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As for your question about rising, either your yeast is bad or the room temperature is too low.
I'll buy yeast and use it right away. So, I'm assuming that's not it. If it's cold in the house, I saw where some people will turn their oven on "warm" just for a few minutes, shut it off them put the loaves in there to rise. The other night I had the fire place going which gets the house very warm, so I just covered them with a cloth and set on the counter. Maybe my issue is just not waiting long enough. But, it sure seems like the second rise just doesn't have anywhere close to the umph the first one does and then it never seems to rise anymore while baking like I hear people talk about.
 
Ideal proofing temperature is around 75-80 degrees with humidity, As you slip below that, rise time increases. Not a bad thing necessarily. It'll just take longer. If it's rising the first time, it should bounce back after punch down. Likewise, if the dough is responding properly, when you put it into an oven with moisture (some use a pan of hot water on the bottom rack) you should get nice oven spring. If the dough hasn't risen enough, hoping the oven rise picks up the slack never works.

Just remember, you can't rush the process. Those little yeasts like to work at their own tempo. Let them work at their own pace and they will thank you.
 

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I am not an expert baker by any means but if you want a 2nd rise as big as the 1st I would think you would have to add a bit of sugar to your dough. Otherwise the yeast only have what's in the flour to work with. My sourdough pizza dough takes about 3-4 hours to double in size (and I add 1/2tsp Fleischmann's Active Yeast as well as one cup active starter) and that is sitting in my LG Oven which has a Proof setting (80 degrees and the only thing that works well with that oven). 2nd rise is not as big as the 1st even after another 3 hours so to me its running out of food at that point.

When making sourdough for bread I start the dough around 1130AM and get it into the proofing oven by noon. I let it sit until around 2PM and then start on the stretch and turns every hour on the hour. By 5PM it has come together nicely and has almost doubled in size. After that I form it into either Boules or Baguettes and into cold storage it goes overnight.

Next morning the oven gets turned on for 30min or so past preheat and then the bread gets baked from a cold start and the Boules will easily double in size in the oven as well as the baguettes.
 
purely a rookie thought here, doesn't the amount of moisture in your dough play into the oven spring (growth?) because of steam while baking? A friend and experienced bread baker chides me constantly for not weighing my ingredients. He says there is no way to get consistent results with out being very very accurate and fine tuning your recipes to your altitude, average temps and humidity.
 
He says there is no way to get consistent results with out being very very accurate...
I've read this too and would say, when learning, following the directions is usually the best way to ensure good results, or to at least get a sense of what works and what doesn't before you deviate from them. That said, I don't measure with precision (aside from keeping salt at 1/2tsp/1 cup flour) and seem to get good consistent results. It's more reliance on the tactile; knowing how the dough should feel, look, act, etc. This way may not be for everyone and could be more problematic if one were mixing up 100 pounds of dough then in making a 3 pound boule. Like with wine, there are makers who approach things in a very laboratory-like manner and others who are far more laissez-faire. Neither is necessarily wrong and both ways can yield excellent results.

But yes, dough moisture is critical. Although back to the question of the dough not rising after punch down, it sounds less like a moisture issue and more of an ambient temperature one if the first rise was good. Sugar shouldn't be needed to jumpstart the process after punchdown. Justsipn, let us know how your future bread baking efforts go.
 
I have been making French bread for a few years. Before my wife died, she made it fresh every day. Her bread was excellent. It was yeasty and had nice holes in the crumb and a terrific crust. Her recipe was based on Julia Child's recipe. After my wife died, I began to play with making French Bread. For a while, I used her recipe exactly as she wrote it then returned to Julia's recipe. My most recent method yields an outstanding bread, better than my wife's or Julia's, in my opinion. It's somewhat involved and well worth the effort. Like my wife's bread, there is an overnight stage. Unlike her bread, the overnight stage is for a poolish or sponge, not the the entire dough. Here's the recipe. I highly recommend weighing the ingredients. I do not use the ice cube method for steam but use an atomizer to spray mist into the oven every 3 minute for the first 9 minute. I do not divide into baquettes, I prefer making a bâtard. Total bake time is about 25 minutes.
CLASSIC FRENCH BAGUETTE

For the Poolish
89 gr (3/4 cup) bread flour
89 gr (6 TBSP + 1 tsp) filtered water, slightly warm (about 90 F, 32 C)
1 gr (1/4 tsp) Red Star Platinum Yeast or Red Star Quick-Rise Yeast
For the Final Dough
209 gr (1 3/4 cup) bread flour
62 gr (2.2 oz, 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
163 gr (1/2 cup + 3 TBSP) filtered water, slightly warm (about 90 F, 32 C)
1 gr (1/4 tsp) Red Star Platinum Yeast or Red Star Quick-Rise Yeast
6 gr (1 1/4 tsp) Morton Kosher salt (use the same amount by weight of other kinds of salt.

Make the Poolish: The night before making your baguettes or at least 6 hours before, make the poolish. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the poolish. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for at least 6 hours, but preferably 8-10 hours.
Combine the Dough: Add the rest of the ingredients for the baguette dough into the bowl with the poolish. Stir until well combined. It will appear as if there is not enough liquid at first, but as you work it together it will become a sticky dough. You may need to use your hands to knead it slightly to hydrate all the flour. As soon as all of the flour is hydrated and you have a shaggy dough with no dry spots, cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold: After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, you will do a series of three stretch and folds with the dough. With the dough still in the bowl, lightly dampen your hand (this will prevent the dough from sticking) and pull on one side of the dough and stretch it up and then fold it down over the top of the dough. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and do the same with the next side. Do this again until you have stretched all four sides of the dough up and over on itself. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 more minutes. Stretch and fold the dough for the second round. Cover and let rest for 30 more minutes. Stretch and fold for the third round. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 more minutes. This is a two hour process from when the dough is mixed to when it is ready to be shaped. Four 30 minute resting periods with three stretch and folds in between.
Prep the Oven & Other Equipment: During the final resting period, prep your pans and your oven. Position one oven rack in the very bottom position in the oven and another rack in the middle position. Place a cast iron skillet or another heatproof skillet on the bottom rack and a baking stone, baking steal, or a sheet pan turned upside down on the middle rack. (I use a stone) Preheat your oven to 500F (260C). You want your oven and pans to be heating for at least an hour before the bread goes into the oven. You will also need to set up a lightly floured lint free towel or baker's couche to let your shaped dough rise on. Additionally, prepare a pizza peel or an unrimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Pre-Shape & Rest the Dough: If you have a scale, weigh the dough and divide it in two equal pieces by cutting it (do not tear it). Each piece should be about 305 grams each. You can also eyeball this if you do not have a scale. On a very lightly floured surface, press one piece of dough out into a rectangle and gently stretch the short ends out. Fold each short end into the center and press down with your fingertips to seal. Fold each long end into the center and press with your fingertips to seal, creating a seam in the dough. Set the dough aside and repeat this process with the second piece. Cover the pieces of dough with plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Shape into Baguettes: With the seam side up, press the first piece of dough into a thin rectangle. Starting at the top left edge, begin folding down the dough about 1/2" (1.5 cm) and sealing it with your fingertips, working your way across the top. Repeat this process, continuing to fold down on the dough and sealing to create a tight log. Once you have a thin, tight log, turn it seam side down. Using both hands, roll the dough on the counter-top, working it into a long thin snake shape. Try to keep the dough as even as possible and work it into about a 14" (36 cm) baguette. Move the piece of dough to your prepared towel or baker's couche. Push the towel or couche up on both sides of the baguette to create folds to hold the dough's shape. Repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
Let the Dough Rise: Cover the pieces of dough with plastic wrap and let them rest for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.
Transfer the Dough & Score: Place a baguette board or a small cutting board right beside one of the baguettes. Gently pull up on the towel to flip the baguette over onto the board. Move the baguette over to the parchment lined pizza peel or unrimmed baking sheet. Gently flip the baguette onto the parchment paper, so that the seam side is down. Repeat this to move the second baguette over. Using a very sharp knife or a bread lame, cut 4-5 slashes in the top of the baguettes. The slashes should go longitudinally and at a slight angle, going about 1/4" (.5 cm) deep.
Bake: Fill a small bowl with about 2 cups of ice cubes. You want to work quickly and carefully when transferring the baguettes. Open the oven and gently slide the whole piece of parchment paper with the baguettes onto the preheated baking stone or sheet pan. Quickly pour the ice cubes into the preheated skillet and immediately shut the oven door. Turn the oven temperature down to 475F (246 C). Bake for about 25-40 minutes. It is traditional for baguettes to have a very dark crust. Check them at 25 minutes and decide if you would like a darker crust. I bake mine for 40 minutes for a dark, almost charred, crust.
Cool: Allow the baguettes to cool before slicing. This will completely develop their flavor. Baguettes are best when eaten the same day. However, leftover baguette can be wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
purely a rookie thought here, doesn't the amount of moisture in your dough play into the oven spring (growth?) because of steam while baking? A friend and experienced bread baker chides me constantly for not weighing my ingredients. He says there is no way to get consistent results with out being very very accurate and fine tuning your recipes to your altitude, average temps and humidity.
 
Breadmaking has been a pseudo-therapy for me this past year. Like winemaking I seem to giveaway more than I keep for myself. I really need to work on my Bauguette game but until I get a replacement for the LG I am not happy with the product all that much. Taste great but not very pretty still. Boules seem easy in comparison!

You're getting pretty good with the lame, @ibglowin ! I need to step up my game. Actually, I need to get back in the game. 😬
 
Baguette day. These were done in the LG but did not use CONV Bake so it didn't die. Have narrowed a new range down to one of 3 GE slide in gas models. Will be purchasing from Costco as they double the manufactures warranty and of course they will take back things when the Big Box stores say "no returns" on ranges.

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I'm happy overall with the texture and flavor my boules at this point but I've always wanted a taller version. I tend to end up with a slightly thiner dough which tends to flatten out and generally ends up between 2 and 3 inches tall after baking. I tried something new with this mornings batch that had a 24 hour proof in the fridge and 4 hour warm up on the counter. I cut a 3" tall collar from parchment paper, stapled it and turned the dough out into the collar before baking. I removed the parchment after 30 mins covered baking and baked an additional 15 mins exposed. Big difference in finished shape, might even be able to make sandwiches with this now.sourdoughCollar.jpgsourdoughTaller.jpg
 
That could be your problem. For a good/excellent oven spring they say you need to trap that moisture/steam and the Dutch Oven is the perfect tool. I have had the opposite luck. It has made my Boule cooks almost "set it and forget it". I am using the DO and cooking @450F for 25 mites covered and then 20 mins uncovered. Perfect every time!

Nope had bad luck with them. Also had overly cooked bottoms on a stone. I’m now using a sheet pan, cold with a 2nd a couple inches under it to help defuse the upward heat. I also cover with a stainless mixing bowl during the first 30 minutes.
 

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