Generally bread dough is proofed twice to double in size each time. After the first proof the air is knocked out with some re-kneading.
I found out that over proofing can cause the dough to collapse
How would the dough turn-out if it was only proofed once?
You can absolutely make bread with a single rise if you’re using wild yeast, like a sourdough starter. Slow fermentation gives the wild yeast time to develop gas gradually, while the lactic and acetic acids in the starter contribute complex flavor. Three to four sets of stretch-and-folds during bulk fermentation help align the gluten and redistribute gas, so by the time you shape the dough, the structure for an open, even crumb is there without any additional dough handling.
Commercial yeast, on the other hand, ferments rapidly. The rapid rise necessitates kneading the dough to fully develop gluten before bulk fermentation. Because the rise is so rapid and commercial yeast lacks the flavor-enhancing acids found in sourdough, it never develops true flavor. Even after a second rise, you usually just get that “yeasty” smell and a bland, one-dimensional taste. Tge rapid CO₂ production also produces uneven and large bubbles. The punch down before shaping is necessary to bursts the large, irregular bubbles. At that point, the yeast population has consumed much of its food, so the smaller colony produced enough gas to re-inflate the dough with smaller, more uniform air pockets. If you skipped the second rise, the large irregular air bubbles formed in the first bulk would collapse during baking, and you would have a dense bread.
