The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

How can I speed up bringing dough to room temperature?

giyad's picture
giyad

How can I speed up bringing dough to room temperature?

So I made dough yesterday but I wasn't able to use it so I put it in the fridge, and this happens a lot.  I know this is a good thing for the dough, but the problem I usually have is that when I want to use the dough, I need it to get to room temperature first, and when I pull it out it usually doesn't do that for at least 2-3 hours.  So I'm trying to see if I can speed up the process to work with the dough, and what I've done a few times is just put the bowl with the dough into a tub of warm water to speed this up.  My question is basically just about my method, is there anything wrong with that or should I be fine?

Also, if speeding up that process is not a good idea, what about working with the dough when its cold to separate them into balls and then letting them rise/come to room temp?

 

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

try looking for it under:   microwave proofing   :)   

  • your ideas would all work, warm hands helps a lot
  • other ideas...  hot water bottle and a thick towel (remember if the water is too hot for your own skin, it is too hot for yeasts 
  • in the car with the sun shining    can get too hot so take a book with you and enjoy your sauna
  • in the trunk
  • in a cool box with jars of hot water
  • search under: proofing boxes diy
giyad's picture
giyad

Thanks!  So my method is fine then :)

Ford's picture
Ford

I would work with the cold dough, wiegh, shape, (if desired) pan it, and let it rise then slash and bake.

Ford

kolobezka's picture
kolobezka

I do it the same way as Ford suggests. The dough that goes to the fridge over night may be a bit looser. But as being cold it's much easier to handle and shape, without using too much flour.

However I found that the cold loaves don't like getting warm too fast. I let them stand 1-2 hours at room temperature before raising the proofing temperature to 28-30°C (if I need to speed it up). Otherwise there is a denser crumb at the bottom.

Colin2's picture
Colin2

Ditto.  No problem working it cold, and I would just give it enough time to rise.  I have also found that rapid warming hurts texture.

But why not experiment?  Make two loaves, accelerate one but not the other, and see how they turn out.

flournwater's picture
flournwater

Your best bet is to make certain that, whatever method you use, the heat needs to be applied evenly.  You want to avoid having more heat on one side (or any one location of the dough) than you have on the rest of the dough.  A proofing box is ideal for the purpose you describe and there are a lot of good DIY ideas on this forum to get you started.

Best of luck................

Ruralidle's picture
Ruralidle

Could you get the dough to the final proof stage and then put it in the fridge?  If so you can take the proofed loaves out of the fridge when you turn your oven on and load them in once the oven and baking stone pre-heat is completed.

giyad's picture
giyad

I'm going to try that, sounds like a smart idea hope it works out well!

Ruralidle's picture
Ruralidle

It works for me.  An hour or so for the dough to warm up a bit is enough then just score it and bake.  I even bake the loaf straight out of the fridge on occasion, particularly if I have been dragged away or been out longer than planned and the loaf has fully proved.  Just score and bake!  It takes a few minutes longer to get the desired internal temperature - but not long.  I have a style of range cooker - Aga - that is always up to temperature and the baking stone is always in the oven so I don't even have to wait for a pre heat.

Please let us know how you get on.

giyad's picture
giyad

Thanks, I'm going to test this out tonight or tomorrow, but I have one question about what you were saying... you have an oven that is always up to temperature?  As in your oven is always on?

 

Ruralidle's picture
Ruralidle

That's correct. Have a look at http://www.agaliving.com/our-products/classic-aga-cookers/4-oven.aspx .  The cooker is oil fuelled and is thermostatically controlled to be at the correct temperature all the time.  The top right oven is the hotest - about 240C - and I use a cold shelf over the loaves after about 20 to 25 minutes tgoing too dark.  Because the cooker is cast iron there is far more thermal mass than in usual domestic cookers and it keeps the kitchen quite warm all year round (it can be too hot in the summer - if we ever get one in the UK - and then we turn it off but I have a "normal" electric oven or a wfo I can use.  I just have to remember to pre-heat them :) .

giyad's picture
giyad

OK, this oven is mesmirizing me haha... so its almost like a brick oven?  The heat is retained in the cast-iron, so when they advertise that its always at the correct temperature thats not completely true, the oven has to be used every day for that to happen right?  Otherwise the only way this can work is for the oven to be perpetually on, which would make me skeptical about its energy efficiency. 

Ruralidle's picture
Ruralidle

It is always on.  The original Agas were solid fual so had to be stoked up regularly.  Now they offer oil, gas (natuaral and propane) as well as electricity.  They have a stack of insulation but still get the outside hot.  Our 4 oven oil model uses about 50 litres of oil per week, so not terrifically energy efficient by modern-day standards :(.