Bread – does steam elongate bread cook time

There are some previous questions with good answers like this one, or this that go into much more detail than I'm about to.

You said your bread didn't rise with the first rise, if you don't have a first rise you can't go onto the next step. If your yeast was old, or the temperature was cold in your kitchen or you used cold water in the dough, or the yeast came in contact with salt then its action could have been slowed down drastically and it would take much longer to get a rise. I've had a first rise take up to 4 hours in the past because of these factors. The times given in recipes are just guidelines, you have to be result-driven. Active dry yeast also takes longer than quick yeast to activate. When using active dry instead of quick yeast you would get better results by mixing it with the water before mixing in. I'd recommend using quick yeast as it's milled into smaller grains and you can mix it directly into the flour.

Of course your yeast may have simply been dead, or killed by salt or heat. Get some good fresh yeast and store it in the fridge to keep it fresh long-term.

Also, using all whole wheat flour isn't going to produce anything like a baguette. Whole wheat flour is very heavy compared to white flour and will take longer to rise. A half and half mix would work better. I'd recommend sticking to the recipe first, then gradually modifying it over time until you get your desired result.

Note: I am assuming this glass is kitchenware, like mixing bowls or measuring cups, not service ware like drinking glasses or teacups.

Glass melts at about 1500 F / 800 C. There is no danger of melting the glass in any type of steamer, or realistically with any equipment you may have at home.

The real issue is thermal shock: very rapidly cooling glass from a hot temperature to a cold temperature can cause it to crack or shatter. You want to avoid doing this. The same thing can happen in reverse from cold to hot, which is why you would never use glass cookware on an open flame or burner element of your cooktop (hob to our British friends).

To prevent thermal shock, even in a closed pot used as an improvised steamer, do not place the glassware directly on the bottom of the pot. It should be suspended on a rack or otherwise raised from the bottom. If no other solution presents itself, aluminum foil loosly crushed into a ring will do the job (loosly, because aluminum is a good conductor or heat, but air is not).

Steaming is fairly gentle in terms of heating, and if you let it cool on the counter, you should be fine. Note that I would not do this with any delicate or thin glass. Think about it this way: if you would use the glass in the microwave, the steamer should be fine as well.

Of course, you can always steam on a lettuce leaf or similar, which is very traditional, or use a metal steamer basket as well.

Please also see Rumtscho's answer for more optimal alternatives.