Bread making issues

[Irishcolleen]

Have any of you tried rising bread in a crockpot? Do you do it on the "warm" setting? Have you tried rising and baking in the crockpot? It is like rolling dice to see if I have bread that is going to rise well or not. I test the water temp, make sure yeast is not expired, measure carefully, etc... I wonder if it can't rise properly because our house is too cool. What other factors could be at play?

[Dravin]

Have any of you tried rising bread in a crockpot? Do you do it on the "warm" setting? Have you tried rising and baking in the crockpot?

Depending on how warm your slow cooker gets on the warm setting it might get warm enough to start killing yeast (around 140 F or so IIRC). What you could do is warm up the crock and then rise in that, the latent heat might be enough to give the yeast time to rise depending on how active the yeast is you are using. When you take it out to punch it down you could reheat the crock again. Personally I tend to use an oven, just set it on warm until it gets a little warm and let the bread rise in there. Just make sure it doesn't get too hot. Thermal mass is your friend so some bricks and the like could help maintain the nice warm temperature you are seeking. One nice thing is once the yeast gets started it will create some heat on its own.

I test the water temp, make sure yeast is not expired, measure carefully, etc... I wonder if it can't rise properly because our house is too cool. What other factors could be at play?

If you have chlorinated water it could be creating a hostile environment for yeast and slowing things down. Temperature can also slow things down, but unless your house is really cold it shouldn't prevent rising period, just slow it down. You can rise bread in the fridge overnight. Though I suspect by rising properly you mean rising on the time scale you desire.

[kartvines]

What I do is put the rising bread into my gas oven and close the door th pilot light offer enough heat to allow for a good rise.

[applepansy]

When my house is too cool I warm up the oven and use it as a proofing oven. Once its warm (not hot) I turn off the heat and place the dough inside to raise. It always turns out.

I've never used or heard of using a crock pot to raise bread dough.

[talisyn]

You're much braver than I am in using a crock pot I have no help for you in that way, I use a warm oven. This is the only recipe I found, i hope it helps Honey Wheat Bread IV Recipe - Allrecipes.com

[RipplecutBuddha]

There's no way I could make my own bread. I knead the dough....

yeah, I went there....

[mordorbund]

There's no way I could make my own bread. I knead the dough....

yeah, I went there....

Don't let the union

!

[Irishcolleen]

Thanks for the tips! I never thought about the chlorine in water. I'm going to try using distilled water. These are the instructions for rising the bread in the crockpot. I'm going to try it on Friday. I'll let you know how it turns out.

How to Raise Bread Dough in a Crockpot | eHow.com

Edited April 16, 2013 by Irishcolleen

[Iggy]

As long as your kitchen is free of drafts and warm, there is really no need to dirty yet another dish or use more electricity than you have to.

My mother made bread for her entire married life. At one point she was making 17 loaves. Not your tiny little loaves either. Hers were 2 pound loaves.

I make bread. I spray a stainless mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the ball of dough in it. Rolling the dough around to completely coat it with oil. Then I place the bowl on the range top. Cover the bowl with lightly greased waxed paper or parchment paper, then cover that with a clean, dry terry cloth dish towel. My range top is draft free. I generally make four batches of bread - each batch is 3 loaves. My oven is really small and can only handle 3 loaf pans.

Do you proof your yeast? If your yeast is dead, the bread won't rise. To proof the yeast: Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm (110 degrees F) water. Add a large pinch of sugar or 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of honey. Let stand until doubled. It will be frothy. I have bought yeast packets at the store, proofed them and not have it get frothy and doubled in the measuring cup. I always use a cooking thermometer - always. I always proof the yeast - always. I keep my yeast in a very clean, glass mayo jar in the fridge. I measure out what I need for all the batches I am making at least 15 minutes before I will need to proof it.

If you think your water from the tap has too much bleach fill a pitcher with tap water and let sit overnight, with only a paper plate for a cover.

Also if you grind your wheat - and don't separate the bran from the flour - your bread won't rise the second time properly. Measure your flour w/the bran in it into a bowl. Then separate the bran by using a very fine sieve and shaking the flour through it into a bowl and the bran into another bowl. Make your bread with the separated flour, adding the bran at the very end. If you are using fresh ground wheat or commercial whole wheat flour, then you really need to add Vital Gluten along with the proofed yeast.

Whole wheat is heavier than general purpose flour. I've been told that old flour will not rise as well as fresh flour. Well, I doubt that because I have used flour that I had in the freezer for 5 years, and my bread rose beautifully.

To know if your bread has risen enough, stick your finger in the dough up to your second knuckle. If the hole does not fill in, the bread has risen enough. To check when it is in the loaf pan, only go to your first knuckle and do so at the side just above the rim of the pan. If your dough gets bubbles in it when it is in the loaf - then it has either risen too much, or you did not punch it down enough to get the bubbles out. Remove it, punch it down and remove all the bubbles. Reform into a loaf and let it rise again.