I recently started baking my own bread, and all the recipes say to leave the dough to rise, usually for an hour or two, “until doubled in size”. Mine rarely rises anywhere near that – where am I going wrong?
Simon, Manchester
Baking is easily the least forgiving of all culinary activities. Get anything even slightly out of whack – be that oven temperature, the ratio of your ingredients or even the humidity in your kitchen – and soggy bottoms and broken dreams await.
In fact, there’s a strong case for saying that baking is more science than art, and, as with all things scientific, it always pays to heed the experts. You don’t get many more expert in bread-making than Richard Bertinet, a Bath-based baker and food writer from Brittany, so let’s ask him.
“The first thing that springs to mind,” Bertinet says, “is that your dough is probably too cold.” Or, put another way, the water you’re using isn’t warm enough. “It’s vital you give the yeast a helping hand, otherwise it’ll just slumber lazily,” he says, adding that your water/ flour/salt/yeast ratio is also crucial. “A lot of people are wary of adding too much water, and end up using too little.”
So how can you tell if your water is the wrong temperature? Easy, says Bertinet, whose sixth book, Crumb, is out in February (Octopus, £25) and covers all things bread. “Just stick a finger into it – if you can’t feel any change in temperature, the water is about right, but if it’s any cooler than blood temperature, you’re asking too much of your yeast.”
Also, keep the salt and yeast well apart until you bring them together in the dough, otherwise, as Paul Hollywood warns, the former may kill the latter.
Of course, there may be other factors involved. For instance, Bertinet wonders if maybe you’re proving the dough in the wrong environment. Yeast needs not just warmth, but also a bit of humidity to do its thing, “so never prove dough in an airing cupboard – it’s way too dry”. To help things along, put the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic (Bertinet uses polythene bags) and leave somewhere warm in the kitchen.
Finally, invest in the right yeast. If your dough isn’t rising, it might be tempting to use one of the strong, mass-market, fast-acting dried yeasts. Don’t, says Bertinet. “They’ve got all sorts of chemicals in them, and are far too strong.” He can see why the stuff is so popular, but convenience isn’t everything. And if you really have no option, ignore what it says on the packet and use sparingly. “One teaspoon for every kilo of flour is about right,” Bertinet says, “but no more.”
He recommends using fresh yeast, if possible, which isn’t as hard to get hold of as you might think. “It’s sold in all good delis,” Bertinet says. “And, if you ask nicely, your local supermarket or high-street bakery might even give you some for free.” Especially if you buy a job lot of doughnuts or pasties first.
