How To Proof Bread Faster For A Quick Rise

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Learn how to proof bread faster in half the time! These tips can shorten the rise time of bread dough by 50%. Perfect for home bakers or anyone with a busy schedule.

How To Proof Bread Faster

ANSWER: You can proof bread faster by placing the dough in a warm area such as the oven, microwave, instant pot, slow cooker, or proofing box. Before mixing the ingredients, make sure the yeast is alive by blooming it first. Make sure to use warm ingredients which will speed up the rise of the bread dough. Increasing the amount of yeast in the recipe will also make your bread-proof faster.

FAQ

Use A Microwave To Proof Bread Faster

How to Proof Bread In The Microwave:
1. Microwave a cup of water for one minute.
2. Place the dough in the microwave and let the dough proof until double in size.

The microwave is a great way to speed up the proofing time of bread dough. Microwaving the cup of water creates steam and increases the temperature inside the microwave. This warm place will shorten the rise time of the bread. 

Use An Oven

How To Proof Dough In Oven:
1. Turn the oven light on.
2. Cover the dough and place it in the oven with the door closed.
3. Let the dough proof until double in size.

Leaving the light on in the oven increases the temperature, which creates a warm place for your dough to rise. 

Use The Yogurt Setting On The Instant Pot

How To Proof Bread In The Instant Pot:
1. Set the Instant Pot on yogurt to the lowest setting.
2. Place dough into the Instant Pot.
3. Cover with aluminum foil (not the Instant Pot Lid). Let proof until double in size.

This beloved kitchen appliance is more than just a pressure cooker! It can make your bread proof faster than leaving the bread at room temperature.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, “You can cut a lot of time with this bread proofing strategy: Dough that doubles in 2 hours at 73°F… will double in just 1 hour at 90°F. So if you’re in a hurry, proofing bread in an Instant Pot can be a game-changer.” (Source: bhg.com)

Remember not to use the Instant Pot lid as your dough can hit the top and not proof correctly. Keep an eye out on your dough as this method proof bread fast! You do not want to overproof the dough, which will change the texture and taste of the final loaf.

Other Ways To Proof Bread Faster

• Proof Bread In The Slow Cooker: Set the slow cooker on the lowest temperature setting. 
• Proofing Box: These devices were specifically made to proof bread dough. If you live in a cold environment, you might want to consider investing in one.
• Warm Water Bath: Fill your sink with warm water. Then, place the bowl of dough into it. Be careful not to wet the dough!
• Heating Pad: Another great option to proof bread faster. Make sure to use the lowest temperature setting.
• Laundry Dryer: Perfect environment to make bread rise faster! Run the dryer for five minutes on the low setting. Afterward, place the bowl of dough inside. Close the door and let rise.

Use Warm Ingredients When Making Your Bread

Cold ingredients will slow down the yeast activity, which will cause your bread to proof slowly. Before you mix your ingredients, make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature. If the recipe calls for milk, you can microwave it to 110°F to 115°F.  

Add Additional Yeast

Adding more yeast to the recipe will make your bread rise faster. You do not need much, just ¼ to ½ teaspoons extra (depending on the recipe). However, be careful when doing this! Although the extra yeast will speed up the fermentation process, the risk of overproofing is increased.

Use Rapid-Rise Yeast

Rapid-rise yeast (also known as instant yeast) will make your bread rise faster compared to active dry yeast. You can replace the active dry yeast with the same amount of instant yeast in your bread recipes. Unlike active dry yeast, instant yeast does not need to be activated (or bloomed). 

However, I always bloom the rapid-rise yeast whenever I use it to check if it is not expired. If the yeast is dead, the bread won’t rise at all. 

I recommend checking out my Baking With Yeast Guide. It goes over in detail the differences between active dry yeast and instant yeast. 

What Causes Bread To Rise Slowly?

Three main causes slow down bread rise: cold water, a cold environment, and dead yeast.

1. Cold Ingredients

Using cold ingredients will cause the bread to proof slower because they hinder the yeast activity. Yeast is a living organism that thrives in warm environments! If the temperature of your dough is cold, then the yeast will be sluggish.

The cold temperature of the ingredients lowers the overall temperature of the dough, which will slow down the yeast. As a result, the dough will take longer to proof.

Make sure the water temperature is at least 75°F as cold water will slow the proofing process. To make the bread proof faster, you can heat the water up to 110°F to 115°F. 

If there are any refrigerated ingredients in the recipe you are using such as butter or milk, it is best to wait for these to come to room temperature before mixing the dough. You can also microwave the ingredients so that they are warm. The ideal temperature for these ingredients is around 110°F. However, make sure the ingredients aren’t too hot as this can kill the yeast!

2. Cold Environment

A cold environment will slow down the rise of bread dough! It is the number one culprit that causes bread to rise slowly. The ideal temperature for bread dough to rise is typically between 75° to 85° Fahrenheit. This temperature range provides the perfect warm environment for the bread to proof and fermentation, resulting in a well-risen and flavorful loaf. 

If the environment is colder than 75°F, then the yeast activity slows down causing a slower bread proof. Although you can still proof bread in colder temperatures, it will take a longer time. 

3. The Yeast Is Dead

If the yeast is old or expired, it might not be as active, leading to slower fermentation and dough rise. 

Yeast has a short shelf life. Once the package is opened, it usually lasts up to six months if stored in a cool dry place. 

To check if yeast is viable, always bloom the yeast before mixing all of the ingredients. Usually blooming is done on active dry yeast and not instant yeast. However, I always recommend blooming even when using instant yeast to make sure that the yeast is alive. 

To bloom, mix warm water (or milk depending on the recipe), sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. If the yeast is alive, then the mixture should turn foamy. However, if it is not, then the yeast is dead. It is time to buy more. 

Simple Tips For Success

Bloom The Yeast Before Mixing The Ingredients

Blooming the yeast is a critical first step that ALL bakers should do whenever they are making any yeast bread recipe. This step will let you know that the yeast is activated and not dead or expired!

This step involves mixing active dry yeast with warm water (or warm milk) and sometimes a small amount of sugar. The warm liquid and sugar are the ideal environment for yeast to activate. Yeast goes CRAZY over this mixture! Within a couple of minutes, the mixture should be foamy, which shows that the yeast is active and ready to make the bread rise.

Booming is typically done when using active dry yeast and not instant yeast. However, I have used instant yeast in the past which did not make my bread dough rise properly. As a home baker, I know how heartbreaking it is when the yeast is dead! Because of this, I always bloom my yeast even when I am using instant yeast. 

Place Bread In A Warm Spot To Proof Faster

Place the bread in a warm spot to proof faster. The warmer temperatures will make your first rise and second rise faster. 

If the temperature of your kitchen is below 75°F, move the bowl of dough into the oven with the light on or microwave. 

Watch The Dough, NOT The Clock!

If there is one key takeaway that you take from this post, it is to watch the dough and not the clock. If the recipe you are following states it will take one hour for the dough to double and at the one-hour mark, your dough still has not doubled, do NOT move on to the next step! Continue to let your dough rise until it doubles. 

Make sure to place the bread dough in a warm area to prove faster. However, if it is in a warm area, the time has passed, and it still has not doubled, then it sounds like the yeast may have not been activated properly or it might be dead. 

Cover The Dough While Proofing

Covering the bread dough while proofing will prevent the outside of the dough from drying out. If it dries out, then the dough will stop rising! No, it won’t make your bread proof faster. However, it will allow your bread to rise properly.

You can cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. When you’re covering the dough during its second proof, make sure it is covered loosely.

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