Basics and Techniques: Resting/Autolyse

With both bread making and pastry there are many stages when you need to ‘rest’ the dough. This allows time for the gluten strands to relax back to their original position. It is much like a muscle in the body that has been working and then relaxes back to its original resting position — the dough is developing all the time even when it is resting.

Autolyse, sometimes called a hydrated rest, is a term used to describe this resting period after the flour and water have been mixed together, which gives the gluten strands time to bond naturally. At Bourke Street Bakery we mix the starter, flour and water, then allow the dough to have its rest, or autolyse, for 20 minutes before adding salt and mixing the dough again.