Proofing is the stage in which the bread dough goes through a second fermentation. The proofing usually occurs after the shaping of the dough into the final bread product. In the fermentation timeline, first there is the bulk fermentation right after the kneading, then we have the shaping, and then this second rise, called proofing. It is necessary for relaxing the recently worked gluten, also so that the bread stays fluffy and retains its final shape after baking. It is usually done in a slightly higher temperature than the bulk fermentation, and takes a considerably shorter amount of time than the previous process.