How to Bake: Yeast and How it Works

How to Bake

The Art and Science of Baking

By Dennis R Weaver

Copyright 2012 by The Prepared Pantry

Published at Smashwords

Chapter 3

Yeast and How it Works

Chapter 3

Yeast and How it Works

Part 1: Yeast and How it works

Part 2: Using Yeast to Make Great Breads

How long should my bread rise?

Why do we need to knead?

Is brown bread better?

High Altitude Breads

Part 3: Recipes

Hamburger or Sandwich Buns

Italian Herbed Focaccia

Cheesy Dinner Rolls and Loaves

Dilly Cheese Bread

Teton Valley Whole Grain Bread

Summer Zucchini and Carrot Bread

Southern Cornbread

Yeasted Banana Nut Bread

Easy Sourdough Bread

How to Bake Bread on the Grill

Copyright 2005, The Prepared Pantry. All rights reserved.

The material herein is published by The Prepared Pantry for the private use of individuals and may not be used for commercial purposes without the express consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is believed accurate but the publisher makes no warranties, express or implied, and the recipient is using this information at his or her own risk.

Yeast and How it Works

This chapter is in three parts. The first part is about principles—you will learn about yeast and how it works. The second part is about techniques, how to use yeast generally in the making of great breads. In the third part, you will learn to use yeast in particular recipes and applications.

Part 1: Yeast and How it Works

Did you ever wonder why flour tastes like sawdust but a French or Italian bread made with that same flour and little else has a pleasant, sweet taste? It’s the yeast.

Yeast is the magic ingredient of the baking world. While the rest of our ingredients are inanimate, yeast is alive and bakers have learned to cultivate yeast as a living thing in their bread and pastry doughs. In this chapter, we will explore the different types of yeast and learn to cultivate yeast in different ways to create different products.

Our grandparents used—and many commercial bakers still use—fresh yeast rather than the dry yeast that we buy in the store. Fresh yeast performs marvelously well but is fragile, must be kept refrigerated, and used right away—hardly the conditions of today’s carefree baking.

The yeast that we buy is granular. Each little grain is a manufactured ball of starch or dextrose containing many yeast cells. When these grains are dissolved, the yeast is released into the dough.

The yeast on the grocers’ shelves typically comes in two forms: either instant active dry yeast or active dry yeast. The difference is in how the yeast cells hydrate or absorb water. Instant active dry yeast does not have to be hydrated in water prior to mixing as active dry yeast does.

Active yeast is mixed in water, the particles are dissolved, and the yeast is allowed to grow until the mixture becomes foamy. Then it is added to the flour. The cells