I am attempting to make cinnamon rolls from a mix, but they aren’t rising. I assume it’s because I am a crappy kneader (my bread always turns out tough, but at least it rises!). So there they are in the pan, looking the same as they did an hour ago… They’re all rolled and filled and cut, so is there anything that can be done at this point to salvage them?
Is it cold in your kitchen? Have you tried warming the oven SLIGHTLY, like on warm for a few minutes then shut off, and putting the dough in to force the rise?
Actually, yes, it is a bit chilly! Am trying that now, thank you!
I’ll bet it’s too cold like Hello suggests, but check the date. Is the mix a little past it’s prime? I hate when my yeast gets elderly.
(Y’know that doesn’t sound quite right…)
And, worse comes to worst, if after baking them they don’t turn out quite to your liking, you can always salvage them by making bread pudding out of them. Still, I would just wait. Put them in the oven, turn the oven light on, and that should provide enough warmth to urge the rise along.
Well, thank you!! Up they went and they came out perfectly. I’d send you all one if I could!
Yeah, if it’s a bit chilly inside or if the yeast is a bit knackered, it may take a little more time for the rise. A one-hour rise may take two hours or so for me if I got the house cool (around 60 degrees.) Cooking and baking is not always an exact science. Just use your senses and trust your instinct (as you have, by posting this thread). What was happening with your rolls is that that yeast wasn’t multiplying as quickly as the recipe suggested, because of the lower temperature. The way that a rise works is that the yeast multiplies, eats the sugars and starches in your dough, and farts out CO2, which causes your dough to expand. If the temperature or yeast amount is too low, it may take a bit longer for this process to work properly. This is why many recipes state “allow X amount of time to rise or until dough increases in volume by 1.5x/2xs.” Depending on conditions, it may take shorter or longer to get to this point.
Sometimes a longer, cooler rise gives more flavourful bread. I think it improves the crumb too.
This is true. I’m not an expert baker by any stretch, but all that I’ve ever read and experienced is that a long, retarded rise (like in the fridge for 24 hours or more) makes for a much more flavorful bread.
Huzzah!
Yeast like to be warm & snuggly. 
Also if its really hot and humid, the opposite can happen - the bread rises like crazy and you can barely turn your back on it.