"Proofing" can mean several things in bread baking: ensuring that the yeast is active, setting the dough to rise, and letting the shaped loaves rise before baking.
Instructions
1. To proof the yeast and make sure it's active, add one packet active dry yeast to 1/4 c. warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F) and stir to dissolve. (The water should feel like a pleasantly warm shower, or about the temperature you'd use for a baby's bottle. If it feels uncomfortably hot, it will probably kill the yeast.) Add one teaspoon of sugar and let the yeast sit for five minutes. If the yeast is foamy and smells like bread, it's active.
2. To set dough for rising, find a place in your home that is at or closest to 80 degrees F (27C). This is the optimum temperature for proofing yeast and allowing dough to rise.
3. Gather the kneaded dough into a ball (see "Knead Bread Dough" for more information about this crucial step) and cover it with a floured linen towel, a piece of plastic wrap or other cover. Covering the dough prevents moisture loss and contamination by competing yeasts.
4. Allow dough to rise undisturbed. It's done when it approximately doubles in size and it does not spring back when poked with a finger.
5. Punch the dough down after it's risen. This relieves stress on the dough, squeezes out unwanted gas and redistributes the yeast, which improves most breads.
6. Form the bread into loaves, then cover and let rise again. If possible, let this rising take place in a moist area; you might use a damp towel for covering the loaves. The second rising usually takes half as long as the first; be ready for this and be ready to bake as soon as the dough has finished rising.
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