My most recent attempt was this morning: I am attempting to make my friend Lisa's recipe for Amish sweet bread. I proofed the yeast, and followed the rest of the recipe to a tee. I covered the dough over an hour ago to let it rise. When I went back to check on its progress, this is what I found:
It's enough to make you want to weep.So I am sending out a cry for help into my cyber-hood and see if anyone can explain to me what I'm doing wrong. Here is what I have ruled out:
1) The yeast being old - I just used it a few weeks ago to make cinnamon rolls.
2) The water too cold - I made sure it was warm but not too hot.
3) Didn't rise long enough - I just checked it again, and after almost 2 hours, it STILL hasn't risen.
And here is what I want to ask about:
1) Do I need to warm up the bowl before I set the dough in it to rise? The metal bowl was a little cold but I hoped the water would warm it up.
2) I stirred the yeast this time since it's what the recipe said to do before I proofed it. Should I just sprinkle it in the water and leave it be until it bubbles?
3) Am I just yeast-challenged?
I await your wisdom.
i've attempted to make bread twice and ... no rising whatsoever. can't wait to hear the tips you get. BUT, i do have a suggestion. try using a non-metal bowl to put the dough in. sometimes yeast reacts with metal...that's what happened the first couple times i made overnight waffle batter (that required yeast). when i put the batter in a plastic bowl, it came out lovely. -Jin G.
ReplyDeleteDid you put it in a warm place to rise? It won't rise in a cold room on a cold surface... so if it was in a cold metal bowl, on a cool countertop, near a drafty window... that could have been it. Of course, the picture seems to indicate it was on top of the oven. I find that preheating the oven while the dough rises warms up the stovetop enough to keep the dough and bowl warm, too. If you've never tried that, it might be worth an attempt. :)
ReplyDeletemy mom always covered the bowl with cling wrap and then put a big warm wool blanket on top of the bowl for a few hours. worked every time!
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