On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, Donna Y Blaine wrote:
> <I then punch it down, place it into the loaf pan and again, cover it
> with a moist towel in an oven that has been turned on at 300 for a
> minute, then leave it alone again for another 30 minutes.>
>
> Do you mean turn the oven on at 300 for a minute, then turn it completely
> OFF?
> Or should the oven be ON during the second rising?
I'm not Bev, but I'll answer this anyway, since someone else mentioned
this step the other day. ;)
The oven should definitely be OFF during the rising period. I do the
same thing for my bread--turn the oven on so it warms up a little so the
yeast will rise quicker.
It doesn't matter what temperature you set the oven to, since it heats up
at basically the same rate. You're just trying to heat it to about 100
to 120 degrees F (40-45 C).
I *highly* recommend doing this before you put the bread in the oven, so
that whenever you put the dough in, the oven is already off. Trust me.
You put the dough in and turn the oven on, turn around to clean off the
table, and the next thing you know, you've ruined your bread and melted
your roommate's plastic bowl.
Good luck!
Susan Lehman
UNC-Chapel Hill
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