In bread-making, “autolayse” is the term used for the resting period when flour and water are mixed together and left to rest. During this time, the flour fully hydrates and gluten, the protein that gives bread its elasticity, begins to develop. The autolayse period typically lasts from 20 minutes to a few hours. In addition…

What is cold fermentation? Cold Ferment is when the second rise of bread dough occurs at a low temperature. Temperature ranges for cold fermentation can be anywhere from 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The colder the temperature, the slower the second rise. Why cold ferment? Bakers can choose to cold ferment their dough for a…

How to make: To make Yudane, combine even part flour and boiling liquid together (ex: 50g flour, 50g water). Cover and let rest overnight or for at least 8 hours before using. Alternatively, you can store it in the refrigerator and bring it back to room temperature before using it. The long rest time allows…

Tangzhong is a gel-like roux made from cooking flour with a liquid. The roux holds in moisture and makes the resulting bread soft and fluffy! How to make: To make Tangzhong, combine 1 part flour to 5 part liquid by weight (ex: 10g flour, 50g water) in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the mixture,…

Levain, also known as leaven, is the fed starter to be used for the purpose of sourdough bread making. It is different than sourdough starter in that when building levain, it is common to feed the starter more than its typical feeding ratio (typically 1:1:1 starter-water-flour) to ensure peak activity when proofing the dough. It…

What is bulk fermentation? Bulk fermentation is the first rise in the dough-proofing process. It starts at the end of the dough mixing process and ends when the dough is shaped. It is called bulk fermentation because the dough is proofed as one mass, versus the second rise (also known as final proof) is when…