Questions tagged [yeast]

Yeast is a one-celled organism that provides the leavening (rise) to breads. It is usually sold dry, in small granules, and must be activated with water and heat. Yeast is also used to ferment wine and beer: it consumes sugar, and produces alcohol as a byproduct.

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Converting bread recipes for an overnight rise?

I often find myself with an urge to bake things in the evening, but without enough hungry mouths left to justify actually producing anything substantial by the time the recipe is done. As such, it'd be handy to have some guidelines for how to modify…
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Why doesn't my bread rise in the oven? (Not first rise)

I've been trying to work on nice bread but am having issues with the bread not rising in the oven. The first rise after kneading seems to go well, as does a short rise after shaping but before going in the oven. At this point I've experimented with…
user2658
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Bread with no salt

I've been doing a lot of yeast bread baking as of late and I got to wondering what the salt in the bread was for. Upon doing some research it turns out (aside from perhaps some flavor) the purpose is to "Control" the yeast during the rise. This…
iamkrillin
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How long can fresh yeast be frozen?

I've heard that I can actually buy a large box of fresh yeast cubes, freeze it, and take one out of the freezer twelve hours before using it, to let it slowly get to room temperature again. How long can I freeze the yeast for? Will it slowly…
takrl
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What to do about yeast that doesn't work?

I am using a new container of yeast from the store; I keep it well-sealed (it's a small jar) and refrigerated. I make sure to use warm water in bread recipes - I check the temperature using a digital kitchen thermometer. I follow instructions to…
JustRightMenus
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Why doesn't milk create gluten when combined with flour?

I wanted to make a simple pizza, but as I read the recipe, I began to wonder about the chemistry behind it. When flour and water come together, gluten starts to form. We know that. But why doesn't gluten form when only flour and milk come together?…
mhendek
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How to convert a recipe calling for active dry yeast into rapid rise yeast?

I have a recipe for rolls where the first stage calls for 2 packages active dry yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water to be mixed until the yeast is proofed, and then 1/4 cup cubed butter is added to the proofed yeast. Then all of that is…
KatieK
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How much is "1-2 cents worth" of yeast in an old recipe?

I'm looking through an old cookbook, ''The Art of German Cooking and Baking'' by Lina Meier (2nd Ed., 1922, Milwaukee, file on wikipedia). There is a recipe for waffles here which calls for "1-2 cents worth of yeast." How much yeast actually is it…
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Why does this recipe call for so much yeast?

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…
Jason Orendorff
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How does halving a bread recipe impact rising time?

I'd like to try an English Muffin Bread recipe, which makes two loaves, but I only have one pan. I assume that I can simply cut the ingredients in half, but the one thing I'm unsure of is rising time. The instructions read: Grease two 8½ by 4½-inch…
Aaron
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Can I add new yeast to a dough I made with dead yeast?

I prepared bread dough that didn't rise. I then tested the yeast I used and apperantly they are dead. I bought new yeast and I still have the dough in the fridge. Can I mix in the new yeast to the dough, or do I need to make a new batch?
SIMEL
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Can I freeze cinnamon buns in unbaked roll form

We’re traveling with friends and wanted to make cinnamon buns. I feel the most convenient approach would be to freeze the entire roll, then cut it while frozen when we arrive, then letting it rise. However nobody seems to take this approach when I…
AlexMA
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Is 'Pizza yeast' any different than normal baking yeast?

A friend (Italian) mentioned that she uses 'Pizza Yeast' for making pizza, and one can't use normal yeast or it'll "grow too much".. I looked around the internet for "Pizza yeast" and all I found was people saying that it was a marketing gimmick and…
notthetup
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Why is a pig-skin like substance floating on top of my vinegar?

Apologies if this is off-topic. Every year, I make about 25 litres of cider vinegar. I wash the apples in a bucket of tap water, press them, add a sachet of yeast and leave the fermenting vessel in the garage. The juice is very acidic so not very…
user3574603
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What's the best way to propagate baker's yeast?

My neighbor who also bakes has run out of yeast and can't find any in the store. We went shopping this afternoon and couldn't find any either. I have a fair-sized jar of the stuff in my fridge, but I'm also baking a lot. I'm worried about it running…
Edward Falk
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