Pre-shaping

1. Pre-shaping In this step you are giving the dough some direction. For example, if you are making a baguette or normal sandwich loaf, you would shape it into a batard. You want to let the gluten relax to allow for an easier final shaping process.

2. Benching This is just a relaxing point for the gluten before you shape it into exactly what you want. It is really at the discretion of the baker as to how long he or she would like to let the dough rest.

3. Shaping This is when you determine what your loaf will actually look like. Save the scoring of the loaf till your about to throw it in the oven to bake away.

4. Proofing The term proofing comes from the yeast proving it is still alive. This is the final step before the bread goes in the oven to bake. If you are using a hot baking stone it will produce what is known as an “oven spring” and it will produce a quick lift.

5. Baking This is the step that can make or break any product. Most commercial bakeries will have a deck oven which is capable of cooking large number of batches of bread at once for maximum production. Deck ovens can reach very high temperatures and normally stack 3 or 4 chambers high each with its own temperature control settings.

6. Cooling It may not seem like it but this is as an important step as any. You may want to let this bread cool down before you go chowing down on it. It can very easily burn your tongue and bread tastes the best after it has cooled down completely.

7. Storing Before packaging the bread allow it to cool completely as hot packaged bread will release steam and lead to moldiness into the bread that you have just worked so hard to create.