Okay, my dough has risen...but has it risen enough???

When your bread is rising in a greased bowl, before you divide it into loaves, you should let your dough rise until it is about double the size it began. If you press the dough and your indentation remains in the dough, as in the picture, it has risen enough. If you press it and your print is quickly puffed back up...let it keep rising.

Once your bread is actually in the bread pan, you have to be careful. You don't want your bread to rise too much or too little. Once I have put the dough in the bread pan, I usually let it rise for about 1/2 hour and then bake. Some breads will rise even quicker, so watch them. Some may rise slower. If you let the bread rise too much before baking, it will fall and your bread will be dry. If you don't let it rise enough, it will be too dense. A good rule of thumb is that once it is in the bread pan, don't let it get any bigger than about an inch to 1 1/2 in. above the bread pan.