You've got it all planned out: dinner, wine, that freshly baked loaf of bread, along with delicious BBQ ribs. Everything is ready when you realize that the dough does not rise. This is a common problem for many home bakers: You gave yourself the job of making a loaf of bread with a nice shape, but it looks like the yeast has gone on vacation. Fortunately, it is a relatively easy problem to diagnose and solve. Read on for instructions on how to get the yeast back on.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Fix the batter
Step 1. Turn up the heat
Nothing yeast likes more than a hot and humid climate to live your life to the fullest. If you want the dough to rise, you will have to give the yeast what it wants.
- Fill a baking sheet with boiling water and place it on the lowest rack in the oven. Put the tray with the dough in the middle of the rack, close the oven door and let the dough rise.
- You can also boil 1 cup of water in the microwave, then put the dough container in the microwave along with the water and close the door (don't microwave the dough!).
- Some people turn on the oven and put the dough covered with a wet towel on the stove. The oven keeps the surface of the stove warm and the wet towel provides the moisture.
Step 2. Add more yeast
If the heat and humidity don't activate the yeast (you'll know in less than 1 hour), you can try adding more yeast.
- Open a new packet of yeast and mix 1 teaspoon of yeast with 1 cup (250 ml) of hot water (about 110 ° F / 43 ° C) and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until it has 1 to 3 cm (½ to 1 inch) of foam. If it doesn't work, you will need to get fresh yeast and try again.
- While tasting this yeast mixture, gently heat the flat dough to about 100 ° F (40 ° C) by putting the bowl in a warm place.
Step 3. Add the active yeast
Add more flour as needed, a ratio of 60% flour to 40% liquid is usually recommended for bread dough, so add the necessary flour to balance the dough. Knead the active yeast mixture together with the dough and let it rise in a hot and humid place.
- This can also be an indicator to see if the yeast is not active. This method makes the yeast very active, so when it is added to the dough, it should rise perfectly. If the dough still does not rise, it will indicate that the yeast is not the fault and that there is another problem.
- You can also make it at the beginning of the recipe the next time you make a different leavened dough.
Step 4. Add more flour to the dough
Check to see if the dough is sticky. If it is, it may need more kneading. Add more flour until it is smooth and silky to the touch and no longer sticks to your hand. Let it rest and rise in a hot, humid environment. Repeat if necessary. You may need to let the dough rest overnight before shaping and baking.
Step 5. Knead properly
Kneading is an art: very little and you may not distribute the yeast throughout the dough, causing the dough to be too weak to rise. On the other hand, over kneading can stiffen the dough to the point of not allowing it to expand. The dough should be soft and elastic, not stiff like a rubber ball or smooth like cookie dough.
Method 2 of 2: Solutions to Common Dough Problems
Step 1. Find the problem
Consider several of the following points to make a preliminary diagnosis. It may be that a simple environment correction can solve the problem without further effort.
- Check the type of dough and yeast. Some types of sourdoughs are very slow to rise and may take several hours to rise.
- Make sure the yeast hasn't expired yet. Packaged baking powder lasts a long time, just like storing jars of dried yeast in the freezer. However, both yeasts, both fresh and dehydrated, have a life span after which they will function less or not at all.
Step 2. Check the environment
The ideal temperature is about 38 ° C (100 ° F) and high humidity. If you go too far out of that range, the yeast won't be happy.
Step 3. Check the type of flour
Breads made with cake flour or conventional flour are low in gluten and low in protein, so the dough may rise and then collapse.
- This can also happen if you have a dough that has a much higher proportion of water than flour.
- Some flours contain antifungal ingredients to prolong their shelf life, and since yeast is a proud member of the fungal kingdom, those ingredients are almost certain to inhibit its growth.
- Organic white bread flour free from whitening additives works best for a good loaf of white bread.
- Heavier flour like whole grain flour and other types of whole grain flours will give you a heavy loaf that won't rise as high as the fine flour in white bread.
Step 4. Let the dough rest
Don't disturb the dough as it rises, especially if it's a particularly wet dough.
Step 5. Use a suitable container
The pan or tray you use will make a difference: if it is too large, the dough will not have a support with which to rise, so it will not increase in volume upwards, on the contrary, it will spread and possibly collapse.
It is advisable to put the buns very close to each other
Step 6. Check the ingredients
Some spices like cinnamon are natural antifungals.
- For sweet fruit muffins and cinnamon rolls, the dough will generally need to rise quickly, as the cinnamon will kill the yeast in the end.
- Some dried fruits are also coated with antifungals as preservatives. Dried organic fruits are expensive, but much better for baking. What a lot of bakers do is use standard dried fruit but don't add it to the end.
Step 7. Reduce the salt
Salt is a necessary ingredient for the gluten proteins to develop that make the dough soft and elastic, but too much will kill the yeast. Add only the required amount and add it to the flour at first, not the water.
WikiHow Video: How to Fix a Dough That Won't Rise
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Advice
- Make sure the oven preheats at least 5 minutes before you need it. Using a pizza stone can also help transfer heat to the pan or whatever the bar is on, or you can put the bar directly on the hot stone. Many times the mistake is to start with a cold oven.
- Check the water and flour periodically. The pH can be a problem, if it is too high or too low it will kill the yeast. Try a sample of plain water and a sample of neutral water mixed with flour. Then, test it with baking powder (for acidity) or vinegar (for alkalinity). If the liquid foams a little, it means the pH is out of balance. If there is no foam, the pH is fine. Note: You can also purchase a pH test kit at pool supply stores.
- Check the ratio of flour and water: the best is 60:40 flour to water. With too much water it could be effective, but it is more likely that it will not rise, or that it will rise well and then collapse.
- The big problem with a slow rising bread is that the kneading works to activate the gluten and proteins to form a soft and elastic dough, but over time this relaxes in such a way that the dough weakens and the bubbles inside it collapse.. It's hard to tell if the dough gets weak before the yeast is done. You can improve the dough by adding more gluten or bread improvers, but for gluten-free bread, it is not easy to fix it and it is simply a part of the bread that you will have to wait. If you want a thin dough like for sweet rolls or yeast cakes, a slow result is ideal so that it does not have very big bubbles. This is something that is even done in the refrigerator overnight.
- Bread dough that has not turned out right can be used for pasta, baked goods, and other baked goods, so it won't go to waste completely. In that case, you should choose a yeast-free leavening product such as baking powder, bicarbonate and citric acid, beer, lemonade, carbonated water, or butter for puff pastry.
Warnings
- If all attempts to fix it fail, you may need to change all the ingredients and start over.
- Fixing yeast dough can be very difficult in some cases, especially if it has milk like puff pastry or yeast croissants. If you knead it again, you will make a brioche-style dough that can be thin, but if you want those characteristics of puff pastry, you will have to start over.