British Baking Show question on bread.

2 years ago

I am not a bread baker, but it fascinates me. We watched Bread Week tonight on Netflix and I have the captions turned on. I, an American, have always thought that dough is proofed, and the process is proofing. But what I am hearing from Paul Hollywood and others is prove and proving.

So is one wrong? Or depends on which side of the water you are on?

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fawnridge (Ricky)

2 years ago

Having watched EVERY episode to date of ALL of the iterations of the BBS, I've learned the British terms. The problem is understanding all the different accents. Yeah, I could turn on the captions, but that eliminates the challenge!

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Comments (10)

aziline
2 years ago
It's proofing on this side of the ocean. I do love watching British shows with the captions turned on to catch things like that. I've heard them say the name Basil a ton and never realized it was basil until I saw it on closed captioned.
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plllog
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
So, I grew up with ”proof“ as you proof your yeast by seeing it bloom and rise. But, you in other contexts it might be ”Well, did your yeast prove?” ... Hm... Really ”prove” as the participle form, which I just figured out now through trying to think up examples, and they came up also like, ”Proving your yeast before mixing it into your dough is the safest way not to waste your whole morning.” Because with the old fresh cake yeast, it could just die, even if it's brethren were fine yesterday, and half the reason for a preferment was to prove that the yeast was active and strong. The bread ”rose” and you ”set it to rise”. Proving/proofing was for yeast.

Now think of the huge Germanic population in the USA at the beginning of the 20th Century, and the world reknown for German breads. Think of all the bakeries, the kinds of businesses that give immigrants access to the American economy. ”Proof” in this case is most likely a Germanic pronunciation of “prove”. The final consonant in German is unvoiced (that is, it would be usual for a ”v” to be pronounced ”f”).
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
Definitely 'prove' over here.
sushipup2 thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
Islay Corbel
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
The verb to proof is only used in North America. It's to prove for us. But, I'm confused. Wouldn't you say "did your yeast proof"? using the infinitive correctly whereas we would say " did your yeast prove"? And we tend to giggle at the way you pronounce basil LOL. And oregano ;)) And Worcestershire sauce ;))) Now I'm being naughty.
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plllog
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Most Americans who learned to pronounce the sauce by hearing the name pronounce it more or less the same way that the British examples online do, but Americans can't spell it, and any who try to read it will be led astray. Americans do laugh at way the British pronounce basil as well, and oregano. Rule of the antepenult! Then there's aluminum, which Britanica.com has as their spelling... I've looked at proof/prove too much today to hear the way it's really used in my head just now. I do think my hypothesis about the German bakers is correct, however.
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plllog
2 years ago
I woke up thinking about this, and my guess is that ”prove” came to us post WWII from the UK with a number of other things. :) I don't have a memory of hearing it until I was an adult and talking bread with more people, and don't remember it being used consistently by any one. Usually in the odd forms. But this is a very limited exposure. It's not like now when baking is all over the TV.
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neely
2 years ago
Thought I’d throw in

”the proof is in the pudding”

Nothing to do with ’proving’ dough, ( or is it? ) but for some reason it entered my head and keeps rumbling around with other unrelated miscellaneous thoughts .
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plllog
2 years ago
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
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Islay Corbel
2 years ago
No, nothing to do with proving dough. idiom. used to say that a person can only know if something is good or bad by trying it.
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British Baking Show question on bread.

fawnridge (Ricky)

Comments (10)

aziline

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