Will yeast rise in a cold house?

Yeast is a catalyst, right? And catalysts work faster in a warm solution? I would think it would make a difference.

It will make a difference.

Put the bowl of dough in the oven at 100 degrees so it can rise.

@SpatzieLover Really? For the whole two hours? That’s how long I usually let it rise. If that will help then I shall do it.

It will rise, but much more slowly. It really depends how big a hurry you’re in. My oven can’t be set low enough to use as a proofer, but I can turn it on briefly just to get it a little warm, then turn it off and throw the dough in there. You can repeat that every half hour or so. Proofing at too high a temperature is bad news, too.

We always set the yeast near the pilot light on my mom’s gas stove. The temperature does indeed make a difference. The yeast will not rise as much as the recipe calls for unless it is warm.

How about on a sunny windowsill, with a towel draped over it?

@Harp I would like it to be done rising in a few hours. What temperature do you recommend I put it at before I put the dough in?

@mcbealer i would put it in the sun but its a very drab, dark, rainy day :(

@deni If your oven will go that low, then YES! it will work & the dough will rise. I have done it for cinnamon rolls on days when I prefer to have the windows open/heat off.

Around 100º is ideal, as @SpatzieLover said. My oven starts at 120º and that’s much too hot. You should be fine if you just turn the oven on and reach inside every half minute or so; when it feels like a warm summer day in there, turn it off and you’re good to go.

Place it under a small halogen desk lamp, with a towel draped over it.

I will turn the oven on low (about 180 for mine) and put the dough, covered, on top of the oven. It will usually be just warm enough in the winter to work.

@Harp Your oven would work…just leave the door open (if you haven’t small children in your home, of course) a crack

@SpatzieLover The problem with that is that it makes the thermostat fire the oven almost constantly because it’s always trying to get to 120º. That makes the bottom of the oven, down by the burner, get quite hot and radiate heat up at the bottom of the bowl. This gets the bowl too warm, even hot.

I found the lowest my oven goes is 170. A bummer. I’ve abandoned the yeast idea for today but I will be using all your tips in the future. We often run out of gas and have no heat for a day or two in the winter, so they’ll come in handy ;). thanks!

Yeast is a living thing, it has certain temperatures that it thrives best in, just like humans thrive best in certain conditions, like not being in antarctica, poor @Les)! *(So increasing the heat beyond about 100 F will not help, it will only kill the yeast, a big difference from a chemical catalyst.)

Anways, you could also make a nice little water bath for it. Just give a bowl bigger than the one the dough is in, add a little hot water, and set the bread bowl inside the water bowl, making sure the water isn’t high enough to get the dough wet. You’ll need to replace the water a few times, but it should work fine.

@La_chica_gomela Great idea!

I see @Harp, that is an issue. Then I’d go with the water bath, or the stove top version of warmth like @cyndyh mentioned (that’s how I soften butter on cold days, too;)

Just turn your oven on for a a couple of minutes, turn it off and put the bowl in the oven.

The other option is to let it rise in the refrigerator overnight and bake tomorrow. I do that pretty frequently and it works well.

When my house is cool i sometimes bring the dough upstairs to a sundrenched window. My second floor is typically 6 or 7 degrees warmer this time of year. Unless you don’t have an upstairs.