Preshaping or Rounding

Appears in
Professional Cooking
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2014

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After scaling, the pieces of dough are shaped into smooth, round balls. This procedure forms a kind of skin by stretching the gluten on the outside of the dough into a smooth layer. Rounding simplifies later shaping of the dough and also helps retain gases produced by the yeast.

Your instructor will demonstrate rounding techniques. Machines are also available that divide and round portions of dough automatically. Figure 31.1 illustrates a piece of dough being rounded by hand.

Figure 31.1 To round a piece of dough, roll it on the bench with the palm of your hand. As you rotate the dough, use the edge of your hand to pinch the dough against the bench. This movement stretches the surface of the dough so it is completely smooth except for a seam at the bottom where it was pinched together.