Baking bread is an art. Fortunately, it is an art that most people can learn relatively quickly, as long as certain small elements are consistently applied. This includes adding yeast to the dough and then treating the dough in the best possible way to get the best bread.
Without yeast, the bread can end up being completely inedible. Here, you’ll get a few words about what yeast does to your baked goods, what it actually consists of, and why it is a miracle ingredient when you venture into baking.
This is why you should use yeast
When baking bread or rolls, there are many ingredients that can be useful to include. However, one ingredient is possibly the most important, as otherwise, you end up with bread or rolls that are hard as stone and therefore inedible.
The yeast itself consists of several small single-celled organisms that grow larger by using sugar. This sugar comes from enzymes converting the starch in the flour into sugar, which the yeast can then feed on. In the process, a certain amount of CO2 is produced, which makes the dough rise and gives an airy result to the bread or rolls. It is this CO2 that creates small air bubbles, which ultimately makes the baked goods airy.
What type of yeast should I use?
There are mainly two types of yeast you can use when baking bread: fresh yeast or dry yeast.
Most of us usually use fresh yeast when we bake bread, but in reality, there is no difference in the actual effect and the final baking result. However, it is an advantage to use fresh yeast if you are baking bread or rolls with a high fat content, as the fat can encapsulate the yeast.
If using dry yeast, it is important to mix it with the dry flour mixture to get the best effect. Fresh yeast, on the other hand, should be dissolved in either a liquid to be used in the bread or with sugar that makes the yeast liquefy.
The advantage of dry yeast is that you do not need to use as large quantities as you do with regular yeast. With fresh yeast, as a rule of thumb, you should use approximately three times as much as if you use dry yeast.
What is the difference between regular yeast and organic yeast?
Temperature during rising
Yeast has the fastest effect if it is allowed to rise at a temperature of 37 degrees. This is therefore relevant if you have a dough that needs to rise quickly and thus be ready for baking in a short time. However, the bread benefits from having ample time to rise if time permits.
For the best effect, many choose to cold-proof their dough. This can suitably be done by placing the dough in the refrigerator for several hours or letting it stand overnight. Overall, it is generally bad for the dough to rise at a temperature warmer than room temperature.