°F (27°C) or at the temperature
indicated in the specific formula.
Ideally, the fermentation temperature
is the same as the temperature of the
dough when it is taken from the mixer.
If proper containers are not available
or if humidity is too low to prevent a
crust from forming on the dough, you
may oil the surface of the dough
lightly.
Fermentation is complete when the
dough is doubled in volume. A dent
remains or fills very slowly after the
fingers are pressed lightly into the top
of the dough if fermentation is
complete. If the dough springs back,
fermentation is not complete.

Procedure for Punching
Dough
Pull up the dough on all sides, fold it
over the center, and press down. Then
turn the dough upside down in the
container.

ROUNDING
After scaling, the pieces of dough are shaped into smooth, round balls. This
procedure forms a kind of skin by stretching the gluten on the outside of the
dough into a smooth layer. Rounding simplifies the later shaping of the dough
and also helps retain gases produced by the yeast.
Your instructor will demonstrate rounding techniques. Machines are also
available that divide and round portions of dough automatically.

BENCHING, BENCH PROOFING, OR
INTERMEDIATE PROOFING
Rounded portions of dough are allowed to rest for 10 to 20 minutes. This
relaxes the gluten to make shaping the dough easier. Also, fermentation
continues during this time.
In large operations, the rounded dough is placed in special proofers for
this rest. Smaller operations place the dough in boxes that are stacked on one
another to keep the dough covered.Or the dough may simply be placed on the
workbench and covered—hence the term benching.

MAKEUP AND PANNING
The dough is shaped into loaves or rolls and then placed in pans or on baking
sheets. Hearth breads—breads baked directly on the bottom of the oven—
may be placed in floured baskets or other molds after makeup.
Proper makeup or molding is of critical importance to the finished baked
product. All gas bubbles should be expelled during molding. Bubbles left in
the dough will result in large air holes in the baked product.
For both pan breads and hearth breads, the seam must be centered on the
bottom to avoid splitting during baking. For units baked in pans, the pan size
must be matched to the weight of the dough.Too little or too much dough will
result in a poorly shaped loaf.

PROOFING
Proofing is a continuation of the process of
yeast fermentation that increases the volume
of the shaped dough.Bakers use two different
terms so they can distinguish between
fermentation of the mixed dough and
proofing of the made-up product before
baking. Proofing temperatures are generally
higher than fermentation temperatures.
Underproofing results in poor volume
and dense texture. Overproofing results in
coarse texture and some loss of flavor.
French bread is generally given a long
proof to create its characteristic open texture.
Its strong gluten withstands the extra
stretching of a long proof.
Rich doughs are slightly underproofed
because their weaker gluten structure does
not withstand too much stretching.

Procedure for Proofing Yeast Dough Items
1. For lean yeast doughs, place the panned products in a proof box at 80° to
85°F (27° to 30°C) and 70 to 80% humidity, or as indicated in the formula.
Proof until double in bulk.
Rich doughs, especially rolled-in doughs, are usually proofed at a lower
temperature (77°F or 25°C) so the butter does not melt out of the dough.
Avoid using too much steam. This weakens the surface of the dough and
causes uneven proofing.
If a proof box is not available, come as close to these conditions as you can by
covering the products to retain moisture and setting them in a warm place.
2. Test-proof by sight (the unit doubles in bulk) and by touch. When touched
lightly, properly proofed dough springs back slowly. If it is still firm and
elastic, it needs more proofing. If the dent remains in the dough, the dough is
probably overproofed.

BAKING
As you recall from chapter 1, many changes take place in the dough during
baking.The most important changes are:
1. Oven spring, which is the rapid rising in the oven due to production and
expansion of trapped gases as a result of the oven heat.The yeast is very
active at first but is killed when the temperature inside the dough reaches
140°F (60°C).
2. Coagulation of proteins and gelatinization of starches. In other words, the
product becomes firm and holds its shape.
3. Formation and browning of the crust.
In order to control the baking process, the following factors should be
considered.

Oven Temperature and
Baking Time
Temperatures must be adjusted for the product being baked. At the proper
temperature, the inside of the unit becomes completely baked at the same
time that the crust achieves the desired color.Therefore:
1. Large units are baked at a lower temperature and for a longer time than
small rolls spaced apart.
2. Rich doughs and sweet doughs are baked at a lower temperature because
their fat, sugar, and milk content makes them brown faster.
3. French breads made with no added sugar and a long fermentation require
very high temperatures to achieve the desired crust color.
• Popular American lean breads are baked at 400° to 425°F (205° to 220°C).
• Some French breads are baked at 425° to 475°F (220° to 245°C).
• Rich products are baked at 350° to 400°F (175° to 205°C).
A golden-brown crust color is the normal indication of doneness. Loaves
that are done sound hollow when thumped.

Washes
Many, if not most, yeast products are brushed with a liquid, called a wash, just
before baking. The most common washes are as follows:
1. Water is used primarily for hard-crusted products, such as French bread.
Like steam in the oven the water helps keep the crust from
drying too quickly and thus becoming too thick.
2. Starch paste is used primarily for rye breads. In addition to keeping the
crust from drying too quickly,the starch paste helps give a shine to the crust.
To make a starch paste, mix 1 oz light rye flour with 1 qt water (60 g rye
per 500 mL water). Bring to a boil while stirring. Cool. If necessary, thin
with water to the consistency of cream.
3. Egg wash is used to give a shiny brown crust to soft breads and rolls and
to rich doughs and Danish.It is made by mixing beaten eggs with water or,
sometimes, with milk. Proportions may vary greatly depending on how
strong a wash is desired.

Cutting or Scoring
A break on the side of the loaf is caused by continued rising after the
crust is formed.To allow for this expansion, the tops of hard-crusted
breads are cut before baking. Slashes are made on the top of the loaf
with a sharp knife or razor immediately before it is put into the oven,
as shown in the figure on the right. The pattern created by the cuts
also contributes to the appearance of the bread.
Small rolls often bake completely without a break, so they are
usually cut for the sake of appearance only.
Note: The term docking is often used for this procedure.
However, many bakers feel this term should be reserved for a
different process—namely, the piercing or perforating of pastry and
pie doughs.To avoid confusion, this book uses the terms cutting and
scoring for the slashing of bread crusts, but you should be aware of
the other term because you will hear it used.
Loading the Ovens
Proofed doughs are fragile until they become set by baking.They should
be handled carefully when being loaded into the ovens, and they
should not be disturbed during the first part of baking.
Breads and rolls are baked either directly on the bottom of the
oven (hearth breads) or in pans.
1. Hearth breads To load ovens, place the proofed units on a
peel that is well dusted with cornmeal. Slide the peel into the
oven. Then,with a quick snap, remove the peel, leaving the loaves
or rolls in place. To remove baked items, quickly slide the peel
under them and pull them out.
2. Pan breads and rolls Freestanding items may be baked on
sheet pans instead of on the hearth. Bakers generally refer to such
breads and rolls as hearth breads even if they are not baked
directly on the bottom of the oven. Sprinkle the pans with
cornmeal to keep the units from sticking and to simulate the
appearance of hearth-baked items. Pans may also be lined with
silicone paper. Perforated sheet pans or screens are also
available.These allow better air circulation and therefore permit
more even browning.
Sandwich loaves and other pan breads are, of course, baked in
loaf pans or other appropriate pans.
Steam
Hard-crusted breads are baked with steam injected into the ovens during the
first part of the baking period.Rye breads also benefit from baking with steam
for the first 10 minutes.
The steam helps keep the crust soft during the first part of baking so the
bread can expand rapidly and evenly. If steam were not used, the crust would
begin forming earlier and thus would become thick and heavy.The steam also
helps distribute the heat in the oven, further aiding oven spring. When the
moisture of the steam reacts with the starches on the surface, some of the
starches form dextrins. Then, when the steam is withdrawn, these dextrins,
along with sugars in the dough,caramelize and turn brown.The result is a thin,
crisp, glazed crust.
Rich doughs, those with higher fat or sugar content, do not form crisp
crusts and are usually baked without steam.

COOLING
After baking, bread must be removed from pans and cooled on racks to allow
the escape of the excess moisture and alcohol created during fermentation.
Small rolls spaced on baking sheets are often cooled on the pans when air
circulation is adequate.On the other hand,if condensation is likely to make the
bottoms of the rolls soggy, it is better to cool them on racks.
If soft crusts are desired, breads may be brushed with melted shortening
before cooling.
Do not cool bread in a draft because the crust may crack.
STORING
Breads to be served within 8 hours may be left on racks. For longer storage,
wrap cooled breads in moisture-proof bags to retard staling. Bread must be
thoroughly cool before wrapping or moisture will collect inside the bags.
Wrapping and freezing maintains quality for longer periods. Refrigeration,
on the other hand, increases staling.
Hard-crusted breads should not be wrapped (unless frozen) because the
crusts will soften and become leathery.