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(Bread), How to Form Dough Rounds

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:44:37 -0700
v111.n039.4
Goes with Bagels 11


* Exported from MasterCook *

                      (Bread),  How to Form Dough Rounds

1. Forming smooth and shapely dough rounds is one of the most 
important skills a baker learns. It accomplishes two things:  It 
stretches the thin sheet of gluten on the outside of the round to 
form an attractive spherical shape for the loaf or rolls and it 
tightens the gluten strands within the dough. Loaves that lack this 
structure will be dense and heavy rather than light and airy. The 
goal is to form a very tight, smooth, and round ball.

2. Here, we're shaping dough made from the Bagels II recipe (see the 
separate recipe); the dough has already risen once. Double-check the 
recipe you're following to ensure you portion the dough correctly. 
This recipe calls for the portion size to be 5 ounces, for one dozen bagels

3. Take two ends of the dough and fold them into the middle; repeat 2 
or 3 times. In essence, you are turning the dough inside out. The 
dough will be noticeably tighter.

4. One side of the dough will be smooth (except for a possible small 
carbon dioxide blister, which is good), while the other side will 
look like a seam of dough closing in on itself. Place the ball 
seam-side down on the work surface. With the palm of your hand 
against the smooth side of the dough, move the ball around in circles 
on the work surface. Keep as little flour as possible on the work 
surface, as some friction is required for the dough to stretch. The 
non-smooth end needs to be in constant contact with the work surface. 
Be careful not to use too much force and tear the outside of the 
round; too much pressure will weaken the structure of the dough. The 
act of moving your hands in circles will cause the seam to close and 
the smooth side to stretch, forming a nice ball.

5. Another way to form dough rounds is to exert pressure with your 
palm when rolling. This extra pressure will make the dough even 
tighter but requires a lot of practice. Start by rolling one of the 
balls with one hand the first couple of tries, then switch to the 
other hand a few rounds down the road. After both hands feel 
comfortable and you feel you are not exerting too much pressure on 
the dough, try rolling two rounds at once.

6. Once all of the dough pieces have been formed into rounds, set 
them on a floured or greased tray to be proofed once again. To keep 
them from drying out and forming a skin, cover the rounds with a 
slightly damp towel or plastic wrap.

If the dough rounds will be shaped before rising again (stretched 
into pizza dough, or shaped into pretzels or bagels) let the balls of 
dough rest for about ten minutes before proceeding.

Description:
    "Shape your dough into smooth balls before making dinner rolls, 
pizza crusts, bagels, or monkey bread."
Source:
    "allrecipes.com"