What to cover with for rise / fermentation
Hi All!
I'm brand new to breadmaking, and have stumbled around finding a couple of random beginner recipes in various corners of the internet. Our first few loaves have been underwhelming, but each one has been better than the last. Am having a blast tweaking variables and trying to build up some experience to lean on.
One question I haven't been able to find an answer to (might just be bad choice of search criteria): how much of a "seal" am I trying to create when covering the dough to rise? I assume not much of one, since one of the most common recommendations for a covering is just a towel. I guess a broader version of the question might be: what is the point of covering the dough? Is it to keep it warm? to keep air circulation minimized? Some combination of the two? A third thing I'm not thinking of?
There seems to be a roughly 50/50 split between recipes/guides recommending a towel vs clear plastic wrap. It's possible these are for two different desired outcomes; I don't feel like I know enough yet to be sure.
The other option I saw in at least one video was just to overturn the mixing bowl on top of the dough...this certainly seems like the lowest-effort option...would I be doing myself a disservice by doing this?
The other thing that occurs to me just as I'm typing this: Is the answer different for different stages? i.e. towel for bulk rise, plastic wrap for final rise in the pan, etc?
Anyway, that's probably enough versions of the same question for now. Thanks in advance for your support; I'm excited to join the community!
You seem to make it sound complicated from reading your post. The whole point of covering the dough is so it does not dry out and also for bug control or anything else that could fall into it.
I am not pretending to be an expert here but the way I like to ferment my dough is to pressurize it so I would seal it in a correct size container for the job. Most experts I have read and seen on YouTube just cover the dough with a towel or a plastic wrap so I guess whatever works as a matter of preference.
Thanks so much for the quick response. I figured I was probably overthinking it, but wanted to make sure I understood the importance (or lack thereof) so I could eliminate it as a variable as I try to improve the quality of my bread. Thanks again for your insight!
I use about 20 different things depending on what's in arms reach and what the dough is rising in. It's really to just reduce evaporation as Ming said, and reduction in air flow is part of that.
Thanks for the response! Sounds like I don't have to worry about it too much; that'll free up some brainspace to obsess over all the variables that do matter. Thanks again.
A number of people use something similar to these. They easily stretch over a banneton, loaf pan, or most bowls. Bonus - they are reusable.
I'll second the shower cap. I like how they stretch over bowls and bread pans and the fact that I not using so much disposable plastic. My first cap died (elastic gave out) after almost a year of weekly use.
Thanks so much for the reply. That certainly sounds like pretty good value-for-money to me! :)
Normally, covering is to prevent the surface from drying, or from drying too much when some drying is desirable.
So, plastic is when you don't want the surface to dry at all. Towel is when you want is to dry somewhat, but not excessively so, just enough for easy scoring and good ear. In many recipes proof or rising is so brief, the choice of cover is not essential, the surface won't dry too much anyways.
Obviously, for the final proof before baking there are other options as well, because some recipes require specific humidity in the environment where the items are rising before baking. Humidity along with temperature controls the speed of fermentation.
Thanks so much for all the detail; this makes a lot of sense. I'm going to start paying more attention to the covering method various recipes recommend as I try them out, as well as doing a bit of my own experimenting. Thanks again!
Giant Ziploc bag. Fits the entire Kitchenaid pro mixer bowl with dough inside. Reusable over and over. I can mix in the bowl, put it in the bag, put it on the counter, or in the fridge because I often use overnight fridge fermentation.
Also bread proofing on a tray... tray slides right into the same bag I used for the bowl, no prob. Wash, hang to dry, reuse.
Innnnnteresting. I like the sound of the simplicity/adaptability of this solution. I will keep my eyes peeled for particularly giant ziplocs on my next shopping trip. We've got pretty big ones in our normal rotation, but nothing that would fit a sheet pan. Thanks for the reply!
Dollar tree use to sell them. They are hard to find. They put them in the oddest places. Sometimes near the living aids like shoe horns & bath supplies. Sometimes near pet food.
they also use to sell a box of shower cap type food bowl covers in many different sizes. The largest fit over the the largest kitchen aid mixer with room to spare. Haven’t seen them in a long time but I keep looking. The zip lock bags are there often. Right now many items are low or off the shelf.
Thanks for the tip! We've got a Dollar Tree right nearby; I'll do a quick wander through the aisles the next time I'm in the neighbourhood.