I love baking, especially yeast doughs. But with all the cold weather we've been having, my kitchen is not a warm place. So getting the dough raised has become a bit more of a challenge.

I used to set dough by our gas powered fireplace -- the pilot light would be enough to warm the dough. But that hasn't worked too well lately. And if I turned on the fireplace, it quickly became too hot.

But I just discovered a great trick courtesy of a new cooking blog I've just discovered called Iowa Girl Eats Here it is: place the pan of dough to be raised on a heating pad set to low.

So simple, so logical. How come I never thought of it?

By the way, her most recent recipe sounds yummy: Shortcut Caramel Cinnamon Rolls. She makes these with frozen bread dough, so there's no mixing or measuring the dough -- and she gets her caramel from little round caramel bits which don't have to be unwrapped, like caramel candies do. I'd never head of them before... Check out the recipe if that sounds good to you!

I like baking too, Anne. I don’t bake near as much as I use too, which was daily almost. I was always baking for someone. But I still make a variety of breads weekly for my husband and I that I put up in the freezer.

If I need more heat to help raise the dough, I turn my dryer on for a few minutes and then shut it off. I set my bowl of yeast dough or pan of cinnamon rolls in the dryer and close the door until it is done rising. Also, if I am drying clothes, I have set my yeast dough on top of my dryer. I use a sunny window too, but it hasn’t been too sunny lately.

I have used a heating pad when making yogurt before, but now I use my oven. I can keep it a constant temperature more easily after preheating the oven,using the oven light bulb.

Interesting, Cookie. I had never thought of the oven's light as a heat source. Silly me...