Punch Down

Bakers baking by hand use volume, rather than time, as a measure for when to deflate the dough. They deflate the dough for the first time when it has doubled in bulk. The machine, with its more controlled and predictable rising environment, punches down the dough using time, rather than bulk, as its cue. Because the Punch Down phase is timed, different doughs will be in various stages of rising when punch downs occur. The first deflation happens halfway through the composite of all the rising periods, separating Rise 1 from Rise 2, and the second deflation occurs 80 percent through the total rising time, separating Rise 2 and Rise 3 (the dough will reach its full rising capacity in Rise 3). Punch downs are necessary to release the trapped carbon dioxide from the dough. The action of the machine’s blade, a few turns lasting less than ten seconds, is all that is needed to deflate the dough. (This time varies by machine—for example, Regal’s Punch Down is just three spins in five seconds at the same speed as Knead 1.) I don’t really like the term “punch down,” since it has a violent connotation and the dough really is deflated gently. No more kneading is required at this point, as it would reactivate the gluten strands and give the dough an undesirable tight tension. A relaxed dough is able to rise smoothly and easily.