Where do you put your bread to raise or is that rise?

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001

Answers

On a kitchen chair in front of the fireplace insert. It's the warmest place in the house. Of course, I have to chase the dog off her rug to do it.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), February 13, 2001.

Summertime: kitchen table

Winter: put oven on "warm" for half hour, then open the oven door and place the loaves on the door..rotate every 10 minutes....

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), February 13, 2001.

This is a strange one -- the bathtub. There are heating coils under the tub, coming up from the boiler, and it is always warm to the touch (nice for bathing!). It also keeps it out of the way!

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 13, 2001.

I have a propane gas cooking stove and if I set them on top with a towel over them, the pilot light keeps it warm enough to rise.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001.

I put mine in the oven and close the door, the pilot light keeps it warm.

-- Judy (allsmile@ctnet.net), February 13, 2001.

I also put mine in the oven and close the door. It's electric, so there's no pilot light, but I turn on the light. Just the right amount of warmth.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 13, 2001.

I use a metal tv tray & a heating pad. I take off the cloth cover (made that way for easy washing), put it on the tray, put bread pan on top, & cover with a towel. I used all the settings, & any of them work well.

I never thought to use the oven light (total electric).

animalfarms in IN.

-- animalfarms (jwlewis@indy.net), February 14, 2001.

Don't laugh but I put mine in the waterbed. I place it, covered with a dish towel of course, on the mattress directly above the waterbed heater. Then I gently remake the bed and it rises great. This way it uses no extra electricity and if the house is cool it still gets warm.

As a matter of fact our Rotts check it for me and come running when it has risen above the bowl top (double in size). Even if they are outside when I make it and don't see me put it in the bed they smell it and stand watch.

-- Viv in TX (kudzu1@webtv.net), February 14, 2001.

We just built a new in ground home on our farm. We built a nice kitchen with new Kitchenaid oven that has a proofing cycle! Works like a charm. Push one button, put a pot of boiling water in the bottom of the oven, and the bread rises perfectly every time. I know its not "homestead like" but I sure enjoy the ease of using my KA mixer with the bread hook and that oven. I make 4 to 8 loaves of bread most weekends.

-- Rick Powell (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), February 14, 2001.

Most consistent place for me year round is to put it on the back right burner of the electric stove with the oven on warm, just enough warm air comes out at this burner to make it rise perfect every time. During the winter, I try to save on the electric (even if it's a little bit) by putting it on a child's high chair about 2 feet from the woodstove, turning it halfway through. Would like to build a bread rising rack somewhere close to the woodstove for winter rising.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

On a related note, what sort of bowl do you put your bread in while it's rising? The only large bowls I have is a set of stainless steel mixing bowls, and it seems like my bread dough just dries out/starts to bake on the bottom rather than rises. I"ve been thinking about going over to Goodwill and seeing if I can find a large ceramic bowl, would that work better?

Now I just have to convince DH that you can make sandwiches with homemade bread just as well as store-bought. :-)

-- Sherri C (Central IN) (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), February 14, 2001.

Definitely use a large ceramic bowl, seems to distribute the warmth more evenly than stainless steel.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

After taking the dough out of the bowl to knead, I fill the bowl with hot water to soak and then when done kneading I rinse the bowl and use the same bowl to put the dough back into for the first rising. It save washing another bowl and gives the dough a better start than in a cold bowl I also use the oven to raise the bread once in the pans. I just turn the oven warm for 5 minutes or less then put the pans right in. Rises really fast so you have to watch it .

-- Barb (mbliss@net-port.com), February 14, 2001.

I always use the large size glass Pyrex bowl from my set of graduated sizes. I never make more than two loaves at a time and that's big enough for it. It retains heat pretty well. I also grease the bowl before putting the dough in to rise,and grease the top, before covering (like gramma always used to do). It doesn't seem to dry out. But you could think about dampening the towel covering to keep it moister.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 14, 2001.