May 16, 2020 - 5:02pm
Poke test applies to first proof?
I noticed that my dough almost never springs back during first proof.
Is this test irrelevant for the first proof, or is it possible my dough is over proofed in just 40 minutes?
Does it even apply to commercial yeast recipes?
I've mainly seen it mentioned in the context of sourdough.
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I'm fairly new to baking breads, so definitely not an expert, but I recently asked a similar question and it seems the consensus is that the poke test is reserved mostly for the second rise before baking and not for the bulk ferment. With the first proof, we're to be looking for it to rise/double and for there to be lots of bubbles throughout the dough. The poke test for the second ferment tells us when it's ready to go into the oven. I'm afraid I was asking about sourdough specifically, so not quite sure how it works with commercial yeast. I imagine it would be similar, though at a much faster pace.
The poke test is used on the final proof, if you do a cold retard which many of us do here, it becomes a bit less pertinent.
Benny
The recipes in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book all call for testing the ripeness/readiness of the bulk proof using a poke test. These are 100% whole wheat doughs that use conventional yeast. They usually call for the dough to be either completely proofed or slightly overproofed 'doesn't spring back or sighs slightly' for the finish of the first rise. I don't know if you can also use a poke to judge ripeness of a white dough. In general the higher the hydration of the dough the more challenging it is to use the poke test because the dough is so soft it wants to squish, and because it also wants to stick to your finger and come back out when you withdraw your finger!