How to Rise Yeast in an Oven and a Warm Place for the Dough

Baking great yeast bread and rolls starts with properly proofing the dough.

Before baking, yeast dough needs to be proofed, or allowed to rise. Yeast works best at a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, in an environment with 85 percent humidity. It is easy to use a standard electric or gas oven to create this environment so yeast breads come out perfectly risen each time.

Things You'll Need

• Yeast dough mixed according to recipe
• Large (3- to 5-qt. volume) stainless steel or glass mixing bowl
• 9-inch round cake pan
• Cooking oil spray
• Clean terrycloth dish towel

Instructions

1. Fill 9-inch cake pan with water and place in oven on bottom rack. Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and turn oven off.

2. Spray the inside of a mixing bowl with cooking oil spray. Place a kneaded ball of yeast dough into the bowl, and spray the top of the dough with cooking oil spray. Turn the dough to coat its surface completely with cooking oil.

3. Moisten a terrycloth towel with hot tap water. Wring out any excess moisture. Cover the mixing bowl completely with the dampened cloth.

4. Place covered bowl into oven on the top rack. Position the bowl so it directly over the pan of hot water.

5. Close the oven door and allow dough to rise for an hour. The dough should be doubled in bulk before removing it from the oven.

Tips & Warnings

• Oven racks should be positioned as closely to one another as possible. This allows moisture from the pan of water to envelop the bowl of dough completely.

• Preheat the oven and turn it off while the dough is being prepared. This will allow the oven to cool enough so the internal temperature will not kill the yeast colony.

• Rising time will be reduced by approximately 25 percent in high altitude due to reduced air pressure.

• Whole grain or multi-grain dough will not rise as much as dough made with white flour.

• Yeast is killed at temperatures over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure the oven has cooled sufficiently before inserting bowl of dough.

• Be sure the towel is damp but not overly saturated. Too much moisture results in a sticky dough.

References

• Stage III: Primary Fermentation (Proofing) and Punching Down

Resources

• Steps in Yeast Dough Production
• Working With Bread Dough