traditionally made bread rising question...

ashmit

I wish we had an airing cupboard. The lack of anywhere to rise bread is teh main reason I don't make bread by hand any more.

Gotta get a breadmaker....

lindadykes

It is some years since I had time to make bread by hand, but I didn't have anywhere to rise my bread dough and a friend told me that putting the bowl containing the bread dough inside an unused black plastic binliner ensuring that you leave it puffed up with plenty of air in it, tuck the open ends under so that the bag is lightly sealed. It worked really well and I used this method all the time, it does take about an hour for the dough to rise, just use the time to do something else or relax! I also remember hearing somewhere that bread dough will still rise in a fridge, but it has to be left overnight, never tried this so don't know if it's true.

Magentasue

I have a breadmaker so don't have this problem but in the past have used the airing cupboard or put the bowl of dough on top of a saucepan of boiling water. You can put plastic bags or cling film over but I avoid plastics so don't use them. A damp cloth does just as well as stopping a 'crust' forming on the dough.

seraphina

You can get a quicker rise if you heat your flour first before you add everything - I stick the kenwood chef bowl with the flour in it into a low oven for a few minutes beforehand.

I have also left dough in the fridge to rise overnight - then in the morning it just needs knocking back and proving before it's ready to go.

flea72

ive found you dont need real heat to rise the dough, room temperature is enough.

i just warm the bowl in the micro for one minute before adding the dough to it, them cover with a t-towel and let stand on the worktop for about 1hr, knock back, shape and leave to rise again for about 1hr

i did leave it to rise overnight once, but it got too big, and was too full of air, so the crust seperated when cooking

Flea

thriftlady_2

Raising bread dough is easy-just leave it in your kitchen for 1 1/2-2 hours.

nick_b

I'd echo most of the replies above. One other thing: the more dough you have, the quicker the rise, as the core temperature will be higher with all that lovely dough acting as an insulator.

comping_cat

Ive put my bread rolls in the oven on its lowest heat and got them to rise that way!!!

Mr_Proctalgia

If I have got my planning correct (yeah right!!!) I make my dough in the mixer with cold ingredients straight out of the larder and leave it overnight in the fridge to proof, it always doubles and also lets it sour a little which improves the taste. If i'm in a rush I use my micro combi and set the temp on 50 but it drys the top a bit so i have to spray it. If i,m in a real rush it goes into the gas oven and gets 1 minute on 1/4 every fifteen minutes till it is big enough to bake off.

HTH

zar

Agree with others on the thread - the slower the rise the tastier, but if you are in a hurry the microwave can be useful. In my microwave manual it suggests using the "low" 160W setting to raise yeast dough.