Do you need to break up a large dough ball into smaller balls for optimal proving?
Almost every type of yeast bread dough is allowed to rise twice after kneading.  The first rise is called bulk-fermentation - after kneading, all of the dough (the bulk) gets set-aside to allow the yeast to do its job.  After this rise is complete, the dough is deflated (some people call this punching down), portioned and appropriately shaped, then allowed to rise a second time which is called proofing.

So:  first rise in bulk (bulk fermentation), second rise portioned-out (proofing).

The gas that expands the dough is carbon dioxide and it will form throughout the dough mass from yeast activity without any problem during bulk fermentation.