How to Proof Dough Like a Pro • The Yellow Oven

And yeast 101

Proofing! It’s an essential part of making any fluffy, yeast-based bread (think cinnamon rolls, focaccia, sourdough loaves, dinner rolls, the list goes on!). And honestly, those are some of my favorite types of bakes, which is why so many of my recipes call for one or more proofs. Once you’ve got the hang of it, and how to best proof in YOUR kitchen (it may take a few tries to figure this out), the options are limitless and you can impress everyone with your amazing bread-making skills!! So here’s my deep dive on how to proof dough like a pro.

Here’s the thing–if you’ve never done it before, proofing can be so intimidating! My friend recently made my small-batch focaccia recipe and was so confused about proofing. She did the first proof in the fridge, per the recipe, and then wasn’t sure if she proofed properly for the second proof. I think the real question is, what does proofing mean?? And why do we do it?

Def: Proofing

Proofing means you place your dough in a covered container and gluten formation happens. This leads to gas bubbles and ultimately elasticity and chew in your dough. It also puffs it up to keep it nice and fluffy! When I say let the dough rise, I mean let it proof. Proof=rise. Some yeast recipes recipes call for 1 proof, some call for 2.

Here are the 2 ways I will ask you to proof in my recipes.

With the dough in a ball, in an oiled large bowl, covered in plastic wrap.
With the dough shaped and/or turned out into the pan you will bake it in, covered well in plastic wrap.

Proofing entails a few things, always.

Your dough should be covered well with plastic wrap to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
It is in an environment of optimal temperature (warm, not hot) to activate the yeast to rise up.
The dough will puff up or increase in volume by some measure as evidence that proofing has happened. You will see visible gas bubbles in the dough.

Not all yeasts are created equal

You have a few choices when it comes to yeast. Instant yeast is often added to a flour, water, salt, and sugar mixture and all kneaded together. Active dry yeast is bloomed by mixing it with warm water/liquid and sugar, and allowing it to sit covered until “activated” or foamy.

My yeast of choice is active dry yeast. Sometimes it makes my laugh that I have a yeast of choice, but here we are. Active dry yeast is dependable and I like that when I bloom my active dry yeast in the beginning of making bread, I know for sure if the yeast is doing its job before I put together a whole dough.

How to know if your yeast is alive

You need to activate your yeast, then it is alive! Yep. So, what I mean is your yeast, when combined with warm liquid (milk, water, etc) and sugar, will form a foamy top layer over the course of 10-15 minutes. It will smell, well, yeasty. If this doesn’t happen, your yeast is defective (dead) and you need to throw it all out and buy new yeast. This has only happened to me a couple times, but can result in a sadly flat bready bake. So it’s worth making sure your yeast is kicking!

Try not to kill your yeast. Yes, this can happen. Yeast loves warm temperatures (think a nice 80 degrees F) but will die when exposed to hot temperatures. So, if you notice your dough no longer responding to proofs, ask yourself whether you exposed it to too hot a temperature at some point (aka, hot liquid or a too-hot oven when proofing). That would be one possibility.

Factors to consider when proofing

Room temperature. Proofing happens more efficiently at WARM room temperature (we’re talking like 75 degrees, maybe 80), so if you’re someone who likes to keep their kitchen at a cold 69 degrees year round you may want to consider a oven-based method. If your kitchen tends to be warm, proofing your dough out on the counter is a great idea.
Draftiness + air flow. Proofing happens best in a non-drafty place, meaning there should not be air moving all around the room. If a fan is going in the space, for example, this could disrupt a rise. Or an open window. Proofing items in a cabinet or closed oven can help with any draftiness.
Oven settings. Some ovens have a proofing setting (like mine) which can be nifty. However, a word of caution–get yourself an oven thermometer and find out what temperature your oven gets to during its proofing setting. 200 degrees F? Nope, that will kill your yeast. You want your yeast WARM but NOT HOT. If that’s what happens, abandon your fancy oven proofing setting for a more tried and true method.
Weather. Super cold days or super dry days can negatively affect rise (and dough consistency– you tend to need to add more water to dough on dry days, but I digress). Keep in mind if you have either extreme going on the day you proof your dough.

Considering all these options, I proof dough 1 of 4 ways. Please note the insulation in our kitchen is terrible, so it tends to be pretty cold on cold days and warm on hot days. Therefore, I need to adapt my approach to the weather. If you have a better insulated kitchen or one with fewer windows, you can likely pick one way that works for you and stick with it.

In the oven, with the oven preheated to 100 degrees F, then turned off, and left with the oven door cracked. This is good for cold days or recipes or when I need the dough to proof quicker (1 hour rather than 2).
In the oven with the door closed (no preheat) for warm days when I leave the sliding door in our kitchen open for fresh air. Draftiness is bad for rising.
On the counter. For warm days when the doors and windows are closed (aka, summer months).
In the fridge overnight, covered well with plastic wrap, when I’m feeling lazy or want to make something in the morning. This generally works well for 1 of 2 proofs in a recipe. I try to do the other proof at room temp. Don’t use this method unless the recipe explicitly states it can proof overnight in the fridge.

What do I need to proof?

Here’s all the materials I use to proof dough of any kind.

Active dry yeast
Big ol’ heatproof & clear bowl
Dish towel to cover yeast while blooming
Press n’ seal to cover
Oil (I like canola oil or EVOO in a spray bottle) for coating your bowl

Am I doing it right?

Here’s how to know if you have proofed your dough correctly!

If you’ve proofed the dough in ball in a covered bowl, you will see that your dough has about doubled or even tripled in size. If you use a clear bowl, look on the bottom and you will see some kind of air bubble formation down there.
If you’ve shaped your bake and proofed it (usually the second proof), you will notice your rolls, focaccia, etc will have puffed up a bit. Focaccia will look bubbly and jiggly. No matter what, you should see some kind of increase in volume, even if modest.

A case study in proofing and yeast

Let’s take my Super Cinnamon Rolls as an example (which I make constantly for local orders). This recipe calls for 1) a yeast bloom before dough assembly 2) a first proof/rise at room temperature and 3) a second rise in the fridge overnight. Here’s how that plays out:

We mix together our active dry yeast, warm milk, and sugar in a large bowl and cover with a dish towel to bloom the yeast. It sits for 10-15 minutes. When you uncover it, it should smell very yeast-y and have a layer of foam at the top.
We assemble our dough by adding dry ingredients, eggs, and butter. Then knead per the instructions until the dough comes together and bounces back a bit when poked.
PROOF 1! Your dough ball goes into an oiled, big bowl and is covered (with plastic wrap/press n seal). I do this proof IN my oven, with it preheated to 100 degrees, turned off, then allowed to cool for a few minutes. Then I put my dough-filled, covered bowl in and let the warmth do the rest. 1.5-2 hours later, my dough is fluffy as heck!
Shape your dough into sweet lil rolls. See pic below.

5. PROOF 2! After the dough is shaped into rolls, we proof again! This time, I like to proof in the fridge overnight and bake them up in the morning. Into the fridge they go, knestled in their pan, covered with plastic wrap for 8-12 hours.

6. In the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temp (still covered) for 30 mins-1 hour. At this point, the rolls should have puffed a little like the above picture. Proof 2 DONE.

7. Bake your rolls! You made it!!

Q & A

Why isn’t my yeast foaming?

Is it mixed with warm water or milk (not hot)? Did you cover it with a kitchen towel? Did you wait a full 10-15 minutes? If you did all these things and your yeast has done nothing, it’s dead. Discard and buy some more. Sorry!

What if I wait 2 hours and my dough hasn’t doubled in size?

Check the recipe–does it call for the dough to double? If not, it may be a heavier dough and a little volume increase is all you need to expect. If it does call for it to double, it will definitely happen in 2 hours if proofing is done correctly. Ask yourself– is the proofing environment warm enough? Is it drafty? Is the weather especially cold and dry today? These may be interfering with your rise and correcting the conditions and giving your dough more time will likely give you the rise you need.

What if my dough gets TOO big and puffy?

Yep, this can totally happen. Though over-proofing is totally a thing (and your dough will develop so much gluten it basically collapses), it’s more likely if you followed the instructions that your dough will be okay. I would punch it down and go ahead and proceed with your next step (shaping). Or, bake right away. If you can’t work with it immediately, stick it in the fridge to inhibit any more rising.

My doughs not that puffy before baking. Is that okay?

As long as it has puffed up a little–yep! Most yeasted dough rises quite a bit in the oven during baking. I find this happens especially with overnight proofs. It will all work out!

Can I use instant yeast?

Yes, but it’s not my preference and it will require a certain way of mixing ingredients so it works correctly. I recommend only using instant yeast when the recipe calls for it specifically. Honestly, I use active dry yeast and bloom it even when the recipe calls for instant yeast, because that’s just how I do.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS?? Comment below and I will edit this post to include them and the answers!

Try it out!!!

Ready to put your newfound proofing knowledge to work? Try out one of my recipes that involve proofing.

Last but not least, it might take a few attempts to get proofing right. Don’t be discouraged. Consult your research, and try again! You will figure it out. And if you get frustrated, send me a note. I would love to help!

Happy baking, friends!