Poke test

The poke test is a simple, low-tech way to judge whether dough has proofed enough to bake. A clean finger, lightly floured so it does not stick, is pressed about half an inch into the dough's surface and then withdrawn, and the way the resulting dent behaves gives a read on how much gas and strength are left in the dough.

If the dent springs back quickly and almost completely, the dough usually needs more time, since the gluten is still tight and full of unspent elasticity. If the dent springs back slowly and only partway, leaving a soft indent, the dough is generally at a good point to bake. If the dent does not spring back at all and the dough feels slack, it has likely gone past its ideal point and lost too much structure.

No special tool is needed for this test beyond a clean hand, though some bakers like using the back of a chopstick for consistency. A common mistake is testing the same spot repeatedly, which can deflate that area and give a misleading reading; testing gently in a fresh spot each time is more reliable. Combining the poke test with visual cues, like overall volume and surface bubbles, gives a more complete picture than relying on either alone.