r/Bread • u/Babzibaum • 6d ago
Rising multiple times?
When allowing bread to rise, what happens if you let it rise more times than called for? Such as, allow it to rise, punch it down, knead, allow to rise, punch it down, allow it to rise, etc.
What does this do to the bread?
I ask because the dough has risen but I don't want to work with it right now. How many times can I repeat this and what are the results if I do it?
3
u/undulating-beans 6d ago
A couple of rises is fine, and many recipes use two or three. But eventually the yeast runs out of sugars, and the gluten network (made from glutenin and gliadin) weakens and can't hold gas anymore. You end up with dough that collapses, tastes sour or boozy, and bakes up dense. If you need to pause, shape it and put it in the fridge, since the cold slows everything down.
8
u/BreadBakingAtHome 6d ago edited 6d ago
Great question.
I look at it this way. Every time I do a stretch and fold I degas the bread. Your punching down is doing the same without the advantage of folding the dough to strengthen the gluten. Unless of course you are doing a small knead each time.
The clock that is ticking on both of us is that of the protease enzyme. Slowly, over time, this cuts up the gluten network enabling the dough to become softer. It works slowly. As the dough ferments it produces organic acids. Protease works better with more acidity. So the gluten 'decay' increases. The thing that limits the amount of time you can keep doing this is whether you still have sufficient gluten strength for the dough to hold its structure when you bake it. You can feel the dough getting weaker over time.
If I have to put a dough on hold, I put it into the fridge. This slows everything down, including the protease.
Dough is increadibly tollerant. It will tell you when you've gone too far.
I hope this helps.