Why does this recipe call for so much yeast?

Question

Kindred’s milk bread is delicious. (Here's an alternate link in case that link doesn’t work for you.)

I’m curious though: the recipe calls for two tablespoons of yeast (for 5 cups of flour), more than I’ve ever put into a dough before. Why does it call for so much yeast?

Does an enriched dough always require more yeast? Or is it that this recipe kills most of the yeast by stirring it into hot liquid? Or is it probably just a typo, and 2 teaspoons would be fine?

That's odd. OK, I added an alternative link to the question. — Jason Orendorff, Jul 21 '18 at 21:05
Sometimes, as in salmon cakes, yeast is added as a flavoring. Perhaps here too? It adds a nice taste to some recipes. — Wayfaring Stranger, Jul 21 '18 at 23:34
Speaking from experience, do not leave this dough unwatched. It may rise much faster than you expect. I'm really doubting the 1 hour rise time; I made biscuits with 2 Tbs of yeast, and they rose in less than 20 minutes. — FuzzyChef, Jul 26 '18 at 04:57

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 25 '18 at 21:34

Having that much yeast is doing two things for this recipe:

It will give it a nicely yeasty flavor
It will shorten the rise time.

Yeast requires water to be active. This recipe, as is often the case with enriched doughs, has very little water in it. There is water in the cream and the eggs but not much and the yeast will be competing for it with the sugar. Because of this rich doughs often take a long time to rise.

This recipe was used by a restaurant that probably needs faster rises. The cost of the yeast is cheaper than the cost of the extra time to rise. The extra yeasty flavor is a bonus.

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 25 '18 at 19:37

The amount of yeast in a recipe is a bit deceptive, as the yeast will multiply as you prove the dough if things are working properly anyway. In other words you end up with quite a bit more yeast through the various rise stages.

Most recipes, however, start with less yeast for two reasons:

less yeast is cheaper
less yeast increases the prove time (where flavours are developed)

For this recipe, it may be aiming for a faster rise time for effect (or just to be quicker), or it may be reducing risk of failure (as adding more older yeast will perform better than less).

Why does this recipe call for so much yeast?

2 Answers2