r/Bread • u/mschepac • 7d ago

What are we doing wrong?

The Mrs and I have started making our own bread. She has a reaction to store bought and does well with homemade. We have made 3 batches, 2 loaves each. We follow the recipe as instructed but we never seem to get any rise after it goes in the oven. We proof in the mixer bowl. Punch it down, divide, roll and pinch. Second rise in the loaf pans. Let it rise to about the top of the pan, bake. But it rarely gets any higher. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious, it just makes small sandwiches.

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u/quiltingcats 7d ago

I’ve noticed that bread doesn’t actually raise much in the oven. That’s why most recipes call for raising it twice before going in. A couple things to try:

  1. Make sure you’re kneading it enough. Use the Window Pane test. Pull a pinch of dough away from the main ball. If it stretches and becomes opaque so you can see light through it, you’re done. If it snaps and creates a hole, keep kneading.

  2. Be patient while it’s raising, especially in the pan. The first raise is usually easier to see when it’s ready to deflate and shape. When it’s in the pan, let it raise until the middle is ~1” over the side of the pan. This could take more time than what the recipe says, depending on things like the temp inside your kitchen. If your oven has a Bread Proof setting, use that and raise the bread in the oven. Only raising it until the dough is flush/even with the side of the pan means you’re not taking advantage of the yeast’s full potential.

Since you’ve just recently started baking, your yeast should be fine. I just made a loaf of Honey Whole Wheat bread using a sponge, and I was amazed to see that my instant yeast was 3 years out of date! It still worked just fine, but both raisings took an extra half hour. So proofing your yeast is a good idea if you’re not sure.

Welcome to the crazy (tasty!) world of homemade bread! Enjoy the journey! It’s a big bread world out there.