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Pro tip: Stop overproofing your brioche dough... I was doing it for YEARS
I used to let my brioche proof for like 3 hours on the counter until it was HUGE and puffy. Then my bread always came out dense and greasy, not light and fluffy like I wanted. Last month I was at a bakery in Portland watching this old baker work and he pulled his brioche after only 90 minutes. I asked him about it and he laughed and said you're basically melting the butter out of the dough if you go too long. Tried his timing that same weekend and my brioche came out SO much better, like taller and more tender inside. Now I keep a close eye on the clock and pull it when it's grown about 75 percent, not doubled. Has anyone else been overproofing their enriched doughs without realizing it?
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jason_fisher43d ago
Read this thing online from a food science blog that explained how overproofed enriched doughs lose their structure because the butter literally melts out and pools between the gluten strands. That old baker was dead on. I always thought "more rise = better" but apparently the butter acts like a lubricant and the dough just collapses on itself if you push it too long. The 75% rule makes total sense to me now, you want that butter to stay locked in the dough not turn into a greasy mess on your counter. I tried it myself after reading that article and my croissants went from sad little pucks to actually having those honeycomb layers inside.
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