This situation has happened at least once with every housewife: you are preparing to bake bread or pizza, or pies, or even an Easter cake. You buy the best products - sugar, butter, eggs, knead the dough and after a while you notice that your dough just doesn't grow. What to do in this case?
This is a common problem for many home bakers: you put in a lot of effort to make good tasty bread, but your yeast, as luck would have it, is letting you down. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be solved relatively easily. Now I will tell you why yeast dough does not rise, and how to make it become fluffy. So, your actions if the dough does not rise.
Method one: increase the temperature and humidity
Nothing improves yeast like a warm, humid microclimate - in it they live their yeast life to the fullest.
If you want your dough to rise well, you must give the yeast what it wants. Fill a deep baking sheet with boiling water and place it on the lowest rack in your oven. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack and close the door. Leave the dough in a warm, humid environment for a while to rise.
Alternatively, you can boil a cup of water in the microwave, then place the bowl of dough in the microwave along with the water and close the door (not including the microwave!). Some people put the dough on a slab covered with a wet towel. The stove keeps you warm, while a damp towel provides moisture. In this way, yeast dough that does not rise can be made to grow.
Method two: add more yeast
If the rise in temperature and humidity does not work and the yeast is not activated (you will know this in less than an hour), you can try adding more yeast to the dough.
Note that your old yeast has let you down, so don't use it anymore. Open a new packet of dry granular yeast, take a teaspoon and mix with a cup (200 ml) of warm water (about 43 g. C) and one tablespoon of sugar. Let this mixture stand for about 10 minutes, until at least 3-4 cm of foam has risen. If it doesn't, you will have to buy fresher yeast and try again.
Then add half of the dough (or all of it, depending on the amount of dough) to the bowl of dough and stir well. Even if the mixture turns out to be thinner than you need, ignore it (you will fix this problem later). Place the bowl with the dough in a warm, damp place and let it rise well (for at least an hour at a temperature of at least 38 degrees C).
Method three: add flour to a new dough
Prepare a new dough as described above and add flour to it. The ratio is 60% flour and 40% liquid (this is the best ratio for bread dough). Then add the active yeast mixture to the dough and let it rise in a warm, humid place.
How it rises can also be an indicator of yeast activity. This method makes the yeast very active, so when a new dough with flour is added to the dough, it should grow beautifully.
If, however, the yeast dough does not rise, this will indicate that the yeast is innocent and, apparently, there is another problem.
Method four: add more flour to the dough
Check the dough for a sticky feel. If this is the case, then it is probably due to the fact that your dough is not well kneaded. Knead it on the table with extra flour until it is smooth and silky to the touch and the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
Put him to "rest" and rise in a warm, humid environment. Repeat the entire process if necessary. You may need to leave it warm overnight before baking.
Method five: knead the dough properly
Bakers apply the true art of kneading dough when baking bread. If you knead it too little, then the yeast just spread poorly in the dough. Therefore, such a dough will be too weak to rise.
Knead the dough for at least 10-15 minutes, but remember that kneading too long can make the dough so hard that it cannot rise. The dough should be smooth and elastic, but not tight like a rubber ball or soft like flowing dough.
Tips on how to prevent poor dough germination
If your yeast dough does not rise, it is possible that an increase in heat and moisture will help fix the problem without further effort. But knowing that such a problem is possible, try to take some action beforehand.
- Check your yeast type. Some starter cultures grow very slowly and it may take several hours for the dough to grow.
- Make sure the yeast has not expired. Both fresh and dry yeast are best stored in the freezer. At the same time, both fresh and dry yeast have a shelf life, after its expiration they will act weakly or not at all.
- Before you dilute the dough and knead the yeast dough, check the temperature and humidity in your kitchen. The ideal microclimate is about 38 grams. C at high humidity. If your numbers are too different from those indicated, this is not very good for yeast. This can prevent the dough from growing.
- Check the type of flour. General purpose white flour is low in gluten and protein, so your dough may first rise and then fall off. It can also happen if your dough is too runny.
- Some manufacturers add antifungal ingredients to flour to prolong its shelf life. Since yeast is also a fungus, these impurities will inhibit their growth. Organic, unbleached, unbleached white bread flour works best for baking a good loaf of white bread. Using heavier flours such as whole wheat, rye, and other whole grains will make the loaf heavier and rise less dough, just like finely ground white flour.
- Create the perfect resting place for emerging dough. Do not disturb the dough while it is growing, especially if it is a particularly moist dough.
- Use the correct container for emerging dough. In a bowl that is too wide, the dough has no support to rise up. Instead, it will spread in breadth and possibly collapse. The small buns on the baking sheet should also be placed fairly close together to support them.
- Check the supplements you are using. Some spices, like cinnamon, are naturally anti-fungal. For sweet fruit rolls or cinnamon rolls, use fast yeast, otherwise the cinnamon will eventually kill the yeast. Some dried fruits are also coated with antifungal additives as a preservative. Therefore, it is better to take natural organic dried fruits, although it is expensive, it is much better for baking. It is best to add dried fruit at the last moment - after the final proofing.
- Do not over-salt the dough. Salt is essential for the development of gluten-free proteins that make the dough smooth and elastic. But too much salt will kill the yeast. Add it at the very beginning and only in the required amount, while adding it to the flour, not to the water.
