Then we left the dough for an hour so it could grow.

[diamondcutter]

Then we left the dough for an hour so it could grow.

Source: Kid’s Box 5, CUP.

I understand what the verb “grow” means here. I’d like to know if there’s a specific verb to replace “grow” in this sentence.

 

[jutfrank]

rise

 

[emsr2d2]

"Rise" is a much better choice. It is the standard word used when talking about what happens to dough when you leave it for a while. I can only assume they used "grow" because they thought kids were more likely to understand it. In my opinion, that's doing them a disservice. I think they should have said "rise" and then explained that, when talking about bread, that means "grow".