ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Proofing (baking technique)

When someone makes something like bread or cake, they mix different ingredients together like flour, sugar, eggs, and milk. After mixing, they put the mixture in the oven so it can bake and turn into something yummy.

But sometimes, the bread or cake might not turn out right. It might be too hard or not fluffy enough. That's where proofing comes in!

Proofing is a special technique where you let the dough rest before baking it. This helps the dough rise and become fluffy. To do this, the dough is put in a warm place so the yeast in the mixture can start to work. Yeast is like a tiny little creature that eats sugar and makes gas, which helps the dough rise.

After the dough has been proofed, it's ready to be baked in the oven. This step is important because it makes sure that the bread or cake is fluffy and not too hard or dry.

So to summarize, proofing is like letting the dough take a little nap before it goes in the oven so that it can become fluffy and yummy.
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