how to raise bread dough without an airing cupboard...

[mrsflibble]

dont know if this tip has been mentioned, if it has i wasnt aware of it hahaha!

i dont often make my own bread cos i plain can't be bothered lol!!! until recently i would heat the oven slightly, but this uses a phenomenal ammount of gas for the time it's on, AND is fiddly to get right with my oven. often i either get it too cold so it doesnt work, or i get it so hot it kills the yeast.

BUT if, like me, you make your own pizza bases from scratch, yet have no conventional airing cupboard you can use my tip. this morning i used a coolbag/coolbox and a hot water bottle filled with boiling water. i have done this in a picnic coolbag with a zip, and in an aldi freezer products insulated bag with a clip top. the former was more sucessful than the latter. i did both at the same time this morning lol!!! i reckon a proper coolbox would be even better, or even your haybox cooker if you have one!

fill the hottiebottie with water and put it in the bag/box. use a kettle to heat the water, it uses less gas or lecky than using hot water from the tap. put the lid on the bag/box and leave it while you prepare the ingredients.

once they're prepared, stck the wet ingredients in the bag and leave for 20 mins to froth up.
(i suggest not using easyyeast cos it makes for incredibly hard dough if you've not got a bread maker)

remove the frothed wet ingredients from the bag/box, remembering to replace the lid to conserve the heat. pour the frothed wet into the dry ingredients, mix and knead as usual.
flour your ball of dough and put in a bowl, top with a damp clean cloth (i use a cotton pillowcase) then put back in the bag/box.

leave for 45mins to an hour, or until it has doubled in size. remove, remebering to close the lid again. check the temp of your hottiebottie now, it should still be ok but if you're using an iceland freezer bag you may need to refill the hottiebottie.

knead again, oil then put in bowl and again back in your bag/box. preheat your oven. this is one of the few things where i would recommend preheating.

this time it should be fine to either roll out for pizza dough, or stick in a tin to become a loaf.

cook according to your recipe.
bask in your greenness.

[Shirley]

I often use a breadmaker for doing this but find that handmade dough will rise without an airing cupboard or the use of an oven - it just takes longer. I guess it all depends on how warm your kitchen is anyway though as to how long it will actually take.

I hope you enjoyed your pizza

[mrsflibble]

i dont have a bread maker lol!

well, the dough is on its second proving right now....*squeee*

[Ellendra]

Most of my house is kept too cold for bread to rise properly.

Due to health problems that make me ultra-sensitive to cold, my bedroom has a space-heater in it. Its one of those "pet-and-child-safe" kind, where you can touch it and it won't burn you.

So, yesterday when I wanted to make bread, I just set it right on top of the heater to rise. Made my room smell yeasty, but it worked great. And I now have a loaf of fluffy whole wheat

(Well, half a loaf )

[Annpan]

I sometimes sit mine in the sun and sometimes on the stove if it isn't very hot (in a metal bowl) and I don't find dried yeast to be a problem in the bread things I make - I guess different strokes for different folks eh?

[mrsflibble]

i use dried yeast, but not easy-yeast. theres a difference hahaha!
i use the stuff in tins, not sachets. all depends on how long you can make your arms pound it really. if you're a good kneader, easy-yeast will work great, but i am not, i am a wimp!!!

[contadina]

Slow rising makes better bread. I always do my first rise in the fridge overnight, then take it out and knock it into shape, and then cover it with and old blanket. It's 0 degrees here at the moment and the bread still rises the same as it does during summer.

[Annpan]

i use dried yeast, but not easy-yeast. theres a difference hahaha!
i use the stuff in tins, not sachets. all depends on how long you can make your arms pound it really. if you're a good kneader, easy-yeast will work great, but i am not, i am a wimp!!!

Ahhh... I like the easy yeast (untill I get it together to start my own culture or sourdough) and I take it out on the dough... so yeah I am a 'heavy' kneader.

Can't stand the dried yeast, never seems to get going for me.

[Ellendra]

What's easy yeast? The only kind I've ever seen is the dried.

[Annpan]

Here you can get dried yeast which you need to activate with water and sugar for around half an hour before mixing your bread (I think??? but I always botch it)

You can also get easy yeast, which comes in a foil pack (often in individual portion foil packs) and you just add that straight into your bread mixture (it is what you use in bread machines)

HTH

[Green Aura]

It has added vit c to make it work quicker - you can add your own to ordinary dried yeast if you want. It's not really necessary though, the same result just takes half an hour to get a bit of head on the yeast/water/sugar/salt mix.

[clare]

My house is definately not the warmest house around(a small woodburner heats the whole of downstairs/well warms anyway) and my bread dough proves no problem using the little foil sachets straight into the mix although I make it in the morning and bake the loaf in the oven with dinner so not a quick process,but it rises eventually and no-one has complained yet!

[snapdragon]

Slow rising makes better bread. I always do my first rise in the fridge overnight, ....................

Nod nod me too - if I want it for early morning It gets it's final rise in the fridge overnight too, then it's just right for breakfast