What are the advantages of "bathed" bread?

There is a technique of making bathed bread. For it, the dough is kneaded as usual, then shaped into a boule, bound in cheesecloth, and submerged in water for the first proofing.

When it floats up, it's considered ready. It is then shaped, final-proofed and baked. There is no knockdown and second proof before shaping.

This is a home technique, I've never heard of it being used professionally.

I realize that it's a convenient way for novice bakers to judge when their dough is fermented. But is this the only advantage? Does the technique somehow change the quality of the prepared bread?

bread proofing

Best Answer

What you are looking at here is an old, almost forgotten method of proofing yeast dough for cold conditions. I have an old cook book¹ from ca. 1930, when rooms could be cold in winter. I'd say it's "granny's version of proofing in the fridge".

My book says to leave out about 1/4 of the flour, all sugar and, if used, the spices. It does not, however, say to use cheese cloth. The firm ball of dough is simply placed in a sink or bowl full of cold water, where it sticks to the bottom in the beginning. It should peel off, turn upside down & rise to the surface within an hour (or longer, if little yeast was used). Then, it's taken out, first the sugar, then the flour are kneaded in, and finished according to the original recipe.

I have tried it once out of curiosity, but that was probably 20 years ago & I was way less experienced than today. I do not recall any major differences with the finished product (sweet bread, in my case).

(¹) It's in German, "Luise Haarer; Kochen und Backen nach Grundrezepten".