Based on my somewhat mixed results with Hamelman's rye-bread recipes
(almost certainly due to differences in the flours which I can readily
procure), I am re-examining some of the basic bread-making steps - which I
had hitherto regarded as "set in iron".

Specifically, the number of rises needed before the dividing and shaping
of the dough.

Is it possible that the some of the standard routines are designed for
commercial bakers, who have to cope with lumps of dough that weigh 20-40
lbs? Also, time is a more significant cost in a commercial environment.
If so, then the home-baker has additional options that are not viable in a
commercial bakery.

So my question is:

Which routines are dictated by the chemistry and microbiology of the
fermenting dough (and impacts strongly on the flavour and texture of the
baked bread), and which are dictated by financial and material handling
exigencies?

I expect that this question has already been answered in full by Professor
Cavell, but I am hoping that the answer can be shortened to make it
suitable for posting to this NG.

Felix Karpfen

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Felix Karpfen
Public Key 72FDF9DF (DH/DSA)