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Proofing Bread Dough in your Instant Pot can cut your rising time in HALF! You’ll learn how it works and how you can shorten your homemade bread rising time, too.
Everyone loves freshly baked bread, right? Unfortunately, most bread recipes require you having to wait forever for the dough to proof before baking and eating. Thankfully with the Instant Pot method, you can have proofed bread dough in minutes instead of hours.
Proofing bread dough in the Instant Pot
How it works
The yogurt button on your Instant Pot is the perfect environment to cultivate rapid yeast growth! Yeast, used in baking most breads, needs a warm moist place for it to thrive and grow, aka make your bread dough rise.
The yogurt button creates a temperature controlled space that is both warm and moist.
How to rise your bread dough with your Instant Pot
All you’ll need to do is place your dough into a greased Instant Pot with a fitted lid (or plate) on top. It doesn’t need to be a fancy Instant Pot glass lid, using a lid from a pots and pan set in your kitchen works great.
Press the yogurt setting (and make sure it is on Normal) on the Instant Pot to poof the dough quickly. Now all you need to do is wait!
When your dough is finished proofing (usually double in size, you’ll want to follow your recipe for exact directions), simply use it as directed by your recipe and you’re good to go!
Things to remember about using the Instant Pot for bread proofing
Firstly, you need to have an Instant Pot yogurt setting to do this. If your pressure cooker doesn’t have a yogurt setting, unfortunately you’re out of luck. So keep an eye on Amazon and sales and try to get one cheap because it’s probably the most used feature on my own Instant Pot.
Also, not every bread recipe wants you to proof the exact same way. For example I have several bread recipes on my website and some ask for a single proofing where others ask for several. So keep that in mind and make sure that you take a good look at the bread recipes you’ll be following to make sure that you have a good understanding of what’s being asked and how you can manage this method with that recipe.
Instant Pot Bread Recipes
- French Bread
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Dinner Rolls
- Bagels
- Soft Pretzels
- Ciabatta Rolls
- Bread Bowls
- Crazy Bread
More Recipes You Will Love
Proofing Bread Dough in Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- Prepared Bread Dough
Instructions
- When you have your prepared bread dough and you are ready for it to rest and rise, plug your Instant pot in.
- Grease the liner with either olive oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Place your dough inside the liner. Cover with a lid. (if using the Instant Pot lid, set to venting.)
- Press the yogurt button and adjust until it shows 'normal' and 8:00 is on the display. The Instant Pot will beep and then begin counting up.
- Now, allow the dough to rise according to your recipe, usually either double or triple. Use the measurement marks on the side of the liner to help you measure once your dough has doubled.
- If you would like some specific bread recipes with exact proofing times, check the notes below.
I have the “crock pot” glass lid that I purchased for the Instant Pot. It does have a small hole for venting so I’m wondering if this won’t be ideal because it would allow steam to escape? Your help is appreciated as I can’t seem to proof properly in my Florida a/c kitchen!
Tried this and it started baking my bread on the bottom. Using an Emeril Legassi all in one instant pot pressure air fryer on the yogurt setting
Hi Keith- it sounds like that setting might be a little too hot on your particular Instant Pot for proofing your bread dough. Do you have a lower setting on Yogurt you could try?
Mine has a little vent hole, too and I use it all the time! You are good to use it!
My question is I know we are putting a top on the inner pot but are we also putting the instant pot lid on and closing? Probably a dumb question
Not a dumb question! All you’ll need is a lid of some sort- you don’t need to put the Instant Pot lid on and close the vent. 🙂
The IP lid is not a good idea for bread. If the dough should rise and plug the release button you will locked out of your instant pot forever. There will be no way for you to unlock the lid.
If using the Instant Pot lid, just make sure to keep the vent open to avoid this from happening.
The answer to this is simple – don’t put the sealing lid on. Just use another lid that does not seal. Most IP’s come with (or you can get) a glass lid that simply sits on top. Or you can use any lid in your kitchen that fits over the top of the IP. Easy peasy.
That happened to me too. I think I left the vent closed the first time. I’m trying it again now I hope it doesn’t bake the bread this time.