# ISO A Faster Way to Proof Bread Dough



## primus diddy (Aug 28, 2006)

When making bread, you often have to let the dough ferment for several hours or more (first rise), then another time (second rise), and then a proof time. This can all add up to more than 12 hours.

Is there a way to speed the process up? I mean, add everything, mix, bake.

I don't want to use a bread machine.


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## VeraBlue (Aug 28, 2006)

primus diddy said:
			
		

> When making bread, you often have to let the dough ferment for several hours or more (first rise), then another time (second rise), and then a proof time. This can all add up to more than 12 hours.
> 
> Is there a way to speed the process up? I mean, add everything, mix, bake.
> 
> I don't want to use a bread machine.



Only if you do it while traveling at the speed of light......backward.


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## pdswife (Aug 28, 2006)

You can do what I do...





go to the bakery.


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## Chausiubao (Aug 28, 2006)

You could always just let it ferment overnight. The first rise I mean. Then you can worry about the secondary fermentation and the final proof the next day.

When I make bread, it doesn't take me that long, I don't think.

I make the preferment the night before, let it ferment 11 hours or so, but I'm asleep, while thats happening, so I don't care ^^.

Then I make the dough (takes me about 25 minutes in total), and let it ferment, usually 60 to 90 minutes, maybe 2 hours tops, working with a dough made from 4 cups of flour, then do a secondary fermentation that lasts about an hour, and then bake for 20-40 minutes. 

Letsee, in total thats about 4 hours tops.


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## TATTRAT (Aug 28, 2006)

Warm water, and a 200 degree oven are the best way to foce a proof. I recomend waiting the aloted time though. Can't rush perfection.


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## Chausiubao (Aug 29, 2006)

wouldn't that kill the yeast?

yeast dies at 140 F, and 200 C is... really hot.

When I want to wake up my preferment or dough after an overnight fridge fermentation (although, were I to be warming up dough after a cold yeast fermentation I'd shape it before warming it up with the boiling water), I put it in the oven with a big cup of boiling water, close up the oven, and let it sit for an hour, I do that for my secondary fermentation too. 

It provides a warmer environment for the yeast to eat glucose in. 

Though fast fermentations aren't supposed to taste as good as slow fermentations. Overnight is always the way to save time.


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## Michael in FtW (Aug 29, 2006)

primus diddy said:
			
		

> When making bread, you often have to let the dough ferment for several hours or more (first rise), then another time (second rise), and then a proof time. This can all add up to more than 12 hours.
> 
> Is there a way to speed the process up? I mean, add everything, mix, bake.


 
Well - a lot depends on the recipe. If you are making a recipe that uses a pre-ferment starter (sour dough, biga, or whatever name it has) - sorry, you're out of luck. Some things take time. 

Second - let's clear up the terms ... _*proofing*_ is the time that fermentation takes place to raise (rise) the dough. The first "rise" and the second "rise" are proofing.

200-F is _*WAY*_ too hot for proofing! A proofer will generally maintain a temp somewhere in the 80-F range.

I bake two loaves of bread every week ... I use packaged yeast ... first proofing takes about an hour, punch it down and put it in the pan, second rise takes about another hour ... then into the oven to bake. I use a two-stage method (where I proof the yeast first - combine the yeast with a little sugar and warm water to "prove" it is alive) - but if I was using "Instant" yeast I could use the dump method ... just dump it all into the mixer at one time. 

We have a bunch of bread bakers in here ...

But, the first obvious question any of them will want to know is ... what is your recipe?


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## Gretchen (Aug 29, 2006)

Change the recipe. The process you are describing is not really "proofing" but making the poolish or biga for a type of bread.
You can make a straightforward delicious loaf of bread by mixing the ingredients, let rise an hour, punch down, form into loaves, let rise and then bake.
Or you can make foccacia.
I must admit I don't understand your final "proofing" statement.
To make some particular kinds of breads, all and more than you describe are necessary but not for all.


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## baking fool (Sep 4, 2006)

primus diddy said:
			
		

> Is there a way to speed the process up? I mean, add everything, mix, bake.


 
soda breads don't need to rise; they rise just like a cake does with baking powder/soda so there isn't any waiting with soda breads. just mix & bake.

bread usually tastes better when it has lots of time to rise because all the flavours have time to come out but if you want to make the rise go faster there are still a few ways to do it. one way to make yeast breads rise faster would be to make your own proofer at home using an electric frying pan. if you don't want to do that (i haven;'t) you could put your bread & bowl into a sunbeam. that's what i do & it usually helps. so does using warm/hot (~35 degree) water. it isn't usually a good idea to use more yeast even though that would work because the bread will end up tasting like yeast in the end rather than like wheat.


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## Gretchen (Sep 4, 2006)

Using more yeast will make breads fall because they will rise too fast and not have the structure to support it.
For a warmer place to let bread rise, you can turn on the oven and THEN turn it off (!) and put the bowl of dough to rise.


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## DinaFine (Sep 7, 2006)

I have found that mostly the preferments and dough can be left alone for long periods of time to do their own thing.  The actual mixing, kneading, and shaping take maybe a half an hour or so, and the rest of the time the future bread is actually doing the work of developing flavor.  You can mix and bake in one day using commercial yeast if you want to, but the actuall time spent on it will be about the same.  You can retard the rise by putting it in the refrigerator, and that way you can mix and knead one day. and shape and bake the next.  

Once you start to understand what the yeast is doing, it is not hard at all, and doesnt seem to take that much actual time.


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