How to Get Dough To Rise Faster

Making homemade bread is always a rewarding experience, but waiting for your dough to rise can feel like forever. Whether you’re impatient for fresh bread, you have somewhere to be, or you just don’t have any time, you can speed up your dough’s rise time with a secret weapon: a warm proofing environment. Here are tips on how to get dough to rise faster.

Use Warm Ingredients

Using warm ingredients can help your dough get a jump start on the rising process. Cold ingredients just don’t rise as quickly as warm ones do. Make sure not to use hot water; it will kill the yeast.

Create a Warm Proofing Environment

Use a proofing mat

The best way to get your dough to rise faster is to use a heated proofing mat. They are small and easy to store. All you have to do is plug it in and place your dough on top. The mat creates a very even heat source that will allow your dough to rise evenly regardless of the weather or your kitchen temperature. It’s a must have for any baker!

Use the oven

Some people proof their dough inside the oven with the light on. This works for some recipes, but for bread recipes like sourdough, the light bulb inside the oven creates an environment that is too warm and causes your dough to overproof. Plus, if you need to use your oven, you can’t! Haha.

Near a heat source

Some people will put their dough in a sunny spot in the kitchen, on top of a running dryer, or on top of a floor heating vent. All of these solutions are inconsistent and won’t get you the same results every time.

Consider the Yeast

Rapid rise and instant yeast will rise much easier than active dry yeast or sourdough. Using rapid-rise yeast will make things move much faster, but there is also a chance that the bread will turn out too yeasty or will overproof.

Increase Humidity

Dough thrives in humid environments, so cover your dough with a damp kitchen towel or tea towel to trap moisture.