On Tue, 29 Apr 1997 08:23:26 -0600 (MDT) Jerry Morris
<jerrym@comlinear.nsc.com> wrote:
> A couple years ago I got a Welbuilt Bread Maker. I live at 5000 ft
> altitude if it makes a differance. But I have yet to make a good
> loaf of bread. A friend that makes great bread has even tried in
> my machine and got the same results.
>
> The bread always come out heavy. I have used mixes, her recipe
> the recipe which came withe the machine. different brands of yeast,
> recipes from books... ect.
>
> I get this very heavy bread.. I gave up ..
> [...] I gave up but... but I love homemade bread??? please help..
Jerry,
I'm a manual bread baker, but the principles involved when using a
machine are the same. For bread to rise adequately, it needs yeast
(unless, of course, you're baking a so-called "quick bread" which
uses the CO2 producing quality of baking powder). When yeast
grows, it consumes sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The alcohol is cooked away when the bread is baked. The carbon
dioxide (CO2) makes the bread rise.
The problem you are having, then, would seem to be related to the
growing of the yeast, or rather its not growing. Here's the
conditions I know of which affect yeast growth:
** Temperature: Yeast needs a warm environment, but not too warm.
Somewhere between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for most,
warmer temperatures making the yeast grow faster, lower
temperatures more slowly. If yeast gets a chill, I've found, it
can become dormant, i.e., it will "go to sleep" and cease growing.
** Sugar: Yeast needs some. Putting in too much will not have an
untoward effect on the yeast. It will just mean that the finished
product will be sweeter.
** Salt: As many have said here before, salt inhibits the growth
of yeast.
** Healthy, alive yeast: Yeast won't grow if it starts out dead.
In a conversation I had recently with a Red Star rep, I was
informed that unopened commercial yeast will keep for months;
however, it's possible to keep yeast (once it's opened) for just
six weeks (and it must be kept in the refrigerator). After that,
it slows down, becomes weaker, and less able to raise bread. If
you have doubts about the viability of your yeast, you should
"proof" it prior to mixing the dough. To proof the yeast, mix it
in with about a third cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar.
Let it stand in a warm place. Within five minutes you should at
least smell the yeast growing. It should also foam up
considerably. I use a small, clear drinking glass and the foam
rises to twice or three times the height of the liquid. If it
foams up and smells yeasty, go ahead and mix it into the dough. If
not, then not.
I haven't covered *all* the possible causes of your problem.
Consult the archives. (The address is listed at the bottom of the
bread-bakers journal.) This and related topics have been discussed
a number of times and could be of help to you if what I've said
doesn't. There's also a very informative sourdough FAQ which could
give new life to your bread.
Best regards and good luck,
Ken
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Ken Fisler
bc151@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
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