How Does Weather Affect Bread Baking?

[Bill & Joi Ramey]

Is there a certain weather in which conditions are more favorable for
baking? For instance, if you are trying to bake bread on a humid,
rainy, or exceptionally warm day (or all three if you live in
Southeast Tennesee) will it make a difference in how the yeast
activates, how the bread rises, etc? Are certain weather conditions
most favorable for baking? Does it depend on what kind of bread you
are making? Usually, I'm attempting to make plain white or wheat
bread, sometimes rolls. Any help will be welcome and appreciated.

Joi Ramey
Homeschooler and Breadmaker.

[Magic Hoop]

>Are certain weather conditions
>most favorable for baking?

Joi,

I have found that on humid days, I need to add a bit more flour. In the middle
of winter, when the air in my house is dry, I don't add any extra flour.
Regardless of the weather, I use the amount that the recipe calls for, start
the first knead, and then add more if the dough is too sticky or add water if
it's too dry. Adjusting to get the right consistancy helps make a good loaf,
in any weather.

I hope this helps,
Raina

[Dick Margulis]

Weather absolutely affects breadmaking, much more in the commercial
bakery than at home, but significantly in any case.

Flour is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture out of the air. On
a humid day, it absorbs more moisture from the air and therefore absorbs
less moisture in the dough. This means you need to add a _little_ more
flour on a humid day than on a dry day. (If your recipe calls for 1.5 lb
of flour--6 cups nominally--and you need to add 3% more flour, the
difference is less than one ounce--less than 1/4 cup--and 3% is a huge
swing based only on humidity.)

The most significant effect, though, is that of temperature. In warm
weather you need to use cool water to mix the dough. If your room
temperature is over 80 F, you want to take the dough out of the mixer at
no more than 78 F. Proper mixing, whether by hand or by machine, raises
the temperature of the ingredients by several degrees, so you have to
start with the average temperature of ingredients lower than 78. If your
tap water is already warmer than that, you may need to use chilled
water. (In commercial bakeries, ice is regularly used in the summer.)

If your dough comes out of the mixer over 85 F, it will be very sticky
and you will think you need to add flour to make it less so. The result
is not satisfactory. You get a gassy, sour-smelling dough with unkneaded
flour incorporated in it; and you get a crumb with large bubbles and
coarse texture that dries out quickly after baking.

So the main thing is to keep the dough cool. The other thing you need to
do is cut back on the amount of yeast so the dough doesn't run away from
you after you shape the loaves.

Finally, be careful that you use the right amount of salt, which
controls the yeast reaction. The standard amount is 1 oz (approx 2 Tbsp)
per quart of water. (This assumes you are using dry milk and water; if
you are using fluid milk, then include that in the calculation for the
salt.) If you use significantly less salt, you may have problems with
runaway dough in warm weather.

Hope this helps,

Dick

[Matt and Terri Albright]

I don't know about the flour, but when the weather's bad, my knees hurt too
much to stand and knead the dough. :-)

Just a little arthritic humor

Matt

[Tom Hickcox]

I have trouble here in Louisiana making bread on stormy days. I rarely
have problems with the dough rising, but when I do, it is on one of these
days. I assume it has something to do with changing atmospheric pressure.

Tom in Baton Rouge

[Dick Margulis]

Stormy days have _lower_ atmospheric pressure, not _higher_; so the only
effect that might be attributable to pressure would be faster rising,
not slower rising. Temperature and humidity are more likely culprits.

[Genevieve Tharp]

Here, in hot, humid Mississippi, I have to use the rapid cycle for all my
breads instead of basic or whole wheat. Genevieve

[Phil Seybold]

Interesting reply. Does it make a difference if your dough temperature
is too low? In my part of the world it rarely gets very warm.

Phil S

[@rosenet.net Doughsmasher]

Weather DEFINITELY affects your bread baking. I work in a artisan bread
bakery and every day is different, even though the temperature inside may be
set at the same place on the wall! Humidity seems to have an adverse effect
on making the dough. Usually you need to cut down the water. If it's dry &
sunny outside, sometimes I need more water. That depends on the type of
dough I'm preparing.Often the weather changes as the day proceeds, as well.
So pay attention!
My best advice is to buy a dough thermometer and use it. Your dough should
come out of the mixing bowl or off the table after mixing at 75 to 80
degrees F. If the temp is higher than this (like when it's hot in your house
or outside), flatten it out, place it in an oiled plastic bag and
refrigerate it for 30 minutes. After the cool down time place the dough
still covered on the kitchen counter for its first rise. Too warm a dough is
very detrimental to good bread texture and taste as it will burn up the
yeast and an off color and yeasty-beer taste will occur. The finished loaf
size will be greatly diminished as well.
Never warm your dough in any way, during its first rise,room temp of 65 to
85 degrees F is a perfect environment for proper fermentation.
What type of bread you're making is such a broad application to answer
about, I don't think I have room...hope this has helped.

Doughsmasher

Bill & Joi Ramey <bill...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:377c4550....@news.cha.bellsouth.net...

[Dick Margulis]

Phil,

I can't tell if it is my earlier post you are replying to, but the
answer is yes, it makes a difference. If the dough is substantially
below 78 F, it will be retarded (which means it will rise more slowly
than normal). And if the room where it is fermenting is chilly or
drafty, that will retard the fermentation also. In many applications
this is desirable (as in a pizza parlor, where you want to make a large
batch of dough in the morning and bake individual pizzas to order
through the day.

Retarding dough doesn't generally destroy it; you can get into trouble,
though, if you seriously underferment the dough just because you are
watching the clock instead of the dough.

To compensate for cold ingredients/cold ambient temperature, use
somewhat warmer water (careful! not too hot!), grease the dough well
when you take it out of the mixer, cover it to keep it from drying out,
mix with a little bit more water if the humidity is very low, and use
more yeast if the dough is not rising fast enough.

Good luck!

[Phil Seybold]

Dick Margulis wrote:
>
> Phil,
>
> I can't tell if it is my earlier post you are replying to, but the
> answer is yes, it makes a difference. If the dough is substantially
> below 78 F, it will be retarded (which means it will rise more slowly
> than normal). And if the room where it is fermenting is chilly or
> drafty, that will retard the fermentation also. In many applications
> this is desirable (as in a pizza parlor, where you want to make a large
> batch of dough in the morning and bake individual pizzas to order
> through the day.
>
> Retarding dough doesn't generally destroy it; you can get into trouble,
> though, if you seriously underferment the dough just because you are
> watching the clock instead of the dough.
>
> To compensate for cold ingredients/cold ambient temperature, use
> somewhat warmer water (careful! not too hot!), grease the dough well
> when you take it out of the mixer, cover it to keep it from drying out,
> mix with a little bit more water if the humidity is very low, and use
> more yeast if the dough is not rising fast enough.
>
> Good luck!

Thanks for your reply, Dick. I've been making my own bread for quite
some time but have never paid any attention to the whys and wherefores.
It has always seemed to me the slower the rise the better the flavour.

Phil