Hi,
Could somebody please explain what is the meaning of “short/long bench” in the following directions?
“When you pull the dough out for preshape, do a loose preshape, which allows a shorter bench. A tighter preshape calls for a longer bench, but then the dough warms up and might make it harder for you to shape later.”
Thsnks!
The tighter the pre-shape the stronger the gluten matrix. A strong gluten matrix will take longer to relax enough to shape.
Hydration and flour or whole grain types also affect the time it takes for a pre-shape to relax enough to be shaped. Some doughs are more elastic and others are more extensible.
Dan
I love to shape the dough cold from the fridge if I am doing a bulk ferment. No need to worry about a tight cloak. For a boule pat out the cold dough gently to a square. Pull in the four corners and overlap them. make sure the side that is being overlapped has a light coating of flour. Pinch the seams roughly. Flip over and gently round the loaf. Place this side down in the banneton. You will turn out the bread and this side will be up and give you a rustic ear and nice look to the loaf as it expands from the pinched seams. Easy peasy !
If you are shaping before retard the same principal applies. Pat out the dough to a rough square on a floured board. Flip the dough over and do the four corner fold overs to make a rough circle and pinch these seams Flip over and round the loaf gently. . Proceed as above by placing the pinched side down. Retard, turn out and bake cold from fridge. Gorgeous rustic crusts. You can look at my pics to see how it will turn out. Good Luck . Always nice to have many options. c
thanks Trailrunner, I’m saving this in my notes to try next time I bake bread ;).
always more things to try than loaves to bake :)
The op may be questioning the shorthand of 'bench' for 'bench rest'
Yes, as kendalm says, it means the time during which the dough rests (i.e. sits without you doing anything with it) on the work bench or counter. Generally if you pre-shape the dough minimally, with little handling and a very loose shape, it will relax quite quickly and you can leave it for only 10 minutes or so before you finish shaping it (making it tighter and in the final preferred shape). If you pre-shape it quite aggressively and tightly, it will take a longer time (at least 20 minutes and maybe longer) before the gluten relaxes enough for you to finish shaping it.
Make sense?
Thanks Lazy Loafer for your easy to understand explanation! Now I know......;)