TIL that proofing dough in a cold oven is a terrible idea

I used to always let my bread rise in the oven with just the light on, thought it was fine for years. Then last Tuesday I tried to bake a focaccia and it came out flat as a pancake. My oven was actually at 85 degrees from the pilot light, which killed the yeast overnight. My neighbor who bakes sourdough told me her dough doubles in 4 hours on the counter, not in a warm spot. Switched to just leaving it on the counter since then and my loaves have actual air pockets now. Has anyone else had a bad batch from using a too-warm proofing spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake98620d ago

Wait, could it be that your oven light is actually heating the interior more than you think? I've seen people measure temps in there and find it creep up to 90+ which definitely kills the yeast overnight.

patricialee20d ago

Hang on, is 90 degrees F actually enough to kill yeast? I'm pretty sure most bread recipes say to proof dough in a warm spot, like around 75 to 80 degrees. A little above that is still fine for a while, the yeast just works faster. It would take way hotter, like 120 degrees or more, to actually kill it off. So an oven light bumping it to 90 or even 95 isn't gonna kill your starter, it just speeds it up. You'd notice the dough rising like crazy long before any damage was done.

adam_patel20d ago

You're absolutely right. I've kept my starter in the oven with just the light on for years and never had a problem, it just gets real active and needs feeding more often.