Food Blog: [Lesson #3] Keep Your Bread Cozy

Thursday, March 31, 2022

[Lesson #3] Keep Your Bread Cozy

Hello,

Welcome to Day 3 of Bread Baking Made Simple!

Most bread recipes call for an initial rise of at least an hour or until the dough doubles in bulk. On a warm summer day, a batch of dough will rise quickly without fail.

But depending on where you live and the time of year, you can't rely on the weather. If your kitchen is cold or drafty, your dough won't rise in a timely manner.

And when you peek at your dough after an hour and see a blob looking mostly unchanged, you'll worry: where did I go wrong?

Yeast likes two things:

Food
Warmth

(Don't we all?)

The food piece is easy: the flour provides food for the yeast.

But warmth? That requires a little more effort.

Trick 1: Foolproof Lukewarm Water

Memorize this ratio: 1:3.

Many bread recipes call for using "lukewarm" water. But what does that mean?

Here's a trick that will give you foolproof lukewarm water every time:

Use 1 part boiling liquid to 3 parts cold liquid.

For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of water, you'll use 1/4 cup boiling water and 3/4 cup cold water. Combined, the liquid will be just the right temperature — not too hot, not too cold.

Trick 2: Transform Your Oven

Heat your oven for 1 minute, then shut it off.

Once your dough is mixed, you'll want to find a warm spot for it to rise.

Here's a simple trick:

Heat your oven for 1 minute, then shut it off.

It doesn't matter what temperature you set it to when you heat it; the key is to only allow it to heat for 1 minute. This brief blast of heat will create a cozy, draft-free spot for your bread to rise.

If you do this trick, your bread will rise beautifully no matter the time of year.

Now That You Know, You're Ready to Go

Warm water, cozy home, can't lose.

If you've mastered the foolproof, no-mess peasant bread recipe, you're ready for the next level: braided and twisted loaves. These loaves require a bit more effort than the peasant bread recipe, but they are worth the effort.