Second rise is failing - need help!

Hello all -

I'm using an old recipe, which I've used dozens of times, for cracked wheat bread. All is well until I get to the second proof, or rise. The dough is just not rising. The first rise is fine - double in size in about an hour. After knocking down and dividing into three loaves (in their pans) I'm getting no rise.

I'm using a Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook, 8-9 minutes, then 10 mins. of hand kneading.

Yeast is fresh, proofing temps are fine in a small proofing box I've long used..

Any ideas where I'm going amiss?

With warmer water (in summer) and room temps, fermenting can go faster than expected.

What exactly is the recipe? Not unusual to cut back on the yeast in the summer months or used ice water to make the dough or chill the ingredients before combining. I tend to cut back on the yeast. See if that helps and if not, come back with detailed information. Also the specific yeast that is being used. <--- most important. :)

Edit: Are you currently dealing with a dough not rising, as in, right now?

Thanks so much for the suggestions. The recipe is: 3 cps boiling water, 1&2/3 cps cracked wheat, 3/4 cup brn. sugar, 1&1/2 teas. salt & 3 Tbs butter. I always let it sit until it's room temp. Then add to that 3 packets of Fleischmann yeast bloomed w/ 1 cup warm water and 1 Tbs sugar. All that goes in my Kit. Aid mixer with hook on, and when it's all room temp, begin adding 7 cups of bread flour. Usually 8-9 mins of mixing until cough balls around hook. Turn out on floured counter, knead 10 mins. Then into bread bowl to let rise until double, about 1 hr. Punch down and 3 or 4 quick kneads to get gas out, divide into 3, then into loaf pans. This is where it's almost always risen to double again, but these last two times, no rise. Bake at 350 for 38-40 mins. Makes the best toast in the world . . . when it works.

Try working in some more yeast by spreading out the dough and misting lightly the surface with water, sprinkle on the yeast (still want to know exactly what the Fleischmann's package says, instant... or rapid rise or active dry...) and work the yeast to a paste with your finger tips, then roll up and knead it into the dough until well blended. After a short rest shape the dough and return to the pans.

I'm wondering if the yeast went bad or was exposed to excessive heat before using. How does the yeast smell?

May be an old topic but I think you might have answered a problem I had. I recently been making perfect loaves but ever since I started using yeast I bought in bulk the second rise has just not been happening in a timely manner (it does a little, so I know it's not dead at least). I stored the yeast in the freezer and let my pack's worth 2 1/4 teaspooons warm at room temp temp for an hour before so maybe I shouldn't do that. Your "I'm wondering if the yeast went bad or was exposed to excessive heat before using." rang a bell in my head. I use 5 cups of bread flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of very warm water and before when I was using the yeast packets it was fine. I noticed fresh bulk yeast looks and acts a little different in the bowl and the first rise was much quicker and more aggressive. I've been letting the first room temp rise before refrigerating the dough till early morning last 3 hours when I was using the packets but it reached that point of where it was 3 hours earlier with the bulk yeast and it got to the point where I noticed it was down somewhat by the 3 hour point so I'm thinking that means it was over-proofed and I need to treat this more potent yeast differently. I think it's just down to getting the perfect time down now. I also like a very wet and heavy initially, fermented dough so it's no problem to me that my loaf is much wider and less tall than what is commonly accepted but what I got the first time with this new yeast wasn't enough rise even for me. Though I gave it to some family and they said the bread itself was great, very soft and textured inside/well crusted outside, and flavored nicely so at least that's the only thing that's wrong.