How To Make Dough Rise Faster?

Patience is often the key to perfecting the art of baking, but when time is limited, waiting for dough to rise can feel like an eternity.

However, you can significantly reduce the waiting time and enjoy your freshly baked delights for a fraction of the usual duration.

Getting your bread dough to rise can be challenging as the weather gets cooler (or even if your air conditioner is running).

Here are some tips and techniques that will help you make the dough rise faster. Get ready to speed up the baking process for yeast breads and rolls!

Before we begin, a word of caution.

You don’t always want your dough to rise fast. The flavor of a dough develops better when it rises slowly.

You want your bread to taste amazing, so give your yeast time to work! Try sourdough starter if you want to give it a real kick of flavor. It’s a lot of fun and amazing to work with.

What Do You Need To Make Dough Rise?

Moisture and warmth are the two conditions you need for yeast to grow in your dough.

Depending on the season and the time of day, humidity and moisture in the air can differ considerably. You will see your dough rise faster if your house is humid.

In this article, we will not discuss the scientific reasons behind yeast’s workings. Food chemistry isn’t my specialty. I am a home cook who learns through research, trial, and error.

Here are two things to keep in mind:

Temperatures between 75- and 78-degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for dough. To ensure the dough is rising at the ideal temperature, use an internal probe thermometer.

My dough is always placed in a greased glass bowl and covered with plastic wrap, regardless of the method I use to rise it. In order to keep the dough moist, it is wrapped in plastic wrap.

Different Ways to Make Dough Rise Faster

You usually have to wait between 1-3 hours for the dough to rise, but who has time for that? Here’s how to get your dough to rise faster.

Below, you’ll find some easy and effective ways to get your dough to rise quickly: in the oven, in the microwave, and with rapid-rise yeast. I’ve also included some bonus methods that work really well. So, let’s begin.

1. Add Acid To Yeast

It is like handing yeast an energy drink if you add acid to your dough. This helps the yeast become more active, resulting in a shorter rise time.

Furthermore, it adds a slight tang that makes up for a shorter fermentation time.

How does fermentation work? In this process, the yeast expands and creates pockets of air in the dough.

A good way to speed up the process and enhance the flavor is to use acids such as white vinegar or citrus juices.

Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the rest of the ingredients for a neutral flavor.
If you’d like to enhance the flavor profile, add a tablespoon of lemon or orange juice.

2. Using Rapid-Rise Yeast

You can get packets of rapid-rise yeast. The granules of rapid-rise yeast are smaller, so they activate more quickly.

Bread rises faster when yeast is activated more quickly. Several grocery stores sell rapid-rise yeast packets. You might find them labelled as “instant yeast” or “quick-rise yeast.”.

With the dry dough ingredients, mix two packets of rapid-rise yeast. There’s no need to dissolve rapid-rise yeast in water like regular yeast.

To make the dough, mix it with the flour and other ingredients. See how many yeast packets are required in the recipe you’re using.

To dissolve regular yeast, use hot water. Shape the dough after kneading and skip the first rise. Do only the second rise if the recipe calls for two.

When you use rapid-rise yeast, you only need to raise your dough once. Your total rise time will be halved if you skip the first rise.

Before baking, let the dough rise once. To help the dough rise faster, place it in a warm, humid place.

It’s important to remember that lean dough, composed mostly of water and flour, will rise faster than dough containing dairy, eggs, salt, or fat.

3. Bread Proofing Box For Proofing Dough

During my research for this post, I came across a wonderful product called a bread proofing box.

As everyone was baking bread, our box was on backorder when I ordered it. Apparently, they are now shipping on time and have caught up with the backlog.

Featuring both a proofing and slow cooker in one box, this box is both portable and foldable.

After just a few weeks of use, the possibilities for this proofing box seem endless: tempering chocolate, making yogurt, even making soft cheeses.

4. The Use Of A Damp Towel

Set your oven to the temperature at which you will bake the bread. Baked bread is usually between 350°F and 500°F (177°C and 260°C). You’ll find specific instructions for heating the bread in the recipe you’re using.

Get a kitchen towel damp by rinsing it under warm water. You should wet the entire towel, but not soak it. Wring out the towel over a sink if it is dripping a lot of water.

The damp towel should be placed over the dough. It is important to cover all the dough with the towel.

The towel should be stretched so the edge hangs off of the bowl or tray you’re using to raise the dough. As a result of the moisture in the damp towel, the dough will rise more quickly.

Tip: To cover a lot of dough, use two damp towels overlapping each other.

Pre-heat the oven, but do not place the dough on it. You can clear off some counter space right next to the oven. Heat from the oven will accelerate the rising process.

Double the size of the dough by letting it rise. To determine if the dough has finished rising, check it after 30 minutes. The dough should have doubled in size by now; if not, cover it with a damp towel again in 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Proof Dough In The Slow Cooker

It is easy for us to proof dough in our slow cooker since it is often on display in the cupboard.

Add half a cup of water to the slow cooker. The temperature should be set to low.

Turn the slow cooker lid upside down. Cover the lid with a folded towel.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap after putting it in a greased bowl.
The bowl should be placed on the lid covered with a towel.

The dough will rise as the heat radiates.

6. Proof Dough in Instant Pot

The instant pot is a great way to proof your bread dough.

Make sure the instant pot is lined with parchment paper. Put cooking spray on the surface.

Put the dough ball inside.
Use the “yogurt” setting on “low” on the IP.
Put a clear lid on the container. Avoid using regular sealing lids. For those who don’t have clear glass lids, use a plate.

The dough should be checked after 30 minutes. Until the dough has doubled, check it every 10 minutes.
It is important to watch it closely if you are using this method, as it can become too warm if left too long.

7. Proof Dough in the Microwave

In a glass measuring cup, microwave 1 cup of water. Turn the heat to high and let it sit for two minutes. There should be boiling water in the pot.

Pour bread dough into a glass bowl. Due to the small size of the container, I do not always cover it with plastic wrap when using this method. Make sure the microwave door is shut and let the dough rise.

8. Proof Dough In The Oven

We use this method most often. It is possible to raise dough in an oven using several different methods. Try these: If your oven has a “proof” setting, use it. Keeping it simple as always!

Your oven light may actually provide enough heat to heat the oven to the perfect temperature when it is on. In the meantime, place the covered bowl with the dough on the other side of the oven and close the door.

To preheat the oven, turn it to the lowest temperature and let it stay there for about 2 minutes.

After turning off the oven, open the door and add the dough (in a covered glass bowl). Your dough will rise in this cozy spot. Make sure the oven is turned off before you leave!

The glass dish should be filled with boiling water and placed on the bottom rack of the oven. Cover your dough with a glass bowl and place it on the middle or top rack of your oven. That’s it. Moisture and heat!

9. Proof Dough with a Heating Pad

A heating pad can be used to help keep your dough warm if all else fails. Set the heating pad to a low temperature and cover it with a folded towel.

Over the towel, place the covered glass bowl with the dough inside. As the bowl is warmed by the heating pad, allow the dough to rise.

How Does My Bread Get “Gooey” In The Middle?

The bread may not have been baked long enough. Lower the temperature and bake for a longer time. A doughy center can also be caused by adding too much liquid or not enough flour.

My Bread Isn’t Rising. What Should I Do?

It may be a good idea to reevaluate how you add the yeast. Your activation may be incorrect, or you may not be activating it.

Can I Dissolve My Yeast In Hot Water And Then Add In My Mixture?

The yeast will be killed by hot water, so choose water that is close to body temperature instead.

Remember to let the dough sit for longer periods of time to develop flavor. If you have time, let it rise and punch it down several times over the course of a few days or a few weeks.

Final Words

It’s true that yeast is a microorganism, but it’s a fascinating one. It acts differently depending on what you feed it, the weather, the temperature, and the environment in which it’s kept.

In this post, I discussed some tips for optimizing your conditions for yeast to be more active so that a quick bread-making process can be achieved when you’re in a hurry to make bread.

Let me know how you like these tips. Keep baking and experimenting.