Here’s some etymological history on it: “way back in the day, authorities in Germany required brewers to prove that the intoxicating effects of their product was actually due to alcohol, and not to other potentially deadly additives or toxins - say ergot, for example. The brewers would "prove" this by mixing some of their beer into a small quantity of flour. If the mixture rose, they were in the clear, and could sell the beer. Hence, allowing dough to rise following the introduction of yeast came to be known as proofing.”
I love them proofed or not. What exactly IS "proof"?
It refers to how much the yeast has helped the dough rise—underproofed, they’re not risen enough; overproofed, they’ve gone too far.
That's an odd word choice, in my opinion. Why not over or under-risen? That would be more descriptive....
Here’s some etymological history on it: “way back in the day, authorities in Germany required brewers to prove that the intoxicating effects of their product was actually due to alcohol, and not to other potentially deadly additives or toxins - say ergot, for example. The brewers would "prove" this by mixing some of their beer into a small quantity of flour. If the mixture rose, they were in the clear, and could sell the beer. Hence, allowing dough to rise following the introduction of yeast came to be known as proofing.”