Before your loaf hits the oven, it benefits from a chance to recover from shaping. This final resting stage — called proofing — allows the dough to seal its seams, re-expand, and build up internal gases, setting the stage for a successful bake.

⏱ Timing Your Final Proof

Final proofing usually takes 1 to 4 hours, depending on your dough and room temperature. But remember: results matter — but so does your schedule.

One way to check if your dough is ready is by using the poke test. Gently press your fingertip about half an inch into the dough. If the indentation springs back slowly and partially, your dough is ready to bake. If it springs back quickly, proof it longer. If it doesn’t spring back at all, refrigerate it until you can get it into a hot oven.

If you bake a loaf that is maximally proofed, it will have little to no oven spring and a flatter ear. An under-proofed loaf will have the most dramatic oven spring, a bold ear, and dramatic expansion.

1. In a hurry? Preheat the oven and bake it immediately.

2. Not the perfect time for baking? Chill the dough in the fridge to 'retard' or slow fermentation. Cold-proofing overnight is a great way to fit baking into your schedule and often produces a more sour flavor.

🧺 Using a Proofing Basket

If you have more than an hour for your final proof, placing your dough in a form or proofing basket will be helpful. Here's why:

1. Shape retention – Baskets prevent the dough from flattening out.

2. Easy handling – Great for freeing up counter space and gently moving your loaf to a warm or cool location.

3. Aesthetic patterns – Proofing baskets imprint ridges onto your loaves, leaving a classic artisan flair that is only possible from using proofing baskets.

4. Breathability – Helps dry the surface, forming a thicker crust.

Proofing baskets come in a variety of materials, sizes, and shapes:

• Rattan/Wicker: Traditional, lightweight, and leaves a signature spiral pattern.
• Wood Pulp: More durable, slightly more expensive, and helps wick away moisture for a drier crust.
• Plastic: Affordable, easy to clean, and great for beginners.

Selecting the right size basket can be tricky. The size you need depends on your starter’s strength, your flour blend, and the seller’s measurement method. Some baskets are listed by top diameter, others by base diameter, which can create confusion. The rise of the dough will also vary depending on the culture’s strength, flour blend, and hydration.

Best Starter Form: McCormick Kitchen Colander

The McCormick kitchen colander is an excellent beginner’s proofing basket. It’s inexpensive (about $6), dishwasher safe, and perfectly sized for a standard loaf. It also leaves a distinctive and beautiful pattern on the bread’s surface.

🛒 Where to Find One

Look online or on Amazon using search terms like:

• Proofing basket
• Banneton (French)
• Brotform (German)

🥣 No Basket? No Problem.

Use a bowl that’s roughly twice the size of your shaped loaf. Here’s how to keep the dough from sticking:

1. Generously dust the loaf with flour — rice flour is highly recommended, but using the same flour as your dough is fine.

2. For proofing longer than 2 hours, line the bowl with a linen napkin, dish towel, or even a paper towel.

3. For maximum non-stick protection, spray the liner lightly with oil before dusting with flour.

Whether using a basket, a colander, or a bowl, your goal is the same: give your dough a chance to relax, re-expand, and allow you ease of handling while you wait to bake.

✂️ Slash Your Loaf… Then Bake

Just before baking, use a razor blade or lame to slash the top of your dough. This is more than a decorative flourish — it’s your opportunity to control and maximize expansion, and it’s also your signature.

As the loaf bakes, steam and gas will naturally expand your loaf. Often the expansion exceeds the crust’s ability to stretch, which results in fault lines opening up and an unsymmetrical expansion called an ear.

Scoring allows you to control how and where the dough expands during its final surge in the oven — known as oven spring. Without a slash, your loaf will be constricted in its potential expansion, and it may burst unpredictably. A good score gives the loaf a chance to bloom predictably and maximizes oven spring.

To score properly:

1. Hold the blade at a 45° angle.

2. Slash with confidence and speed — a quick, smooth motion (inserting the blade and pulling slowly will cause the dough to bunch up in front of the blade and tear behind it).

3. Cut about ¼ to ½ inch deep.

4. For boules, a single curved slash works well. For batards or baguettes, try multiple diagonal slashes.

Want to make your loaf truly yours? Add a signature pattern — a set of marks that identifies you as the baker. Some classic options include wheat stalks, crosses, or flowers etc. Over time, your slashes become part of your personal style.

🌿 Seam-Side Up: Let the Loaf Decide

Want a more organic, rustic look? Try baking your loaf seam-side up — without scoring it at all.

When you flip the dough out of the proofing basket, the seams (where the dough was tucked and sealed) become the weakest point.

This creates:

1. A wild, more rustic look

2. A look that’s less polished but more artisanal

3. An easier process — no tools or scoring technique required

No two seam-side-up loaves will ever look the same — and that’s part of the charm.