Saturday, July 19, 2008

Dough Dodo

The Great Dough Experiment is underway.

Four chunks of dough, sliced from one original chunk, each about twelve ounces. Two in the oven with the light on, two in the microwave. One of each has a damp towel over it. Timer has forty minutes to go.

If they don't rise, I'll give them more time until they do. And if they don't after about three hours, I'll make another batch and do the 'heated oven' test.
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Update after 1 hour:
The two chunks in the oven expanded marginally more than the two in the microwave. The two chunks with a damp cloth are still pliable, whereas the two without have dried out a bit.

I've now got all four in the oven, light on, covered with a damp cloth. We'll see what happens.
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Update after 3 hours:

While we were out, the dough did double in each of the containers. The dough which had been without a cover originally is just a tad dryer, but moist, unlike before when we took it out of the oven or the microwave. So my conclusion (I know, I didn't do the 'preheat the oven') is that the dough will rise, but that it will take significantly longer than anticipated.

So I've learned something.

4 comments:

Lone Chatelaine said...

That took some patience. I'm impressed. Good learning practice, though.

Cerulean Bill said...

Yeah. I was surprised that the dough took so long, and that the dough which had started to dry out regained its moisture. And the pretzels were excellent -- stayed soft, just as they ought to.

Sweeti said...

Do you have gas or electric in your oven? I'm wonder because of the difference in just a pilot light can make a change in temp.
I do a lot of doughs now in my bread maker and let them do their first rise in there and then pull it out and do the rest on top of my preheated oven with a sheet of waxed paper sprayed lightly with pam first and them a towel over that.

Cerulean Bill said...

It's an electric oven. The rise was done with the dough in a bowl, covered with a damp cloth (one of them, first time; all of them, second time), and the oven light on to provide some warmth.