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We’re sharing tips and techniques so you can learn how to make dough rise faster. Bake your yeast breads and rolls more quickly!
Table of Contents
What do you need to make dough rise?
Proof Dough in the Oven
Proof Dough in the Microwave
Proof Dough in Instant Pot
Proof Dough in the Slow Cooker
Proof Dough in a Bread Proofing Box
Proof Dough with a Heating Pad
Our Favorite Yeast Bread Recipes
As the weather gets cooler (or even in the summer with air conditioning running) it can be hard to have the best conditions for getting your bread dough to rise.
A few months we shared our guide to yeast and also tips for making the perfect loaf of bread. But one question we always get is how to make your dough rise better in your home.
Although this can be tricky without me being there in your kitchen and helping you troubleshoot, there are a few different techniques you can use on how to make dough rise faster.
But a word before we get started. A fast dough rise isn’t always what is best. A slow dough rise allows flavors to develop better. So give your yeast time to work and make your bread taste amazing! And if you really want to give it flavor, give sourdough starter a try. It’s amazing and fun to work with.
What do you need to make dough rise?
There are two conditions you need in order to make yeast flourish in your dough: moisture and warmth. Moisture and humidity in the air can vary greatly from day to day and season to season. If your house is humid, your dough will rise faster.
This is not an article on the scientific reasons about how and why yeast works. I’m not a food chemist. I’m a home cook that learns by research, trial and error.
Two things to remember:
I always place my dough in a greased glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap no matter what rising technique I use. The plastic wrap helps keep the moisture in the dough.
The ideal dough temperature range is 75-78°Fahrenheit. (source) Use an internal probe thermometer with these techniques to make sure the dough is getting to the ideal rising temperature.
And with that I’ll give you 6 ways to help your dough rise more quickly!
Proof Dough in the Oven
This is the method we use the most often. There are several different methods for rising dough in the oven. Here are some to try:
With the “Proof” setting: If your oven has a “proof” setting, use that. Easy as ever!
With the light on: Your oven light may actually give off enough heat to warm the oven to the perfect temperature. Place your covered bowl with the dough on the other side of the oven and close the door while the dough rises.
On lowest oven temperature to preheat: Turn the oven to the lowest oven temperature for about 2 minutes. Then turn off the oven, open the door and add the dough (in a covered glass bowl). This will be a cozy spot for your dough to rise. Don’t forget to turn off the oven!
With boiling water: Place a glass baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it with boiling water. Put your dough in a covered glass bowl on the middle or top rack and shut the door. Boom. Heat and moisture!
Proof Dough in the Microwave
Place 1 cup of water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Heat on high for 2 minutes. The water should be boiling. Add bread dough to a glass bowl. With this method I don’t always cover with plastic wrap since it is such a small container anyway. Shut the microwave door and wait for the dough to rise.
Proof Dough in Instant Pot
If you love your instant pot, try proofing your bread dough in this controlled environment.
Place parchment paper on the inside of the instant pot. Spray with cooking spray.
Place the dough ball inside.
Set the IP to “yogurt” setting on “low”.
Cover with clear lid. Don’t use regular sealing lid. If you don’t have the clear glass lid, use a plate to cover the top.
Wait 30 minutes and check the dough. If it isn’t done, check it every 10 minutes until the dough has doubled.
If you use this method, watch it closely because it can get too warm if you leave it too long.
Proof Dough in the Slow Cooker
Our slow cooker is often out on the cupboard which means it is perfect for proofing dough.
Fill the slow cooker half full with water. Set on low temperature.
Put the slow cooker lid on upside down. Place a folded towel on the lid.
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Place the bowl on the towel covered lid.
As the heat radiates, the dough will rise.
Proof Dough in a Bread Proofing Box
In doing my research for this post, I found a wonderful product called a bread proofing box. You can read all about it here. When I ordered our box they were on back order because everyone was baking bread. They now seem to be caught up and shipping on time.
This box is a portable, foldable controlled environment that will proof bread, but also act as a slow cooker! We’ve only worked with this proofing box for a few weeks, but it looks like possibilities are endless: tempering chocolate, making yogurt and even making soft cheeses.
Proof Dough with a Heating Pad
If all else fails, you can use a heating pad to help give warmth to your dough. Place a folded towel over the heating pad and set the temperature to low. Place the covered glass bowl with the dough inside over the towel. Allow the dough to rise as the heating pad warms the bowl.
Our Favorite Yeast Bread Recipes
If you’re looking for a new recipe to try one of these techniques, here are our favorites:
A Bowl of Steaming Water is the Key to Quickly Proofing Bread. In the winter, when your house and kitchen are at a crisp temperature and you need a warm spot for your dough to rise, create a makeshift “proof box” by placing a bowl of steaming water inside your oven alongside your bowl of dough.
A Bowl of Steaming Water is the Key to Quickly Proofing Bread. In the winter, when your house and kitchen are at a crisp temperature and you need a warm spot for your dough to rise, create a makeshift “proof box” by placing a bowl of steaming water inside your oven alongside your bowl of dough.
Set the bowl of dough in the microwave and shut the door.
Leave the glass of water in the microwave with the dough. The glass of water and the heat from the microwave will create a warm, moist environment that will help the dough rise faster.
The turned off oven is the classic warm spot for letting your dough rise at home. Simple turn the light on in the oven and let your dough proof on the middle rack. The light from the bulb will keep the oven warm while the dough is rising, and it will also keep the bread free from drafts, which is essential.
There are two conditions you need in order to make yeast flourish in your dough: moisture and warmth. Moisture and humidity in the air can vary greatly from day to day and season to season. If your house is humid, your dough will rise faster.
Everything's coming together when you discover that your bread dough just isn't rising. Fortunately, this is a problem that's relatively easy to diagnose and solve. If your bread dough doesn't rise, you can still use it and fix it by changing up the temperature or mixing in more yeast.
But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.
It will work faster if the water is warm (about 40, 104f) when you pour it in and mix your dough. If your dough is cold then the yeast's activity will be slowed down.
When you add yeast to water and flour to create dough, it eats up the sugars in the flour and excretes carbon dioxide gas and ethanol — this process is called fermentation. The gluten in the dough traps the carbon dioxide gas, preventing it from escaping. The only place for it to go is up, and so the bread rises.
It's hard to get bread to rise in a cold house. My favorite way to counter a cold house is to boil water in a small pot then place the pot on the lower baking rack of the (turned off) oven, place the bread on the top rack, and shut the oven door while the bread rises.
Your dough will rise in the fridge and it can be a huge help as it makes bread making easy to fit into your day. When you put your dough in the fridge it slows the yeast activity down. It takes ten times longer for dough to rise in the fridge than it does at room temperature.
These dry patches won't stretch during rising to develop an elastic dough, resulting in a dense, squat loaf – not something you want! For best results, use a non-porous, tight fitting cover such as a saucepan lid, bowl cover or even a sheet pan laid on top of the bowl, weighted down with something.
You can also put hot water in a heat-safe dish and place it on the floor of a cold oven (or on a lower shelf). The steam and heat from the water will help the temperature rise just enough that the yeast is active. The steam will also assist in keeping the surface of the dough moist so it will stretch as it rises.
Yeast loves humidity, and doughs need moisture to prevent a dry skin from forming on the outside of the dough. The Proofer's water tray helps maintain ideal humidity 60-80% for rising dough. Most doughs and shaped loaves will not need to be covered while in the Proofer.
The warm, humid temperatures help the dough rise beautifully. But in the winter, it can be hard to get the lift you need in a colder home. That's because doughs proof best in warmer temps—around 80º is just right for yeast. If your kitchen is too cold, the yeast doesn't have the right atmosphere to help the dough rise.
The warmth speeds up the yeast activity so it produces more carbon dioxide and rises faster, so you may think you are helping yourself. But the flavour takes more time to develop! So while it is tempting to try and speed your dough process up – it won't produce a pizza which has a good texture or taste.
As a guide, for a kitchen where the temperature is 20C and you added yeast at 1% of the flour weight (eg 5g dried yeast in 500g flour), you should still leave your dough to rise for around an hour and a half to two hours after kneading it.
To proof them, let them sit, covered, at room temperature for up to 3–4 hours, or let them proof for a little while at room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 12–15 hours. Or you can speed the process by using a proof box, warm cooler, or slightly warm oven to speed things up.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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