Should you use warm water when making bread dough? - The Epsom Bakehouse (2024)

FAQs

Does water need to be warm when making bread? ›

There are three main reasons why water temperature is important in dough making. Firstly, the yeast in your dough work better to produce gas and rise your dough in a warmer environment. Yeast are living organisms and like to be treated just like we do – given food, water and warmth, they start to work well.

This is because hotter water breaks down the chewy and tough gluten in flour more effectively and prevents a rigid structure from forming, resulting in a softer but less stretchy dough. Thicker and more sturdy doughs, such as ones used for bread or pizzas, require cold water.

For the bread to rise it needs warmth, ideally about 22-25C (75F-78F) or so. If you put hot water in the mix it can kill or slow the yeast down, and the bread will rise poorly, if at all. If you use cold water, it will mean the yeast will also rise slowly.

Yeast and Lukewarm Water

An active yeast converts the sugars in the dough into carbon dioxide, which causes the dough to rise and create bubbles after the dough has risen. And lukewarm water activates the yeast.

Cold. If the water is cold, the yeast still produces carbon dioxide gas, but at a much slower pace. Bakers sometimes let dough rise in the refrigerator for one to three days. Because the yeast works slowly at cold temperatures, it has more time to create lots of special molecules that add flavor to the dough.

Will using cold water make our bread dough rise faster? No. Cold water simply slows down the rising process needed for bread to develop properly. If water is too warm, over 115 degrees, it will kill yeast and dough will not rise.

Too low a temperature and the dough won't rise well, too high and the dough will over-ferment. The ideal temperature is between 24°C and 26°C (75 to 78F).

Nail the sweet spot — warm enough to rise at a decent rate, yet cool enough to develop flavor — and you're golden. Studies have shown that the optimum temperature for yeast to grow and flavor to develop is 75°F to 78°F. (Interested in the science behind the data?

Mixer Method: Blend yeast with flour and other dry ingredients. Warm liquids to 120 – 130°F. Bread Machine: Use liquids at 80°F.

Fill something with warm water (100–110ºF/38–43ºC). If it's too cold, the yeast won't wake up, and if it's too hot, the yeast will die. (Oh yeah, yeast is alive, FYI.) Add a pinch of sugar to the water.

What temperature kills yeast? ›

Regardless of the type of yeast you use, if your water reaches temperatures of 120°F or more, the yeast will begin to die off. Once water temps reach 140°F or higher, that is the point where the yeast will be completely killed off.

Replace Cold Water With Warm Water To Knead Your Dough

When you knead Aashirvaad whole wheat atta dough by using warm water, it helps denature the proteins in the flour. It also helps your whole wheat atta absorb more moisture which is definitely one of the key tenets to produce a softer dough.

Wash your doughy hands with cold water, because this will best dissolve the dough from your hands, warm/hot water will sort of cook the dough and make it more sticky. Some people oil their work surface and lightly oil their hands during kneading or folding.

We advise patience, not only because such hot water can kill the yeast, which means that your dough won't rise, but also because at the very least it can negatively affect the structure and flavor of the finished bread by encouraging overproofing or overheating during mixing.

130° F—140° F (55° C–60° C) Yeast cells die (thermal death point).

The water temperature in mixing yeast doughs is important for controlling the final dough temperature. The temperature of the water used in mixing yeast doughs is important for efficient kneading, fermentation, and aging of the dough.

Working out the water temperature goes like this – (Desired dough temperature – mixing temperature) x 3 (air, flour, water) Take the resulting number and subtract (air temperature + flour temperature) = water temperature.