getting Stollen to rise

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Come December, I'll be baking Stollen.It utilizes a yeast dough.I routinely proof the yeast[teaspoon of sugar/1/2cup warm water],plus put the dough mixture in an oven[on warm,-or have the oven turned off after having been on warm-or put a bowl of warm water under the dough in the oven]. Despite that,I often don't get the dough to rise. Any suggestions?

-- karl bechler (kbechler@frontiernet.net), December 01, 1999

Answers

Make sure all of your ingredients are room temp. I mix bread in a metal bucket with a dough hook and even pour hot water in that and let it stand until warm. I've wrapped a towel around the whole bucket when it's too cool. We don't like the house to be real warm in the fall and winter and it's a real challenge to get my bread to rise. It usually takes about 30 extra minutes.

-- Peggy Carr (wclpc@cookeville.com), December 01, 1999.

Some folks put their yeast dough on top of the water heater to rise. My ex-maw-in-law did. She had an electric water heater.

-- (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), December 03, 1999.

I've had the same problem! Just recently, I've tried changing the flour and/or the yeast. Try using bread flour, or if using home ground, use granular lecithin to stimulate the bread to rise. Also, test the temperature of your water(I use tap water, which used to to be the exact temperature, until my husband changed it , resulting in 6 failed recipes of bread)Now everything is working for now! write if you have any questions and/or ideas

-- cara lewis (cnllewis@email.com), December 14, 1999.

I have been making Stollen for Christmas for years. It never rises a great deal after adding the fruit and letting it rise, after forming the loaves. I don't do anything special to it before, seems I am always in a hurry to get it made, sometimes I set the bowl near the woodstove to rise, sometimes in a very low oven. Are you having trouble with the initial rise, or after forming the loaves?

-- Hazel in WA (hazelm@tenforward.com), October 13, 2000.

The first time I tried making stollen it didn't rise. The recipe I used contained a lot of butter, and I found it helpful to keep the dough at a temperature which will keep the butter melted. I think the first time the butter solidified and made the texture of the dough more solid, thus preventing it from rising.

-- Catherine Elphick (c.elphick@ic24.net), November 21, 2000.


Are you adding enough flour to form a ball of dough? The dough ball needs have enough structure & strength to rise- with out too much flour, that will cause it to be dry. Oil enables you to form the a ball- yet it will still be sticky if pushed into with your fingers. Also, I keep a warm, damp towel on top off the dough as it rises. You may wish to use a couple different towels, placing one over the bowl while the other is left in very warm water. That way you can trade them- being certain to do this gently!

-- ingrid solberg (isolberg@swbell.net), January 08, 2001.

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