Yeast Bread

What is Yeast?

Yeasts are single-celled microorganisms that predate humans by hundreds of millions of years. There are more than 1,500 species of yeast, but the species we're concerned with today is saccharomyces cerevisiae, derived from Latinized Greek meaning "sugar-fungus."

Active dry yeast

Live yeast is partially dehydrated, rendered inert, and ground into granules. You'll often find this sold in ¼-oz. packets or a 4-oz. tinted glass jar in the baking aisle. These dormant yeast cells can be stored at room temperature for several months until their expiration date but are heat-sensitive and potency can vary.

Instant yeast

Also known as "bread machine yeast" and "Rapid Rise," instant yeast is more shelf-stable and tends to be more reliably and consistently active than active dry yeast. The most popular brand of instant yeast among pro-bakers is SAF-Instant, which is sold in a 16-oz. package.

Fresh yeast

Also known as "cake yeast" and "compressed yeast," fresh yeast comes in big blocks or smaller, individually packaged cubes and can be found in the refrigerated aisle near dairy and eggs. It is the only form of commercial yeast that isn't dehydrated: a solid but crumbly concoction of water and yeast, its rubbery texture is halfway between paste and modeling clay.

1. Scaling Ingredients- measure baking “formulas” much more carefully than cooking “recipes”.

2. Mixing and kneading- knead until smooth and elastic. The way ingredients are combined effects the outcome of the bread. Proper mixing distributes yeast and develops gluten.

3. Fermenting- yeast consumes sugars and emits carbon dioxide. Allow dough to rise to twice its size.

4. Punching down- knock all the air out! Punching helps even out the dough’s temperature and relaxes the gluten.

5. Portioning- what size and shape product do you want? All items must be exactly the same size by weight.

6. Rounding- shape your portions of dough into smooth, round balls. Rounding stretches the outside layer of gluten into a smooth skin or coating. This helps hold in gases and makes it easier to shape the dough. Non-rounded rolls rise unevenly and have a rough surface.

7. Shaping- there are endless shapes you can make your rolls or loaves. Your dough might be one big loaf, crescent rolls, cloverleaf rolls, butter-flake rolls, and knot rolls.

8. Proofing– “Proof is the bottom line for everyone”. Proofing is the final rise of the shaped and panned yeast product before baking. Temperatures of 95 to 115 degrees with some humidity is desirable to help the second fermentation and prevent drying. Proofing should continue until the product doubles in size and springs back slowly when lightly touched. Under proofing results in poor volume and dense texture.

9. Baking- as yeast breads bake, a variety of chemical and physical changes turn the dough into an edible product. Because of the expansion of gases, yeast products experience a sudden rise when first placed in a hot oven. This is known as oven spring. As the dough’s temperature increases, the yeast dies, the gluten fibers become firm, the starches gelatinize, the moisture evaporates and finally, the sugars caramelize, forming a brown crust.

10. Cooling and storing- you’ve gone through all the steps, and you’re dying to eat the bread. It smells fantastic, why do we have to let it cool? Yeast breads should be cooled at room temperature to allow proteins to set and moisture to further evaporate. Rolls should be removed from their pans before cooling, as hot pans will continue the baking process after you want it to stop.

Step 1. Proof the Yeast

Yeast feeds on sugars and starches in the dough. And when it grows, it produces carbon dioxide that makes your dough rise. Yeast is a living organism; it's also very sensitive. Too much heat, sugar, or salt can kill it.

Step 2. Combine Ingredients and Mix Well

Combine the liquid and proofed yeast at the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add flour and salt. Some of the best breads are "lean doughs," consisting simply of flour, water, yeast, and salt. . If your recipe calls for butter or egg yolks, mix the flour-water-yeast mixture to hydrate the flour and develop the gluten strands before working in the fat.

Step 3. Knead the Dough until Smooth and Soft

Using a plastic bowl scraper, wooden spoon, or your hands, scrape the dough onto a liberally floured work surface. Kneading develops long elastic strands of gluten, or wheat protein, which trap the gases produced by the yeast. Kneading by hand is not a complicated process, but it does require some stamina. With the heels of your hands, press the dough down and away from you.

Step 4. Let the Dough Rise until Doubled

Set the dough aside until it has doubled in size this can take between 45 minutes and two hours, as enriched doughs take longer to rise. Punch it down to deflate it and expel the gas. On a lightly floured surface, shape the loaves as desired: if you're baking in standard loaf pans, pat the dough into a rectangle to express the gas bubbles and fold up in three parts, like a business letter.

Step 5. Place Bread in a Greased Loaf Pan

Or for a round loaf, on a baking sheet. If you're topping loaves with seeds, now is the time to do it. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise again until nearly doubled while you preheat the oven. Flour your index and middle fingers, and gently poke the sides of your loaf. The indentations should remain; if the dough springs back, it needs to rise more. For a soft and tender crust, brush the loaves with milk or egg wash before baking. You can also brush the tops of the baked loaves or rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Step 6. Bake the Bread

Most bread is baked in a moderate oven, 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the bottom of a loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Baking stones help home ovens mimic hearth ovens by storing heat and moderating the temperature. To help develop a crisp, chewy crust, use a spray bottle to spritz the walls of the oven, creating a blast of steam.

Step 7. Cool the Bread

This is the most overlooked step in the bread-making process. Cool the loaves in their pans for about ten minutes before removing the pans. Cool on a rack for proper air circulation. As tempting as a warm-from-the-oven loaf may be, the bread needs to cool in order for the structure to set. Cutting a warm loaf causes mashing and tearing. Never wrap loaves until they're fully cool: condensation will form, causing a soggy crust and promoting spoilage.