ComputerHunter.org

 

How to Bake: How Long Should My Bread Rise?


It depends. The best way to tell if the dough has risen enough is not by time-though it helps to set the timer so you don't forget about your dough-but by look and feel. It will look soft and bloated. When you touch the dough, it will be soft and your finger will leave an indentation when lightly pressed against the dough. If it is not ripe, the dough will tend to slowly spring back.

If you want light, fluffy bread, the dough should rise until it is puffy. The more gas incorporated in the dough, the lighter it will be. Of course, if too much gas is captured in the dough, it may collapse. The trick is to let it rise until you get just to the edge and then bake it. In most cases, that means that the dough will double-or more-in volume. With a free-standing loaf, since the pan can't support the loaf, you cannot let the bread rise as much.

How long should it take? A lean, moist dough in a warm kitchen will probably rise in 45 minutes or less. A firmer dough with less moisture will take longer to rise. Yeast is very sensitive to temperature; even a few degrees less in the kitchen can extend the rise time significantly. A change of 17 degrees will cut the rise time in half.

It doesn't hurt to let dough rise slowly. Bread that has risen slowly has a different flavor than fast risers, a more acidic flavor-hence the sourdough flavors in slow rising breads. Professional bakers use refrigeration to "retard" the rise. You can use a cool spot in the house or even a refrigerator to slow the rise. (The bread in the spotlight product picture-New England Herb-was placed under an open window on a cool day to deliberately slow the rise. Total rise time, first and second rising combined, was about five hours.)

While lean breads are deliberately retarded to enhance the flavors, rich doughs or doughs with ample sweeteners or flavors will gain little with an extend rise since the flavors and sugars tend to mask the natural flavors of the yeast.

For more articles like this visit The Bakers' Library.

© 2004 The Prepared Pantry







Google News - Top Stories

CTV.ca

Rice lands in Libya on historic visit
CNN International - 1 hour ago
Rice will hold a landmark meeting with leader Moammar Gadhafi, once dubbed by President Ronald Reagan as "the mad dog the Middle East.
Video: Inside Story - Rice visits Libya - 03 Sep 08 - Part 1 AlJazeeraEnglish
Rice Arrives in Libya for Talks With Qaddafi on Ties (Update1) Bloomberg
Wall Street Journal - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press - New York Times
all 833 news articles


AFP

Bonds rise on labor woes
CNNMoney.com - 59 minutes ago
Investors seek shelter as unexpected jump in unemployment and job losses signals further economic slump. By Kenneth Musante, CNNMoney.
Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1% New York Times
Jobless rate at 5-year high Reuters
Wall Street Journal - MarketWatch - guardian.co.uk - China Daily
all 663 news articles


Washington Post

McCain, Palin Draw Sniping, Support
Washington Post - 2 hours ago
We're officially down to the White House finals now, with two months of sound bites to go. Dan Balz writes that Republican presidential nominee John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov.
Video: Reactions To McCain's Speech CBS
google news commentComment by John S. Baick Professor of History, Western New England College
CNN - FOXNews - New York Magazine - Huffington Post
all 4,706 news articles


USA Today

Hanna Charging Towards Carolina Coast
Washington Post - 57 minutes ago
At 11 am, the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was about 375 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and expected to make landfall along the northern South Carolina coast tonight before tracking north and then northeast toward the Chesapeake ...
Video: Hanna Nears US, but Stronger Ike Looms AssociatedPress
Double Whammy? Residents Prep for Hanna, Ike ABC News
The Associated Press - Bloomberg - WLOS - CNN International
all 3,821 news articles


New York Daily News

New Orleans Starts Up, but Not at Full Power
New York Times - 3 hours ago
By ADAM NOSSITER NEW ORLEANS - This city rubbed its eyes and started to get moving again as evacuees continued to stream home on Thursday after a hurricane scare that left it with little serious damage but knocked out power to tens of thousands of ...
Thicker Than Water? Newsweek
Post-Gustav New Orleans struggles to get back on track Los Angeles Times
International Herald Tribune - Wall Street Journal - The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com - New York Daily News
all 495 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base