Last winter, I was testing bread recipes—lots and lots of bread recipes—while working on the manuscript for the next King Arthur cookbook (Fall 2024!). While my colleagues in the Test Kitchen were producing seeded sourdough loaves and Japanese milk bread, my slack doughs took hours to rise in my home kitchen and my loaves baked.
I asked my colleague: How warm is it in the test kitchen, where eight ovens are almost always on? A mild 75°F. In contrast, my kitchen was another 63°F sweater. It was obvious why my loaves weren't turning out well: my kitchen was too cold for the dough to rise.
Maurizio Leo
Temperature is one of the most critical elements of the breadmaking process because it has such a direct impact on fermentation. Not only do we want our dough to be at the optimal temperature (75°F to 78°F) after it's mixed, but we also want to maintain that temperature throughout the process, from mixing through mass fermentation and until the bread goes. . in the oven. It is what makes the difference between a great loaf and a so-so one. And it's an element that can be manipulated by the baker, by adjusting the temperature of the water you use for mixing (warmer in the cold months, cooler in the warm) and/or by heating (or cooling) the environment in which the dough yours is fermenting.
I don't own one bread proofer (yet), though it's an investment I'll probably make soon if I plan on making bread as often as I did last year. And I don't have the thin paper Raisenne dough proofer or, although a strong case can be made for this super thin mat, what we call “an electric blanket for bread. But I have a dryer.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
Yes, reader, that's right: I have been bulk fermentation my doughs in my dryer. And guess what? Works great. After searching around my house for a “warm, draft-free spot,” as many recipes recommend, I found the ultimate cozy nest for my rising dough. First, I “preheat” the dryer for about 10 minutes. In reality, what I usually try to do is run my dough through a load of laundry (that's called multitasking!) so I'm not heating the dryer exclusively for my dough; I'm just taking advantage of her residual heat. When the dryer is warm, I open the door and pop my bowl of covered dough right inside, tucking it into some warm, dry clothes (note that the clothing is optional; you can remove it before adding your dough) and close the dryer door, trapping the heat inside.
That cozy bread cave stays warm for a long time, and my doughs rise beautifully – and much faster than in my cold kitchen. It is warm there, but not too warm; I don't have to worry about the dough fermenting too quickly.
Of course, I'm not the first to repurpose a household appliance for better bread. I know people swear by cleaning their dough in the dishwasher (another place with no current) or in the microwave (with a cup of boiling water next to it). And while I was foolish to admit this hack to my colleague and bread expert, Martin Philip, he also gave it the green light: “Whether in the dryer, microwave, dishwasher or on your counter, the ambient conditions of the dough during fermentation will make or it will break your last bread. I'm not against the dryer! Whatever it takes to drive the fermentation.”
If you live somewhere cool—or just struggle with slow dough—give the dryer trick a whirl!
Wondering if your bread is ready to bake? Check out this blog, How to tell if the bread dough has risen enough.
