Why is my oatmeal bread not rising?

If dough does not rise because of inactive yeast , dissolve another good package or cake of yeast in 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Add this mixture slowly to the dough, kneading it in well. Return dough to greased bowl; cover, set it in a warm place and the dough should rise.

How long to let bread dough rise?

Most recipes call for the bread to double in size – this can take one to three hours , depending on the temperature, moisture in the dough, the development of the gluten, and the ingredients used. Generally speaking, a warm, humid environment is best for rising bread.

What do I do if my bread doesn't rise enough?

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise . The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

Why is my homemade bread not rising enough?

Dough may not have been kneaded enough . Kneading 'exercises' the gluten in the bread and gives it the elasticity to hold in the air bubbles produced by the yeast. It is these air bubbles that cause the dough to expand and rise.

Should you cover bread dough when rising?

These dry patches won't stretch during rising to develop an elastic dough, resulting in a dense, squat loaf – not something you want! For best results, use a non-porous, tight fitting cover such as a saucepan lid, bowl cover or even a sheet pan laid on top of the bowl, weighted down with something.

Can you let bread rise too long before baking?

Once it has over proofed there won't be much oven spring if any at all. Once a yeasted dough has doubled then final proofing should be quite quick at 40 minutes to 1 hour depending . By filling the loaf pan by 2/3rds you'll get a good visual of when it bake.

What is the best temperature for bread to rise?

Conversely, dough that rises too quickly produces bread with flat flavor. Nail the sweet spot — warm enough to rise at a decent rate, yet cool enough to develop flavor — and you're golden. Studies have shown that the optimum temperature for yeast to grow and flavor to develop is 75°F to 78°F .

Why is my oat bread dense?

The bread dough did not rise enough . Whole wheat, cake, self-rising and non-wheat flours such as rye, oat, barley, rice and soy all have too little gluten. Also, self-rising and cake flours are lower in gluten and therefore will not produce the best yeast bread.

What makes oatmeal rise?

Oatmeal tends to overflow when the water boils and bubbles appear, while at the same time, the starches in the cereal swell and form a gel . This viscous gel makes it difficult for the bubbles to escape, causing the oatmeal to rise up and eventually spill over.

Why is my dough not doubling in size?

The most common issue is not kneading enough between rises. The yeast cannot float through the dough, so it has to just eat the flour near it. If it exhausts that supply, it's stuck. Kneading the dough a bit - and it doesn't take much - puts the yeast and bacteria back in touch with fresh food.

Does oat flour rise with yeast?

This can make getting the right ratio of solids to liquids tricky. Oat flour does not rise as much as wheat flour because it is gluten-free , but there are ways you can get around this by increasing the yeast or using another additive.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread, Updated Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Christmas

by: AntoniaJames

January28,2016

1 Ratings

Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread, Updated Recipe on Food52 (1)

Makes One standard loaf

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Food52 will not allow me to edit the Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread I contributed nearly six years ago, so I am posting here separately an updated version. The ingredient quantities are all the same; I have simply added metric unit measures. I've also simplified the recipe, providing instructions for making the dough with a stand mixer. ;o) —AntoniaJames

Ingredients

245 grams buttermilk (1 cup, 237 ml)
30 ml (2 tablespoons, 1 ounce) melted butter, or a neutral vegetable oil
15 ml (1 tablespoon, 15 grams) filtered water
42 grams (2 tablespoons) honey, warmed
6 grams kosher salt (1 heaping teaspoon of Diamond Crystal brand. NB: the density of kosher salts varies widely - another reason to use a scale)
41 grams (1/2 cup / 120 ml) rolled oats
405 grams bread flour (or 375 grams bread flour + 30 grams rye flour) (3 1/3 cups)
7 grams (2 teaspoons + heaping ½ teaspoon) instant (rapid rise) yeast
Oil for greasing the proofing bowl and the baking pan, if using

Directions

Put the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer in the order stated. Use a big wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula to mix the ingredients together until mostly incorporated.
Run the dough hook on medium speed, scraping down every so often if necessary, for about 2 minutes, or until the ingredients are all combined into a cohesive mass. Turn off the mixer, remove the hook and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Let rest for 20 – 30 minutes. Knead using the hook on medium fast speed for about 12 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball. Drizzle a bit of oil in the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough in and flip it over to coat with oil. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours, or more if necessary, which may be the case if your kitchen is cold.
Punch the dough down gently and knead it gently by hand. Let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
Line a loaf tin with parchment to create a sling overhanging the long sides of the pan. Grease the ends and corners. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the pan.
(Or, to make a cob, shape the dough into a tight ball. Using the sides of your hands, pull the dough down from the top, bringing it underneath and rotating a quarter turn each time. Put it on a piece of parchment on a cookie sheet that has at least one open edge.)
Cover the dough lightly with a tea towel and allow to rise until nearly double; the top should stand no more than an inch above the rim of the pan. This will take 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.
About 30 minutes before you plan to bake the bread, heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If baking a cob, use a pizza stone if you have one. (Otherwise, just bake it on the baking sheet on which it’s proving.)
When the dough has risen, brush the top gently with olive oil, slash using a baker’s lame or very sharp knife, and place on a middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes; lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
This recipe was submitted by AntoniaJames on Food52. (I include this because Food52 shares many recipes with other sites, without requiring any attribution to the Food52 user who created and posted the recipe.)

Tags:

Bread
American
Oatmeal
Spring
Summer
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Christmas
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

Roger Dube
AntoniaJames
smita

Recipe by: AntoniaJames

See problem, solve problem. Ask questions; question answers. Disrupt, with kindness, courtesy and respect. ;o)

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5 Reviews

Roger D. November 4, 2018

Antonia, I just made this....step by step...(didn't check the comments)....IT IS INCREDIBLE!!!! Inside is as soft as a pillow and the crust is perfect!!!

AntoniaJames June 19, 2017

smita, I think that's an oversight on my part, when I was loading the recipe here. I have always made this bread with the baking soda, but your question make me curious, so I'm going to try making a loaf without it, to see what happens. My guess is that the buttermilk is probably not so acidic as to undermine the effectiveness of the yeast. As you say, some recipes call for it, and some don't. I just found an old James Beard recipe calling for a cup or more of buttermilk, but no baking soda. I love this quote from Beard: "It's a mysterious business, this making of bread. Once you are hooked by the miracle of yeast, you'll be a breadmaker for life." http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/james-beards-buttermilk-white-bread-53051811
I'll post here the results of my testing of this without the baking soda.
Also, smita, your comment about my kind replies to other bakers brightens my day! Thank you ever so much. ;o)

smita June 20, 2017

Thank you!

AntoniaJames June 20, 2017

smita, I just happened to need to bake a "quick" loaf (as opposed to making Tartine or similar artisanal bread) yesterday, so I jumped at the opportunity to test this Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread without the baking soda. It worked great! I followed the recipe fairly closely, but substituted 22 gram (2 loosely packed T) of light brown sugar for the honey. I put the dough into the fridge for the first rise, as I made the dough at lunchtime and wouldn't be back in the kitchen again until evening. I took the dough out of the fridge and let it rest in a ball on the counter for about 30 minutes and then shaped it and let it rise in the pan. My fridge is super cold so it took quite a while for the dough to warm up - it was ready to bake at about 7:30. Here's a photo, taken this morning. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3To6CADchkSLUF3a3o2eHJVcHM/view?usp=sharing The crust is a bit darker than normal because my oven was hot, as I'd baked pizza and lavash crackers beforehand at a much higher temp.
(Lavash crackers: https://food52.com/recipes/30539-dukkah-dusted-lavash-crackers - another wonderfully cost effective snack, if you can get lavash from Trader Joe's, and so easy to make.)
This loaf has a lush, chewy crumb. You'll see immediately why kids love it so much. (No doubt, the sugar also helps. ) Cheers! ;o)

smita June 18, 2017

This recipe is almost like your previous one but you don't add baking soda here. I have seen recipes with buttermilk in yeast breads (some with big amounts as here) where baking soda is used and then sometimes not. Is it important to neutralize some of the the acidity of buttermilk in yeast breads? Or is it just about the flavor desired? In general how does buttermilk effect the flavor and texture of yeast breads? Thank you so much! I take courage to ask this because you have replied so kindly to many bakers questions!