Punching Down the Dough & Scaling

Punching down the dough and scaling both happen after fermentation—and there’s a reason for that.

At this stage, we want to:

• relax the gluten

• release excess gas

• even out dough temperature

• prepare the dough for shaping

If large bubbles are left trapped inside the dough, they’ll turn into giant holes during baking. Most of the time, that’s not what we want.
(If you do want big holes—like for certain rustic loaves—you can skip or minimize this step.)

Scaling is simply a fancy word for dividing your dough into the right sizes for what you’re baking.

Punching Down the Dough: What We’re Actually Doing

“Punching down” doesn’t mean beating up your dough. It’s about gently degassing and resetting it so the next rise is more even and controlled.

Recommended Technique (Gentle + Effective)

This is the method I recommend:

1. Stretch the dough up from one side

2. Fold it over the center

3. Press down gently

4. Rotate the bowl one-quarter turn

5. Repeat until all four sides are folded

6. Flip the dough upside down in the bowl

This method:

• releases excess gas

• relaxes gluten evenly

• keeps structure intact

Common Techniques (Also Totally Fine)

Some bakers prefer to:

• dump the dough onto the counter and gently press it flat

• give it a literal punch with a fist

• briefly pulse the mixer to knock out air

All of these work.
Your kitchen, your rules.

The key is releasing excess gas without tearing the dough apart.

Scaling the Dough (Dividing It Up)

After punching down comes scaling, also known as dividing the dough.

This is the beginning of shaping—where you decide:

• how many loaves or rolls you’re making

• what size pans to use

Pan size matters:

• Too small → dough mushrooms over the top

• Too large → short, squat loaf

Scaling lets you match dough size to pan size instead of guessing.

💡 Not sure how much dough your pan needs?
Instead of guessing, I use a simple water-based method that works with any loaf pan—even non-standard sizes.

How I Figure Out the Right Dough Amount for Any Loaf Pan (for 100% Fresh Milled Whole Grain Bread

No complicated math. Just a repeatable method that takes the guesswork out of scaling.

Scaling Without a Scale (AKA Eyeballing)

If you don’t have a scale, you can still do this well.

For loaves:

• Shape the dough loosely

• Place it in a pan

• If it fills less than half, use a smaller pan

• If it fills more than half, use a larger pan

You can also divide the dough and make:

• one large loaf + one mini loaf

• multiple small loaves

For rolls:

• Divide the dough in halves, thirds, or quarters

• Then divide again until you reach the number you want

Example:
To make 9 rolls, divide the dough into thirds, then divide each third into three.

Scaling With a Scale (Most Precise)

Using a scale removes the guesswork.

1. Weigh the full dough

2. Choose a pan based on dough weight

3. Either:

   • match the pan to the dough

   • or cut the dough to match the pan

Extra dough?
Make flatbread, rolls, or mini loaves. Bonus bread is never a problem.

For rolls, pretzels, or bagels:

• If size doesn’t matter → divide evenly by count

• If size does matter → divide total dough weight by desired gram size

Average Bread Pan & Roll Sizes (Guide)

Use these as starting points:

• Pullman 13 × 4 × 4 (1.5 lb loaf): 1100–1200 g

• Pullman 9 × 4 × 4 or standard 9 × 5 pan: 800–950 g

• Pullman 8 × 4 × 4 (1 lb): 685–750 g

• Standard 8 × 4 × 2.5 (¾ lb): 430–675 g

• Mini loaf pans: 200–275 g

Rolls:

• Hot dog rolls: 80 g

• Hamburger rolls: 90 g (small), 100 g (medium), 120 g (large)

• Hoagie / sub rolls: 150 g (small), 250 g (large)

Timing Matters Here

Work efficiently while scaling, especially with enriched dough.

Fermentation doesn’t stop until the yeast dies in the oven. The longer the dough sits, the more it continues to rise—whether you’re ready or not.

What If My Dough Is Too Wet?

First: don’t panic. Many bread doughs are supposed to be wet.

If it’s just a little sticky:

• oil your hands

• oil the board

• lightly oil the scale

• use wet hands

If it’s very wet:

• add just enough flour to make it manageable

• continue using oil rather than dumping in flour

Too much added flour at this stage leads to:

• dense bread

• dry crumb

When in doubt, less flour is usually better.

Next up:
💡 Shaping Fresh Milled Bread Dough