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Oven Spring

Oven Spring: baked loaf showing strong oven-spring rise
The fast rise in the first minutes of baking, before the crust sets.

The rapid expansion of the dough during the first 10 minutes of baking. Yeast goes into a final frenzy before dying, and gases expand, causing the loaf to 'spring' up dramatically.

By Henry Hunter · Updated

Henry's notes from the bench

  • If your bread is flat, you missed the oven spring. Usually caused by weak starter or over-proofing.

Connected terms

Scoring

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Sources

  • The Perfect Loaf
  • King Arthur Baking