That 15-minute break rule at the bakery changed how I think about proofing

I was listening to this old baker talk at a workshop last Saturday and he said 'time is just a number, watch the dough not the clock.' It hit me that I've been rushing my brioche proofing because I always set a timer for exactly 2 hours but sometimes it needs more or less. Has anyone else found that their dough behaves totally different based on humidity and they just let it ride?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_west18d ago

Winter humidity in Seattle kills my brioche every time. I stopped using timers years ago.

the_miles17d ago

Yeah learning to read the dough instead of the clock was a total game changer for me too.

elizabeths5117d agoMost Upvoted

And here I was thinking my dough was just ghosting me when it wouldn't rise.