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Breakfast RecipesHow to make soft idlis | idli batter recipe

How to make soft idlis | idli batter recipe

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Idli recipe | how to make idli batter recipe| easy method to grind idli batter for soft idlis. Soft Idli batter recipe with full video and a lot of tips and tricks to get perfect idli.

Idli is a very popular breakfast recipe made in almost every South Indian household, for breakfast or dinner. These are very healthy, fermented and steamed rice cakes, served with chutney or sambar. Idli is now recognized worldwide as a healthy and nutritious breakfast option.

I have been wanting to post the recipe – how to make Soft idlis for a long time now. Traditionally Idli batter is ground by soaking rice and urad dal separately. Urad dal is ground separately and mixed with ground rice batter. I have been following this same method for 8 years when I was living in Chennai.

However, after coming to Singapore I stopped following the traditional method of grinding idli batter. I was not very satisfied with the quality of urad dal
available here. Back home in India, I would grind a large batch of idli batter every week and we would all used to enjoy spongy idlis. We used to bring back packets of Urad dal from India but they would last me only a few months. I tried adding a handful of poha (puffed rice) along with rice and that gave me soft idlis.

Personally, since we are a family of 4 and I grind batter weekly twice I small quantities, the traditional method is time-consuming. My cousin who makes super soft, fluffy idlis shared her recipe with me sometime back. I found that super easy and tried it at home. It was a super hit and resulted in super soft idlis.

I am extremely satisfied with my method of making idli batter as this never fails to result in super soft idlis. All my guests and friends enjoy my idlis. After repeated requests from many of my friends, I am posting the recipe for Idli batter.

This method is very convenient for people who like to grind the batter in smaller quantities. Do scroll down to the end of the post for the tips to get soft idlis. For bachelors and people who do not have a grinder, I have also posted the recipe of idli/dosa batter in mixie, and in case you do not have idli rice, you can check for the recipe of idli using idli rava

This method is so convenient for working women. This method will consume comparatively less time to grind the batter.

Why are my Idlis hard

This is due to various reasons. Either the urad dal will be less or the quality of urad dal is poor. If the batter is not well fermented, idlis will be hard. If the idlis are cooked for more time, it will become hard. Sometimes when we switch off the idlis after it is cooked but didn’t take out for some time from the pan, it will get overcooked in that heat. Also if the batter is too watery idlis will not get fermented and will end up in hard idlis.

Which is the best rice for Idli

We south Indians always use Idli rice available in grocery shops. The ponni parboiled rice which we use for cooking turns out well for idli but idli rice is the perfect one. Some people use Idli rava also for making idlis.

How do you soften Idlis

Adding poha or javarisi , sago while soaking results in soft idlis. Proper fermented batter results in super soft idlis.

I don’t add methi seeds | venthayam for making idli batter, but if you want you can add 1 tsp for this quantity.

Also check out

How to make Soft idli

Soft idli recipe
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5 from 1 vote

Soft idli – How to make idli batter- using grinder

Idli recipe – Tricks and tips Popular South Indian breakfast recipe
Course Breakfast, Dinner
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Gluten free,, South Indian breakfast recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Soaking and fermentation time 14 hours
Total Time 14 hours 20 minutes
Author Jeyashri suresh

Ingredients

  • 4 portion Idli rice
  • 1 portion whole white urad dal
  • 3 tbsp poha | aval
  • Water to grind the batter
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a wide bowl add the idli rice, urad dal, and poha.
  • We are soaking everything together only.
  • Wash it 3-4 times and soak it in water for 4 hours.
  • We can soak it overnight as well but 4 hours is fine too.
  • You can keep it in the fridge after 3 hours too.
  • Drain the water and keep the water aside.
  • Do not discard the water. You can use it for grinding.
  • Add the soaked rice, dal, and poha into the grinder.
  • Grind this into a smooth batter.
  • Add water in between.
  • It took approximately 2 to 3 cups of water to grind this batter. Ensure to measure everything using the same cup.
  • Do not grind the batter too thick, else idlis will not turn out soft.
  • If you grind it too watery, it will not get fermented well.
  • Once it is ground well take it out and pour it into a vessel.
  • Add salt and mix well using your hands.
  • Keep it in a container and allow it to ferment for 8 to 10 hours.
  • The fermentation time depends on the outside temperature as if it is very hot you get it fermented soon, whereas in rainy season this will take extra 2 hours.
  • So always mix the batter using clean hands and do not use any spatula. This will help in good fermentation.
  • If you are not going to make idlis after fermentation just keeps it refrigerated to avoid over fermentation, resulting in sour idlis.
  • For making idlis, grease the Idli plate with oil(preferably sesame oil). Heat the Idli pan with 1 cup of water and allow the water to boil.
  • Pour 3/4 the ladle of idli batter to the idli plates and steam it for 8-9 minutes.
  • If you want to check out whether it is done, just wet your finger and insert it in idli and it is not sticky just switch off the flame and take the idli plate out.
  • After a few seconds dip a spoon in water and carefully take out the idlis and transfer them to the serving plate. Do not take out when the idlis are hot as it will not come out properly.
  • These idlis will stay soft for many hours and never get dried. Just cover it properly if you going to eat it later.
Tried this recipe?Mention @jeyashris kitchen or tag #jeyashriskitchen!
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Notes

1. Once you have finished grinding take out the batter container.
2. Never keep it near the hot motor of the grinder as it will not give soft idlis and will change the color of the idlis too.
3. Always grind with enough water. If the batter is thick and after fermentation even if you add water to make it into the right consistency, it will not result in soft idlis.
4. The proper aeration should be there and the batter should be light and fluffy after fermentation. 5. If making dosa just add a few tablespoons of water and make crispy dosas.
6. If you stay in a cold place just keep the batter inside a cupboard or microwave oven(switched off) to get good fermentation.
7. Always transfer the ground batter to a big container as the quantity will double after fermentation.
8. Instead of poha some people may add cooked rice too, but somehow my mom and mil will not agree to it as they do not eat leftover cooked rice.
9. Do not add more poha as it will result in flat idlis.
10. If you get a super good quality of urad dal then skip adding poha and follow the same procedure.
11. Keeping the soaked rice urad dal and poha mix in the refrigerator for an hour before grinding and use the cold water for grinding. this will help to reduce the motor heat. 
12. Never soak the Idli batter with hot water or grind using hot water, it will end up in hard idlis. 13. Instead of poha you can add 3 tbsp of sago | javarisi too. But poha will be a gluten-free option. 14. Do not over mix the batter after fermentation as it will break the air bubbles, which helps in good fermentation.
  • In a wide bowl add the idli rice, urad dal, and poha.
  • We are soaking everything together only.
  • Wash it 3-4 times and soak it in water for 4 hours.
  • We can soak it overnight as well but 4 hours is fine too.
  • You can keep it in the fridge after 3 hours too.
  • Drain the water and keep the water aside.
  • Do not discard the water. You can use it for grinding.
Soft idli recipe
  • Add the soaked rice, dal, and poha into the grinder.
  • Grind this into a smooth batter.
  • Add water in between.
  • It took approximately 2 cups of water to grind this batter. Ensure to measure everything using the same cup.
  • Do not grind the batter too thick, else idlis will not turn out soft.
  • If you grind it too watery, it will not get fermented well.
idli batter recipe
  • Once it is ground well take out and pour it into a vessel.
  • Add salt and mix well using your hands.
  • Keep it in a container and allow it to ferment for 8 to 10 hours.
  • The fermentation time depends on the outside temperature as if it is very hot you get it fermented soon, whereas in rainy season this will take extra 2 hours.
  • So always mix the batter using clean hands and do not use any spatula. This will help in good fermentation.
  • If you are not going to make idlis after fermentation just keep it refrigerated to avoid over fermentation, resulting in sour idlis.
Fermented batter
  • For making idlis, grease the Idli plate  with oil(preferably sesame oil) . Heat the Idli pan with 1 cup of water and allow the water to boil.
  • Pour 3/4 the ladle of idli batter to the idli plates and steam it for 8-9 minutes.
  • If you want to check out whether it is done, just wet your finger and insert it in idli and it is not sticky just switch off the flame and take the idli plate out.
  • After a few seconds dip a spoon in water and carefully take out the idlis and transfer them to the serving plate. Do not take out when the idlis are hot as it will not come out properly.
soft idli recipe
  • These idlis will stay soft for many hours and never get dried. Just cover it properly if you going to eat it later.
Soft idli recipe
  1. Once you have finished grinding take out the batter container.
  2. Never keep it near the hot motor of the grinder as it will not give soft idlis and will change the color of the idlis too.
  3. Always grind with enough water. If the batter is thick and after fermentation even if you add water to make it into the right consistency, it will not result in soft idlis.
  4. The proper aeration should be there and the batter should be light and fluffy after fermentation.
  5. If making dosa just add a few tablespoons of water and make crispy dosas.
  6. If you stay in a cold place just keep the batter inside a cupboard or microwave oven(switched off) to get good fermentation.
  7. Always transfer the ground batter to a big container as the quantity will double after fermentation.
  8. Instead of poha some people may add cooked rice too, but somehow my mom and mil will not agree to it as they do not eat leftover cooked rice.
  9. Do not add more poha as it will result in flat idlis.
  10. If you get a super good quality of urad dal then skip adding poha and follow the same procedure.
  11. Keeping the soaked rice urad dal and poha mix in the refrigerator for an hour before grinding and use the cold water for grinding. this will help to reduce the motor heat.
  12. Never soak the Idli batter with hot water or grind using hot water, it will end up in hard idlis.
  13. Instead of poha you can add 3 tbsp of sago | javarisi too. But poha will be a gluten-free option.
  14. Do not over mix the batter after fermentation as it will break the air bubbles, which helps in good fermentation.
  15. This batter will be perfect for making crispy dosa, fluffy kuzhi paniyaram and uttapam too.

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157 COMMENTS

  1. Nice post Jeyashri. Grinder blendng also makes lots of difference compared to blending the batter in a mixer. Some how my mom also does not agree on grinding cooked rice. Can you parcel me the breakfast plate with idlis as shown in last picture? I am hungry now 😀

  2. I made it like this sometime ago. It did turn out well. I sometimes use idli rawa too which means only the dal and poha need to be made into a batter. Soft steaming idlis are so tasty!

  3. jeyashree wow it looks so good n tasty.will make it …i have the same grinder..which u have….haaaaaa thanks..adding aval will surely enhance the taste.thanks.

  4. Hi Jeyshri. Thanks for sharing.. I am preparing idlis for a party. I dont have a hot box at my home. can you tell me how to cover them propoerly for like 2 hrs before serving?

  5. Tried making idlis with your recipe. It came out super soft 🙂 Thank you. Just one question.. will the idlis become harder if I used batter that was stored for long in fridge? How long can I store the batter in fridge after the fermentation process?

    • thank u so much for trying out Saranya. Idlis will not harder after storing the batter in the fridge. All u need to do is just take it out from the fridge before 15 mins you start making idlis. If the batter is slightly thick add water to adjust the consistency. normally i store the batter for 4-5 days, but perfect idlis will come for 2 days and rest will be used for making dosa.

    • Inspired by your recipies, JayaShree. I do idli batter the same way. I do add two teaspoons of fenugreek seed. Once fermented I used to split the batter into two portions and store them in refrigerator. This way, if the second portion remains unopened, even after 4/5 days idlis are really soft.

    • Inspired by your recipies, JayaShree. I do idli batter the same way. I do add two teaspoons of fenugreek seed. Once fermented I used to split the batter into two portions and store them in refrigerator. This way, if the second portion remains unopened, even after 4/5 days idlis are really soft.

  6. Hi Madam, Recently i viewed your blog, am a newly married girl, tired of traditional type of grinding idli batter, yesterday tried yours, idli came really good, My Hubby appreciated me, thanks for your post, thanks a lot…

  7. नमस्कार,
    In your notes u have mentioned that "If making dosa just add few tablespoon of water and make crispy dosas."Whether it is possible to make crispy dosas with the same ingredients?On your channel there is no separate post for Dosas and hence the question.
    श्रीकांत टिल्लू

    • Hi, You can make dosas out of this batter too. Will update with dosa pictures soon. Even i have a recipe for crispy dosas too(u cannot make idlis with that) , will post that soon

  8. Hi Jeyashri,

    I am new to singapore and even new trying idli batter in grinder. I tried making soft idli s with traditional proportional but i am satisfied with them.May be the quality of rice or urad dhal. I thought export qualities would be the best :). I have a question regarding when to stop grinding and the texture. Should the final texture be as that of rava? Because i have heard my mom and others telling different texture when we grind them seperately. Urad dhal should be smooth n fluffy and rice should be little coarse. Can u please help me on this?

    • Hi ,
      thanks for the mail. first of all the quality of urad dal is not as good as we get in India, though they say it is Export quality!!. For the initial few years i used to take it in bulk from india and use it up. But later, we get the sree gold and udayam brand urad dal , though they are little expensive than the normal one. If you feel the dal is not good, try adding a handful of poha to it while soaking the urad dal.
      Reg the query, if you are grinding urad dal and rice separately as per the traditional method, grind the urad dal into a fine paste. and the rice into a rava consistency. If following my recipe mentioned abouve, grind everything into a fine batter.
      Need any help let me know

  9. Hi dear Jeyashri,
    very nice and beautiful explanation for the spongy Idli's. Awesome!!! Your presentation of the Idli's with sambar & 2 chutny's are looking so yummy!!!!
    Here( US ) we are not getting good Urad Dhal & also Idli rice. Rarely we will get the good quality rice in Indian store. I also used to carry from India, but now coz of Customs.. I am not. I am using 3; 1 and fistful of poha & 1 flat Tbl of methi seeds.getting very soft idli's. I just love your blog. Wishes.

  10. Hi Dear Jeyashri,

    The ratio of the rice, urad dal and poha really worked very well and resulted in spongy soft idlis..I have a query regarding the fermentation and batter turning sour . All I did is soaked it for 5 hrs and then grinded around evening 7PM. Then stored the whole batter in large Tupperware and left it for fermentation without adding salt. Stored little batter for next day morning breakfast with salt in small Tupperware container. Then morning i kept the large container of batter in refrigerator for using it later in weekdays. small container one idlis were not sour. But after 2 days when i used the large container batter , again i removed the batter added little salt and kept for 5-10 mints before steaming the idlis. For just 2 days the idlis were too sour .. In Bangalore the temp is not that bad as Chennai but still why after 2 days the idlis turned sour .How to avoid the batter turning sour and store the batter for a week . Pls suggest

    • Thanks for trying out. I have never faced this problem, but i can suggest you my mom's way of doing. She normally ferments one portion of batter and keep the rest in the fridge.whenever you want to use the next batch ferment it before 8 hours.In this way you never get the idli batter sour after 2 days

    • Thanks for the reply I shall try it out.One more factor is the number of hours batter is left for fermentation also impacts and could lead to turn it sour. It can be more or less around 6-7 hrs and not more than that.

  11. Hi Jeyashri,

    Continuation to post on Mar – 16 – 2013. I could achieve soft idlis and crispy dosa too .Thank u so much for ur recipe. I was almost frustrated after trying different proportions in grinder but only ur recipe came handy to me. Thanks a bunch jeyarshri 🙂

  12. Hi Jeyarshri

    This is continuation to the post on Mar-16-2013.I would achieve soft idli and cripy dosa…. I was almost frustrated and thought i would never be able to make good idli or dosa. At the right time ur recipe came handy. Really superb. Thanks a bunch Jeyarshri. Now we really enjoy r idlis and dosas.. 🙂

  13. Hi Jeyashri,

    Ur post is illustrative enough…! But I am facing a problem that even after keeping the batter at outside room temp of around 30 deg for 8 hours, it has not risen at all :-(((. Any possible reason for that. I have followed ur instructions perfectly.

    • Hi,
      Even i am surprised why your batter didn't rise even after 8 hours. Generally if the temperature is cold or not enough warm the batter will not rise. Is your batter very hard? This could be one of the reason.

    • Hi,
      If you are making idlis from store bought batter, just add 1/2 tsp of eno fruit salt to the batter just before pouring the batter to idli moulds. you will get soft idlis. Do not store the batter after adding eno salt

  14. Hi Jeyashri akka thank u so much for this recipe, I am a great witness to say that this is one of the best and easiest recipes for dosa batter, love it so much and almost everytime i get perfect idlies 🙂 thanks to you and one winner recipe… I am so happy with this one that I felt I must post on it, so I have posted it in my blog hope you are ok with it..

    thank you
    Love
    Priya

  15. Hi Jeyashri,

    Just wanted to check if it's ok to gring the dal and rice together at the same time. I thought both had to be ground to different textures. Your idly looks awesome. If it is so, that would be so convenient to grind both at the same time. I simply love all you recipes

    Thanks,

    Jayanthi

    • I have following this way of grinding for the past 5 years and it is working out awesome for me and my idli always turns out fluffy and soft.Go ahead to try out this method.

  16. Hi,

    Very nice soft idlies!! I am also using ultra grinder. But after 25 mts the grinder is getting heated up. So am not getting gud idlies. Is your grinder getting heated up like me?

    • YEs the grinder do heated up for me, Use ice water to grind the batter.Always take the batter immediately after grinding, from it. If u keep in the same vessel idlis will not cme out good. Transfer to a vessel once done. Use enough water to grind. Should not be thick after grinding

  17. Hi Jeyashri,

    When I made idlis with ur recipe for first time I got awesome idlis. But the next time I added fenugreek while soaking and salt, sugar while fermenting. With this I got horrible idlis. Please tell me if its all bcoz of fenugreek, salt and sugar??? Also tell me if there is any way to repair the batter??

    • You can try this proportion if using mixie, but grind the rice and dal separately. Soak urad dal and aval together.
      Sweetened condensed milk substitute

      2.5 cup rice
      1/2 cup urad dal
      1/4 cup aval | poha (any variety)

  18. Hello mam…today i tried to make Idli…but i am not so much happy with the result..the batter which i kept in the night was same quantity as i left in the night. Please suggest me how much water we need to add during grinding and also suggest me the right measurement of rice / dal / Poha / methi etc….for soft and fluffy Idli.

    Thank you,
    Saima Waseem

    • Saima it seems you haven't make it properly according to the instructions. I have clearly mentioned abut the quantity of rice dal and poha in the ingredient list. And more over i don't add methi seeds too. Regarding addition of water you add water to bring the batter to idli batter consistency while grinding itself. Read my notes section , i have mentioned about that.

  19. Hi jeyashri..

    Today I made idlies with boiled rice (puzhungal arisi). It turned out to be very soft. And can u tell me, did u use raw rice or boiled rice or combination of both. For dosa batter., what should be the proportion.
    Thanks

    • thanks for the comment,Generallyi go with brands only. Mustafa dal is ok. But i buy from the grocery shop opp to it. Sree gold and udayam brand are best quality for urad dal and also for all types of dal too

  20. As mentioned in yr post, recently we got the opportunity to visit Madurai and we had idlis from Murugan idli kadai,Madurai. The idlis really tasted heavenly with 5 different chutneys,

  21. Hi Jeyashri…thanks for your post. Your idlis look great! Just had one query. What urad dal do you use…the whole one or the split urad dal. I have whole urad dal and will be using the mixie. Kindly advise. Thanks.

  22. Hi Jeyashri….i was following the traditional method of grinding dal and rice separtely. I am going to try this and will let you know the results. Thanks for the info. Following you.

  23. Hi, I do not have grinder but you blender to grind the idly batter. I generally put 3:1 with 1 tsp methi. I heard for grinder 4:1 and mixie 3:1 will work out. Can I use 4:1 with 1 fist poha in mixie? Kindly suggest.

  24. Hiya Jeyashri, thank you for posting such a beautiful recpie. I would love to make it – dont have idli rice.. Can I use basmati rice or jasmine rice as that is what is available here in Australia. Thanks Jen

  25. Dear jayashree
    Thanks for the easy recipe. My idlis turned out great initially. Now they are soft but flat. How do I know the quality of urad dal . Does the batter have to be thick.

    • Seema, the idlis become flat because , either u must have added more urad dal or the dal must be too good. some times it happens. but so far i never know how to check the quality by seeing except by asking the shop keeper.
      The batter should be not too thick. after fermentation do not add water. while grinding itself add water.

  26. Jeyshri:

    thanks for the tip re. poha. Will try it out.
    I cook a little rice, then grind and add to soften idlis…I only mention this for your Mom and Mil's sake…it is not leftover…it is fresh rice. We eat basmathi but for cooking and grinding for idli batter I make ordinary rice.
    I'm going to try out your godhuma dosa tonight.

    • Thanks for the message. It is not the leftover rice but even freshly made rice if mixed with a tiffin item like idli, will not be considered as tiffin. Anything cooked will not be added even though it is fresh.

  27. hi jeyashri,
    i stay in Bahrain and i get only half urad dal not whole sized one. i dont have a grinder need t grind in mixie. my 17 month old son eats only idly and dosa. cud u pls give me the measurement.- Mrs.Bhavna Sridhar

  28. Hello jeya madam
    excellent recipes. you described in detail for freshers like me. from tomo i am going to try each recipe of yours. if you can pls include more recipes in no onion and no garlic recipes section. i am brahmin. so it helps me a lot. thank you.

  29. Wow , looks delish .As much as i would like to try your recipe , i wouldnt be able to ,due to unavailability of the idli rice and whole urad dal where i reside .we only get sona masoori rice along with basmati and jasmine .we also get idli rava .though i use that to make idlis .

  30. Thanks for the response Jeyashri. I dont have a wet grinder, can I use a mixie to grind the batter?
    How much proportions and what consistency of batter should be achieved? Can I use that batter to make Dosas? Also, dont you use soda in the batter?

    • For using mixie consistency is the same. But mixie gets ehated up soon. so use cold water to grind. Do not make in bulk if using mixie. Proportion is same, just add extra 2 tblsp of urad dal and 2 tblsp of poha. You can use the batter for dosa. I never use any soda

  31. Accidentally came across your blog and lucky am I. Never came across such a detailed and step by step account of making soft idlis. Going through your details, even a novice will fall into love with cooking. Feeling elated. Thank you Jeyashri

  32. jeyashri mam, thanku soo much for this super informative guidance. I tried idlis many times but they were all so bad before. BUT AFTER TRYING UR FERMENTATION TECHNIQUE I MADE IDLIS ON MY MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY AND THE IDLIS WERE SOOO FLUFFY AND TASTY THAT MY WHOLE FAMILY ENJOYED IT AND I M SOO SOO HAPPY..
    thanku again. GOD BLESS U..

  33. Hi Jayashree,
    It becomes very difficult to to put the grinder every now and then. Is there any method like grinding the urad dal flour separately n rice flour separately n when needed mixing these 2 flours with water n salt. I have heard in tv shows in some part of India they do like this. But im not sure of the method n ratios. S there any method available like that. It will be v useful to me if u share the method

    • Hi. I soaked urad dal and rice seperately in the usual way but while grinding I grinded rice first and midway added urad dal as my prop was only 2:1/2 but it took lot of time for the urad dal to get grinded fully

      Could this be because of addind urad dal inbetween?

    • I haven't tried this method, but i can say the urad dal must not have soaked properly. Also the rice. That's why it took long time to grind. Just follow this method of soaking together and grind. You will get perfect idlis.

  34. All of you ladies who posted such great tips with elaborate description should get doctorates. You are doing a great service posting these recipes, I find making idlis is tougher than making bombs.

  35. Hi jeyashri, A question regarding store bought batter

    I have store bought batter for idlis and dosas, can you please tell me do I have to add water before pouring into idli pans? Or dosas
    Thanks
    Ujwala

  36. Hi Jeyasri. Wonderful tips. I had a question. Do you recommend grinding rice and urad separately. If not why? Which one would result in softer idlis? Thank you for posting a receipe with tips. Will for sure try this method. I shall also wait for your reply. Good day!

    • Thank you so much. I follow this method for softer idlis for almost 10 years. My mom used to grind rice and dal separately and she gets fluffiest idlis too. If you are grinding in bulk use separate method. Since we are 4 people at home,i prefer this method. End result is the same.

  37. Hey Jeyashri . I just tried your recipe to the T. It’s been 24 hours and the batter hasnt fermented one bit. I added little methi seeds and little poha and ground the urad n idly rice together. I live in the U.S. its summer here but our ac is set at 69F. Could that be the reason it didnt rise? Today in the afternoon I put the batter inside my oven with light on. Still no progress. Can you help please? I added enough water while grinding and it looks light enough.

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