proofing

Pluralproofings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle of proof.

   The baker is proofing the loaves on a rack near the warm oven.

   She is proofing the manuscript for typos before sending it off.

   Note

   One spelling serves several trades. In the kitchen, proofing dough means letting it rise, and it is the verb behind the baking step. Proofing yeast means testing that it is still active. Elsewhere the word is a casual shortening of proofreading, a treatment that makes a material resistant to water, or test-firing a firearm with a deliberately overpowered load. The object usually tells you which sense is meant.

2. 2
   nouncountable or uncountable

   In baking, the period during which yeast is given time to leaven a dough for bread or other baked goods.

   Bakers often give enriched dough a slow, cold proofing overnight.

   A second proofing after shaping gives the loaf its final rise.

   Similarblooming

   Note

   What happens in the bowl is gas: the yeast gives off carbon dioxide, which stretches the gluten network and deepens flavor before the loaf meets the oven. The noun counts both ways. A recipe can call for a second proofing after shaping, or simply leave time for proofing. Some bakers call the same stage blooming.

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