Why doesn't my bread rise in the oven? (Not first rise)
I've been trying to work on nice bread but am having issues with the bread not rising in the oven. The first rise after kneading seems to go well, as does a short rise after shaping but before going in the oven.
At this point I've experimented with longer/shorter times for everything and am at wit's end. The bread tastes fine and has some good bubbles in it. It's just very flat.
Best Answer
Oven spring is caused by the air pockets in the dough expanding from the heat. (Dough rises from gasses released from the yeast.)
After the shaping and final rise, often times there is a light, dry "skin" over the dough. By slashing a dough before it goes into the oven, you break this skin, and the bread is able to expand. If the loaf is a "fancy loaf" and you can't slash it without ruining the appearance (like a braided loaf), try to keep the loaf from drying out with a light mist of cooking spray after shaping and before the final rise.
Perhaps the bread is cooking too quickly when it hits the heat of the oven, essentially cooking a crust before the air pockets get heated enough to expand? Baking in a moist environment should help with that. Place an empty, sturdy pan (I use a cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack of the oven (or directly on the floor of the oven) before preheating. When you place the bread in the oven, pour about 1 cup of very hot water into the empty pan. This will create a bunch of steam, and help prevent the bread from crusting before it gets its "spring."
If you have a pizza/baking stone, use it. Having a hot surface to set your pans on helps with the rise. Think about it... you open the oven door, and out goes a lot of the heat... even though the walls of the oven are retaining the heat, it will take a little while before that heat reaches the bread. Setting the pan on the stone will give you that instant heat on the bottom, causing dough to rise from the bottom up, rather than just getting a small rise from the top area.
If you don't have a stone, invert a heavy baking sheet, cast iron griddle, or something similar, and heat that up in the oven the same as you would for a baking stone. Invert the sheet pan so it's easier to slide your bread pans on and off the hot pan without having to deal with a small edge.
If you haven't got equipment to do the other options listed above, you can try the "cold oven method." Just put the loaf into a cold oven, and set the temperature. Don't preheat. The gradual heat from the bottom of the oven as it preheats will give you some of that "oven spring."
I use a baking stone and steam, but I have had great success with using an inverted aluminum sheet pan with steam before I got the stone... and before I learned that trick, I used the simple cold oven method (no steam as the oven is cold!).
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Quick Answer about "Why doesn't my bread rise in the oven? (Not first rise)"
The bread is under proofed and did not rise. The first problem that can cause your bread to not rise is that the dough is underproofed. Proofing or proving bread dough is how long you allow the dough to sit before it goes in the oven. By allowing it this rest time, the dough has a chance to rise ahead of being baked.Why does my bread not rise on the second prove?
Not Enough Time To Rise. But rising dough takes time. Maybe longer than you or the recipe writer expect. A longer rise time could be due to a room that is a little too cold or it could be that most of the yeast was dead. It could be because you are using a different kind of flour, or whole grain flour.How do I make my bread rise more in the oven?
On lowest oven temperature to preheat: Turn the oven to the lowest oven temperature for about 2 minutes. Then turn off the oven, open the door and add the dough (in a covered glass bowl). This will be a cozy spot for your dough to rise. Don't forget to turn off the oven!Why did my bread go flat in the oven?
The reason for this is that the yeast in your bread has exhausted itself and does not have any more energy after you put it in the oven. Also, your bread dough has expanded too much and when you put it in the oven your dough cannot rise anymore because the yeast cannot produce any more gasses and it then collapses.Does bread rise once in the oven?
Heat can speed up the process of fermentation, which explains why bread continues to rise in the first few minutes of baking in the oven. Once the bread gets too hot, though, the yeast cells will die.More answers regarding why doesn't my bread rise in the oven? (Not first rise)
Answer 2
When you say your first rise goes well, you mean it at least doubles in size? You should be able to easily punch the dough down and have it give off a big burst of gas and not spring back. If so, clearly your yeast is alive. If that is the case, I think your most likely problems are too short a final rise after shaping the dough, or incorrect oven temperature. Use an oven thermometer to check that.
The amount that the loaf grows in the oven is called oven spring. There are some other causes as well, see this thread at egullet for other ideas: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/120919-oven-spring/
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