После формовки тесто расстаивали в расстоечной корзине.

Because после requires the genitive case.

• Dictionary form: формовка = shaping / forming
• Genitive singular: формовки

So после формовки literally means after shaping or after the shaping.

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• после работы = after work
• после урока = after the lesson
• после выпечки = after baking

Формовка is a noun meaning shaping or forming. In baking, it refers to the step where the dough is shaped into its final form.

English often uses an -ing form or a clause:

• after shaping
• after the dough had been shaped

Russian very often uses a noun instead:

• после формовки

So this sounds compact and natural, especially in technical or process-based writing.

This is a very common point of confusion.

Тесто is a neuter singular inanimate noun, and in Russian its nominative and accusative forms are the same:

• nominative: тесто
• accusative: тесто

So the form alone does not tell you everything.

Here we know тесто is the direct object because of the verb расстаивали. The sentence means something like:

• they proofed the dough
• or more naturally in English, the dough was proofed

So тесто is the thing being proofed, not the one doing the action.

Because тесто is not the subject.

The verb расстаивали is past tense plural, and the subject is left unstated. Russian often does this to mean an indefinite “they”:

• расстаивали = they were proofing / they proofed

This is a very common Russian construction when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context. In English, we often translate it with a passive:

• После формовки тесто расстаивали...
• After shaping, the dough was proofed...

So the Russian is active in form, but often passive in English translation.

Расстаивали is:

• past tense
• plural
• imperfective
• from the verb расстаивать

In baking, расстаивать means to proof or to let dough rise before baking.

The imperfective aspect fits well in descriptions of a process, procedure, or repeated practice. In technical writing, Russian often uses the imperfective to describe how something was done as part of a sequence or method.

Because this is location, not motion toward a destination.

With в, Russian uses:

• prepositional for location: in, inside
• accusative for motion: into

Here the dough is being proofed in the basket, so we use the prepositional:

• в расстоечной корзине = in a proofing basket

If the meaning were put into the basket, then accusative would be used:

• в расстоечную корзину = into a proofing basket

Because it must agree with корзине.

The noun корзина is:

• feminine
• singular
• here in the prepositional case

So the adjective must also be:

• feminine
• singular
• prepositional

That gives:

• расстоечная корзина = a proofing basket
• в расстоечной корзине = in a proofing basket

This is normal adjective-noun agreement in Russian.

Yes. They belong to the same baking vocabulary family.

• расстаивать = to proof dough
• расстойка = proofing
• расстоечный = relating to proofing

So:

• расстаивали = proofed / were proofing
• расстоечная корзина = proofing basket

This kind of word family is very common in Russian technical language.

The word order is quite natural, especially in procedural or technical style:

• После формовки — sets the time/sequence first
• тесто — introduces the thing being acted on
• расстаивали — the action
• в расстоечной корзине — the location

Russian word order is more flexible than English word order, so this arrangement helps present the process clearly:

1. first the shaping,
2. then the dough,
3. then what was done to it,
4. then where it happened.

In English, we would usually keep a more fixed order, but in Russian this structure sounds normal and informative.

Usually passively.

Although the Russian sentence literally has an active plural verb (they proofed the dough), English normally prefers:

• After shaping, the dough was proofed in a proofing basket.

So when reading Russian, it is useful to recognize that an unstated plural subject often corresponds to a natural English passive.