Dough did not rise

Ask yourself

• How old is your yeast, and was it stored correctly?
• What was the water temperature when mixing?
• How warm was the room or proofing spot?

Likely causes

1. #1

   Dead or inactive yeast

   Strongly supported

   Yeast loses activity over time, especially once opened, and is killed outright by water above roughly 50C.

2. #2

   Room or dough temperature too cold

   Strongly supported

   Yeast activity slows dramatically below about 15C, extending fermentation time well beyond a typical recipe's estimate.

3. #3

   Too much salt in direct contact with yeast during mixing

   Generally accepted

   Salt is osmotically harsh to yeast cells if added directly onto them before mixing disperses it.

Rescue it now

Move the dough somewhere warmer (around 24-27C) and give it more time; if yeast is suspected dead, a small proofed test batch confirms before discarding the whole dough

Prevent it next time

Proof yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar before mixing if in doubt, and check your yeast's use-by date

Go deeper

Guides that treat this as an outcome to improve, an environment to work with, or a flavour to understand, rather than only a problem to fix.

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