How long 2nd rise on a 69 degree counter?

I don't have Lahey's book but I'm sure he proofs the bread? I would assume it is like any loaf and needs to properly proof before baking.

Look up "finger poke " in the search box.

Don't go by the kitchen timer, it's a useful tool, but not for judging whether a shaped bread has proofed enough. The finger poke test is much more reliable.

In a cooler kitchen your proofing time will be longer, that is right. Recipes either state the ideal proofing temperature or assume a fairly warm kitchen. You should keep that in mind, but don't fear overproofing, when your bread needs longer time. If you control your bread's progress with your finger, you will be fine.

If you are too impatient, or too anxious to trust your own judgement, rather following your recipe's time prediction to the tee, your bread will have an explosion in the oven, when too much gas builds up too quickly.

Karin

As published in the New York Times in 2006:  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

#3 talks about judging when the bread is ready to be baked.

Hope this helps.....

I would consider 69 F a normal room temperature (prevalent in my Maine kitchen, too), but not a really warm environment. Hamelman and Reinhart usually mention warmer temperatures like 75 F to proof the shaped breads (I would have that only in summer).

When a bread "explodes" or grows a "horn" in the oven, it usually was a bit underproofed (see: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21251/bread-who-grew-horn-or-apple-yeast-gone-wild).  If you overproof a loaf, it has very little ovenspring, or, worse, even deflates a bit when you poke it, score it or otherwise handle it.

Karin

I bake at 9000 ft. /the kichen is about 69 degreesa.Should i stretch and fold more oftrn because of the altitude and throw in a extra stretch and fold for good measure?....or do srtretch and folds  not have the possibility of over rising the dough  because the dough ie maipulated so often.?  Pam

I have heard that you need to add more liquid to bread dough because it will be drier, and that the rising time is shorter in high altitudes.

I don't know about the stretching and folding in connection with high altitude baking, but I would think that preventing a too fast rise (with less time for the flavor to develop) is very important. Retarding in the refrigerator is certainly a good option (whether you used regular kneading or S & F before), or, otherwise perhaps docking the dough (pressing the air out from the center to the sides).

But, perhaps, some TFLer with more experience in high altitude baking could give you a better answer.

Karin