Bread rising - AKA Duh!
 

I like to make my own bread. Part of making it is letting it rise, which is best done somewhere warm - 80F or above. But I like to keep my house about 65, so there's always been this problem of how to find a warm enough spot for the bread. In front of the woodstove? Yeah, but it gets too hot on one side. In the oven on low? Even low's too warm.

So yesterday I had a thought, and I'm kicking myself for not having thought of it years ago. It's sunny, the car warms up pretty well, why don't I just put it out in the car? Why did it take me so long to figure this out?

Here's an idea:
My wife uses "warm socks" for helping to soothe achy muscles. It's just a thick sock filled with rice and tied off. Throw it in the microwave, zap it for a minute, and it stays warm for a while (20-30 minutes).

Make one (or something similar) zap it in the microwave for a bit. Leave it in the microwave and put your dough in the microwave. Shut the door. Don't turn on the microwave.

The warm sock should put off enough heat to keep things warm in a small enclosure (microwave) but not too much so it would cook the dough.

Mike

A place I used was along side the water heater.
It is an insulated container but it was also somewhat warmer than the rest of the house being under the stairs and surrounded on all sides.

Peter.

You can also try the top of the fridge, if you don't want to take your bread dough outside, the fridge is also right there in the kitchen, the compressor and coils tend to keep the fridge warm.
I personally like using a heavy ceramic bowl that holds the heat in and I warm it up by using water that is a bit to warm at first so the bowel gets warmed up while cooling the water, then tossing a towel over the top helps as well.

Ahhh, the smell of fresh bread every time you step into your vehicle. :)

Thanks for the ideas, but the microwave's too small for the amount of dough I usually make, and the refrigerator's too efficient to put out much heat.

I just drooled on my keyboard;)

The Wife made bread today - She wrapped it up in about 3 fleece blankets and put it on the window in the sun. The multiple layers help to spread the heat more evenly.

I like to put a medium mixing bowl that's full of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven, then place the bread on the middle rack. Perfect temp.

You could take it one step farther.

Raise the dough in the car, then BAKE it ON the ENGINE!

I haven't read it yet, but I hear the book MANIFOLD DESTINY is pretty good. All about cooking on your engine.

I like the car idea, but I generally put my dough on top of the fridge. Not only is it warmer--as was mentioned above--but even in a 65* home, the air higher up will be a little warmer. BTW, my heater broke last winter and I decided not to fix it, so it's chill in this house too.