Home Bread Baking Guide

How to Know When Dough Is Proofed

The "poke test" is the most reliable way to judge if a loaf is ready to bake. Gently flour your finger and press it about half an inch into the dough. If the dough springs back immediately and fully, it needs more time (under-proofed). If the indentation remains and does not spring back at all, it has gone too far (over-proofed). If the dough springs back slowly and leaves a slight indentation, it is perfectly proofed and ready for the oven.

How to Start a Sourdough Starter

Creating a starter requires nothing but flour, water, and time. Begin by mixing equal parts (by weight) of whole wheat flour and water in a jar. Leave it loosely covered at room temperature. Every 24 hours, discard half of the mixture and feed it with equal parts fresh flour and water. Around day 3 or 4, you may see a burst of activity—this is often unwanted bacteria dying off. Keep feeding it consistently. By day 7 to 10, the culture should be predictably rising and falling, smelling pleasantly sour, indicating that the wild yeast is fully established.

How to Store Homemade Bread

Unlike commercial supermarket bread, artisan home-baked bread contains no artificial preservatives and will stale quickly if mishandled. Never store crusty bread in the refrigerator; the cold temperature rapidly accelerates starch retrogradation (staling). Instead, store it cut-side down on a wooden cutting board to maintain the crust, or in a paper bag. If you need to store it for more than a few days, slice the entire loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic, and freeze it. Slices can be toasted directly from frozen.