Why Do You Have to Punch Down Bread Dough? Degassing Explained

It is common to see instructions for degassing or punching down bread dough. But what does this step achieve and what would happen if it was skipped? Degassing, folding, dividing, pre-shaping and final shaping all go hand in hand. As bread dough ferments it fills up with carbon dioxide expelled by the yeast which is feeding on simple sugars that have been broken down by enzymes from the starch in the flour. The carbon dioxide gas accumulates in pockets inside the dough held together by the gluten structure. As the dough ferments and fills up with gas it expands. Most commonly the degassing step would be performed half-way through bulk fermentation which is the first part of fermentation during which the dough develops most of its flavour. This step is often accompanied by a fold. The dough gets degassed as the fold is performed. The purpose of fermentation is to make the dough rise and become an airy textured and light loaf of bread. But no matter how gently you handle the dough, it will get deflated at least a little bit. 📖 Read more ➡️ https://www.chainbaker.com/degassing/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🥨 To learn more about bread making click here ⤵️ Principles of Baking http://bit.ly/principles-of-baking The Steps of Baking http://bit.ly/steps-of-baking ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔪 Find all the things I use here ⤵️ 🇺🇸 https://www.amazon.com/shop/ChainBaker 🇬🇧 https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/ChainBaker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌾 If you would like to support my work click here ⤵️ https://www.ko-fi.com/chainbaker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🍞 Share your bread pictures here ⤵️ https://www.flickr.com/groups/chainba... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Bread #Baking #ChainBaker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure I participate in the Amazon Influencer Program which will earn commissions from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.