Temp for rising | The Fresh Loaf

I'm new to this forum, but, not new to bread baking. I've been making all of my own bread in a bread machine for 10 years. Now I've decided I want to try some different types of bread. I'd like to still mix the ingredients, doing the initial kneed in the bread machine. I'd like to shape it and do the second rise not in the machine, then bake it in the oven. My first uncertantity comes with the temp when doing the second rise. I live in snow country. Hubby and I keep our home at 64 during the day and 58 at night. (we live in sweats and fuzzy slippers) My guess is that it will take longer than the projected times in the recipes for the second rise. Will taking extra time hurt the consistency of the bread or should I figure out the warmest place in the house - which may be the office - and let it rise there instead of the kitchen?

Any advice will be appreciated!

Donna - who's having a ball prowling around this site!

We keep our house at 68 degrees in the winter and I don't have any problems. I use an inverted plastic box as a proofing chamber and sometimes will put a cup of hot water under it but only if I want to hurry something up.

I just started baking a couple months ago and I'm starting to think ahead (and worry) about how I might have to adjust this summer when we will keep the house at 78 degrees.

...as a proofing box. My wife, like you, bakes our everyday bread using the bread machine to mix, knead and initially proof the dough on "dough cycle". (The machine proofs at 84.5F according to the manufacturer.) Then she removes it from the machine letting it bulk proof further either at room temperature, on warm days, or in the oven on cool days. With the oven light on the oven box warms to 82°F.

Furthermore, after she shapes the loaves, and pans them, she final proofs them in the oven also, removing them only during the final 20 minutes while the oven preheats.

I bake sourdoughs, and high-percentage rye flour breads. I often develop my levain in the oven, with the light on, during the levain build time; and bulk-proof the dough on cool days. I never final proof in the oven, as my wife does, because I use a baking stone, and like to preheat the oven for 45 minutes to an hour before baking.

Recently, I was developing a sourdough levain on the same day we were baking Christmas cookies. Consequently, I couldn't use the oven as a warming box. Despite the oven's nearly constant use, the house temperature remained in the high sixties. I put my levain container in the microwave, and proped the door slightly open to keep its light on. The internal temperature reached 76°F.

Happy Baking,

David G.

Hi from the UK. This is my first post, but I've learned a huge amount from this site - thanks everyone. We live in an old cold house, in fact winter daytime temp is 55-58, warmer in the evenings with heating on. I make mostly lean wholewheat bread with a very small amount of yeast - 1/4 teaspoon for 1x450g flour loaf, let it rise overnight in the airing cupboard which is a a couple of degrees warmer than the rest of the house, knock back, pan and proof next morning, ready to bake usually by evening ( I might even refrigerate when 3/4 proofed so ready to bake next morning). Fits in well with my work, rises well, and develops great flavour. Works for sourdough too. I don't think I'd be able to bake bread on an ordinary schedule now!

Hi grumpidoc, how I envy you having an airing cupboard! The house where I grew up near Birmingham had one, and for people who don't know the term it's a cupboard over the hot water tank. Ours had slatted shelves so that the sheets and towels were well aired. Not that our immersion heater was on all the time - we had to request a bath time and pre-heat the water. Would have been the perfect place to proof bread, the one thing that my mother never baked. Wecome to TFL and Happy New Year, A.

HI Donna and welcome Longer slower proofs are not really a problem and one of the benefits is usually a tastier more flavour full final product. One of the things that is worth while is taking notes on the temps both the finished dough and the ambient for future reference and you will also pretty soon have a chart where you will be able to predict your proofing times. I keep birds where on occasion we may need to keep young or sick birds warm and we have a hospital box it is usually made of wood but there are some great plastic storage crates around that would be ideal we have a low wattage electric light globe turned on for warmth (the old incandescent globes) you might need to buy a quantiity if you go down this track as they are disaapering fast. a small vent will allow you to adjust the temp a small houshold thermometer mounted inside the box to check the inside temp wiil help too.A plastic bag or gladwrap over the container will stop a skin forming on the dough piece.If you are baking regularly could be worthwhile to make up. Meanwhile with the temperature here in Perth likely to be 100 today keeping the dough warm will be the least of my worries. However in the winter time (WE NEVER GET SNOW) and it gets cool but with the sun shining i place my dough in the car and it is usually nice a big old proover. REGARDS YOZZA

Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't thought about using the oven. I may try checking the temp in a couple of rooms in the house - including the closet where the hot water heater is. Now that Winter is really setting in and Christmas decorations are coming down I'm starting to have time to do some odd projects - and hubby likes it when they do involve him eating and don't involve him moving, making or painting anything!