Size of proofed loaf
High I am new here and this is my very first post! Extremely informative and vibrant forum, I am so glad I found it. I have been learning so much by browsing, at least what can be learned by reading.
I am so new to bread baking that I just don’t get this. All recipes say proof the shaped loaf till it is twice the size. How on earth do you know what is twice the size? Some loaves are round and flattened, some are round and high. Some are baguettes or batards. Then there are the focaccias and ciabattas. How do you tell when the loaf has doubled? It’s not so easy to take out a ruler or measuring tape and estimate the volume for such shapes. And we all know the trouble with over-proofing or under-proofing. And temperatures and other environmental conditions are so variable for the home baker that the suggested times can be quite off. I can guess at the unshaped dough if I use a graduated clear container but the shaped loaf? And going by my 5th grade geometry eyeballing volume can lead to great errors.
So please give me some tips how you guys do this. I am interested in the above kind of shapes.
Many, many thanks.
K