What happens when you let dough rise for too long?!
Answers: I'm following a recipe that said to let the dough rise for about an hour. I ran an errand but got caught up and didn't get back until 3 hours later. I punched the dough down then let it rise for another half hour and now it's baking. So will the extra rise time make a difference with the bread? Thanks!
It will get a bit airy in side, which could be good if it's like a french bread. If you wait too long it basically deflates and won't turn out right. So as long as it hasn't sunk back down, it's ok.
It might just have larger bubbles inside it, but it should be okay unless the dough fell.
On the first rise, no, it should not make much difference.
If it was the second rise (after you'd shaped your dough), you could have lost structure and the bread would be flat once baked, or even before you baked.
my recipe has me rising and kneading the dough twice before making the loaves then it rises again. I was told it makes a finer grained bread. that is how I have always made it.
After a point, it simply deflates. It doesn't sound like it reached that point and should be fine.