Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

DAVE QUESTION
Hello, Rose.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to restart my bread
baking routines from 20 years ago.

I don't want to use a bread machine. I like kneading and all that.

I am concerned that yeast won't rise properly for me. I'm just
unlucky somehow in Northern California. I did fine when I lived in
San Diego.

I have a gas oven but it seems like a cheap gas oven in that it
may leak heat. When I put dough in there to rise -- relying on the
pilot light to creat the right temperature environment -- it's usually
disappointing.

I've tried putting hot water in a dish on the bottom of the oven, but
I don't have any instructions on how often to replenish the water
and how hot to make the water.

I also wonder whether it's better to cover the dough with saran
wrap or a warm damp towel that won't stay warm very long. My
mother told me to use a towel.

I hope you can help.

Thanks very much.

ROSE REPLY

this is an important question that several people have asked, so I'm going to address is here.

When bread rises at a cool temperature, it develops complex flavors. When the temperature exceeds eighty five degrees Fahrenheit off flavors result. The pilot light of an oven usually results in temperatures of about a hundred and fifteen degrees which can actually kill the yeast. If you leave the oven light on however, it should be just the right temperature.

A small container of very hot water also works well. Instead of an oven you can use a large plastic box to cover the bread and container of water. I change the water every thirty minutes.