In a toasty kitchen, your dough may proof in as little as an hour (or less!). When the temperatures dip, it can take much longer—upwards of two or even three hours. You'll know it's done when it has a full, puffed appearance, like in the image below.
Now that we've talked about how you can get bread dough to rise faster, it's time to tackle the question at hand, "how long does it take bread to rise." Though this answer may vary, if you're cooking in a warm kitchen with a moist dough, your bread will likely rise in 45 minutes or less.
Let the dough rise for around 30 to 45 minutes.
Check on the dough after 30 minutes to see if it's finished. You'll know it's finished rising once it's doubled in size.
Add more yeast, blend in the starter, or knead in more flour to help initiate rising. Dough that has expired yeast, too much salt, all-purpose or cake flour, or antifungal spices like cinnamon might have trouble rising.
Can you leave dough to rise overnight at room temperature? Dough that's left to rise at room temperature typically takes between two and four hours to double in size. If left overnight, the dough can rise so high it will likely collapse on the weight of itself, making the dough deflate.
Passing the dough too many times through can overly de-gas the dough and, if not allowed to proof for 20 to 30 minutes prior to baking, can allow heat to readily pass through without achieving a thorough crust bake.
Yes, you can still eat bread that doesn't rise. You can make a dessert or flatbread out of dough that does not rise by adding melted butter or sprinkling sugar and sesame seeds, then baking for about 10 to 30 minutes.
You need to allow the dough to rise for a certain amount of time. If it rises for too long, it'll throw things off quite a bit. Dough that has risen for too long will taste really bad. It will often have a very sour taste and the texture of the bread won't be good either.
A longer rise time could be due to a room that is a little too cold or it could be that most of the yeast was dead. It could be because you are using a different kind of flour, or whole grain flour. Even sweet bread dough takes a long time to rise. If the dough hasn't risen as much as you expect give it more time.
Over-proofing happens when dough has proofed too long and the air bubbles have popped. You'll know your dough is over-proofed if, when poked, it never springs back. To rescue over-proofed dough, press down on the dough to remove the gas, then reshape and reproof. (This method won't work for sourdough bread.)
The second rise helps develop a lighter, chewier texture, and a more complex flavor. However, it is not essential that dough rise twice. Many varieties and recipes allow for a single rise while others even call for more than two.
Check For Bubbles And A “Yeasty” Smell
You should have a bubbly mixture that smells very “yeasty”. If the bubbles are non-existent, the yeast is unfortunately dead as a doorknob. IF the yeast is still quite bubbly, kind of frothy, and has a yeasty aroma, then it can still be used for recipes that call for yeast.
If you peter out and don't knead your dough enough by hand, or if you don't allow it enough time in your mixer, the dough will lack strength. It is a tell-tale sign of not enough kneading if your bread dough cannot hold its shape or acts listless and fails to inflate. Instead of rising, the dough will spread out flat.
If the dough doesn't spring back at all, you've likely over-proofed the dough.
“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.
But if your kitchen is cold, your oven is actually a great place. Preheat oven to 200 degrees for 1-2 minutes to get it nice and toasty, then turn it off. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then put it inside the oven and let rise until doubled (about 45-60 minutes).
Overkneaded dough will be tough and make tough, chewy bread. If you've kneaded by hand, you don't need to be too worried about overworked dough—you'll start to notice it getting difficult to manage. It takes a lot of elbow grease to knead bread dough; you'll likely tire yourself out before you can over-knead.
It means to let your dough rest (I give it 25-30 minutes) before kneading. This allows the flour to become thoroughly saturated, and provides time for the gluten chains to start forming up before you even lay a hand on the dough — more pre-kneading. Following that, it's an easy 5 to 7 minutes — that's all!
The proofing time for bread dough varies based on the dough's makeup (amount of preferment, flour choices, and hydration) and the temperature at which it's proofed. The dough should generally be proofed for around 1 to 4 hours at a warm temperature or overnight (or more) at a cold refrigerator temperature.
Once the gluten network has formed, over handling the dough can cause this network to break down. You really only need to handle sourdough minimally. Each set of stretch and folds should consist of 4 stretches and folds. You should aim to do around 4 to 6 sets, but you may need less depending on the dough strength.
The flavors also come as byproducts of fermentation. By not giving your dough long enough to rise, you will, unfortunately, make disappointing bread. Leaving it a little longer, it will be much tastier and better textured. I've included a fool-proof tip below on how to tell when it is fully risen and ready to bake.
The second rise is shorter than the primary fermentation after the bread loaf has been shaped and panned; usually taking only about half the time of the first rise at room temperature, or shorter for smaller loaves and rolls.