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Breads
Appears in
By Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby
Published 2013
Baking bread involves a surprising amount of variation because bread is highly responsive to its environment. One of the most crucial steps is proofing, a period of time when you are allowing the yeast to rise and create structure in the dough. Proofing in the Vedge kitchen is very different in the warm, humid months of July and August compared to the cold, dryer months of January and February.
Some of our recipes call for a poolish; this is a fermentation starter made of equal parts flour and water with a pinch of yeast that enhances the flavors and textures of certain breads. We keep our poolish or starter refrigerated overnight in warmer months, left out at room temperature in cooler months. Take this into account when storing poolish or starter and when proofing dough in your home kitchen. Proofing helps to create the right structure inside your bread, and the process of kneading and forming is what achieves a gorgeous crust.