🧬 To self-break down 🍞 To rest dough

to autolyze

9.4

To let dough rest so natural enzymes change the flour and make it easier to handle

verb
/ˈɔːtəˌlaɪz/

Specialized

: autolizar

If you autolyze the flour and water before kneading, the dough will be easier to handle.

Examples

Many artisan bakers autolyze their dough to achieve a better crumb structure in the final bread.
The recipe suggests you autolyze the mixture for at least twenty minutes for best results.
Let the dough autolyze for 30 minutes.
After mixing, you should autolyze it.
Many artisan bakers autolyze their dough to achieve a better crumb structure in the final bread.
If you autolyze the flour and water before kneading, the dough will be easier to handle.
The recipe suggests you autolyze the mixture for at least twenty minutes for best results.

How Long

to autolyze

Specialized

9.4

rest

703 1.0

Surface Forms

autolyze infinitive

autolyzed past

autolyzed past participle

autolyzing present participle

autolyzes third person singular

Morphology

autolyze = lyse (semi-transparent) = auto + lyse

The word is structurally clear as 'auto-' plus 'lyse', but the baking sense is a specialized extension of the scientific idea of self-breakdown.

Etymology

Autolyze comes from Greek parts auto- 'self' and -lyze 'to break down', the same root as analyze. So when bakers autolyze dough, they let the dough's own enzymes 'break down' the flour to make the dough easier to work with.