How To Proof Bread

If you've been spending more time inside, you've likely seen the bread baking trend that swept social media during the coronavirus pandemic. It's not too late to jump on the bandwagon — the process is a great way to relieve stress all while learning a new skill. However, bread-making can be complicated. So here are a few steps you can take to ensure your at-home project is a success.

Easy Cooking and Baking Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions Everyone Should Know

To make your bread restaurant-worthy, one thing you should do from the jump is proof your bread. Proofing dough is a technique used in recipes that require yeast in which the dough is left to rise. To do so, turn on the oven for just two minutes and place a bowl of boiling water into the oven with the light on. Once you're done kneading the dough, the oven should be the correct temperature to ensure the dough will be proofed properly.

Aside from proofing your dough, it's also important to incorporate steam into the bread baking process. The easiest way to do so is by spraying the loaf with warm water before putting it in the oven and again five minutes later.

Another method to try is putting the loaf of bread into a preheated oven and pouring one cup of boiling water in a hot cast iron pan on the bottom shelf. While these hacks are helpful to get you started, here are plenty more ingenious hacks for amateur bakers.