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Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Cooking Methods & Techniques

Knock back

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

verbCommon term

In culinary arts & cooking, knock back means: To press down risen dough to release some gas before further shaping or rising.

In Turkish: mayalı hamurun gazını almak

How it is used

Common in British baking instructions; punch down is a frequent American equivalent.

Example sentences

  1. Knock back the dough before dividing it into rolls.

    The action reduces the volume of the risen mass.

  2. The baker knocked the dough back and shaped two loaves.

    The baker releases some fermentation gas before dividing and shaping the dough.

Common collocations

  • knock back dough
  • knocked-back dough
  • bakeTo cook food with dry heat in an oven, especially bread, cakes, pastry, biscuits and dishes covered with a crust or sauce.
  • prepShort for preparation: the work of getting food ready before cooking or service, such as washing, peeling, cutting, portioning and making sauces. Also used as a verb.

More terms: Cooking Methods & Techniques

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