As many of you on list know Rosemary has been a long time subscriber of
bread bakers. She is dieing (we wish you well my friend) and graciously
offered all of her recipes and info about making breads to us. I gathered
it from her and have been posting it to the list over the last few months.
Here is Rosemary's info about yeast and her basic whole wheat bread.
About Yeast
Basic Whole Wheat Bread
* Exported from MasterCook *
About Yeast
Recipe By : Rosemary Grimm <bf940@lafn.org>
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread-Bakers Mailing List Breads
Info/How To
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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***** NONE *****
History, biology and nutrition:
Bread yeasts are one-celled fungi found all around us, in our kitchens and
outside, in the air, in the soil, and on grains, fruits and vegetables.
People have been capturing and propagating these wild yeasts for thousands
of years in sourdough starters. Scientific breeding of our domestic strains
of bread yeasts really started with Louis Pasteur in the 1800s.
Bread yeast ferments carbohydrates producing alcohol and carbon dioxide gas
in the process. The gas bubbles, trapped within the elastic dough are what
make dough rise, giving us light flavorful bread. Flavor and texture are
not the only benefits. Yeast itself is an excellent source of B-complex
vitamins and Thiamine and the action of fermentation makes grains more
digestible (these are good reasons to prefer yeasted breads rather than
quick-breads as a daily diet.)
Bread yeast is an amazingly versatile and adaptive organism: shut off its
oxygen supply and it will still reproduce anaerobically; deprive it of
moisture and it will go dormant, but still live. Modern yeast factories
capitalize on these characteristics to produce yeast in several forms for
the home and professional baker.
Forms of commercial yeast:
You may remember the little foil wrapped cubes of compressed yeast (yeast
in a starch medium) that required refrigeration during its 3 week life and
needed proofing before use in a recipe. Compressed yeast has been almost
entirely supplanted by various kinds of dry yeast (pure yeast that has been
air dried into dormant granules) packaged in air tight containers with long
shelf lives (look for the "use by" date printed on the package.)
Active Dry Yeast (commonly found brands are Fleischmann's and Red Star) is
called active to distinguish it from Nutritional or Brewer's Yeast which is
also dry. Nutritional Yeast is dead; it has no leavening power. It may be a
nutritious food supplement, but it has no place in breadmaking (The
Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book says that even a small amount added to dough
will decrease the effectiveness of the active yeast and make gummy bread.)
Active Dry Yeast is usually sold in those little 3-part envelopes in every
grocery store. It requires proofing (dissolving in water) before use.
Rapid Rise Yeast made by Fleischmann's is also sold in envelopes or jars. I
have no experience with it, but I think it is a kind of instant yeast,
since it doesn't need to be dissolved in water first.
Instant Active Dry Yeast is a new product from Red Star. They have made the
granules of their traditional yeast smaller so that dissolving in water is
not necessary. I have no experience with it.
Instant yeast is not commonly available in super markets. But it is well
worth seeking out at wholesale grocers like Smart & Final or bakery supply
houses. Instant yeast is dried at a much lower temperature which keeps more
yeast cells alive. It requires no proofing and responds very quickly,
rising quite high. This is a professional's yeast. This is the yeast called
for in all my recipes on these pages. Commonly available brands are Red
Star and Fermipan. Substitution measurements for compressed or active dry
yeast are given on the packages.
Why use instant yeast?
A major reason is economy. At $2.00 per pound you could throw most of it
away and still save money compared to those little 3-part packages of
regular yeast. My total ingredient costs would double if I used the active
dry yeast available in the supermarkets. Another reason is convenience: it
is always there in the refrigerator, ready to use with no mess or fuss. It
lasts more than a year in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer (no
need to thaw before using.)
Care and feeding of yeast:
Before use, keep your yeast cool and dry. When the yeast is in a dough or
batter, it does best in evenly warm and humid surroundings (75 - 90
degrees.) I will keep growing, at a much slower rate, at cooler
temperatures, even refrigerated. If an emergency interrupts your baking
session, punch down the dough, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate
it until you can get back to it. Then, transfer the dough to a warm bowl
and let it warm slowly to continue rising. This is an emergency method
only. But emergencies do occur. There are recipes designed to include
overnight rising in the refrigerator. See also The Laurel's Kitchen's Bread
Book for detailed directions on using sponges (starter doughs) to adjust
rising times to fit your schedule. In general, the lower the temperature
the slower the rise and the more flavorful and nutritious the bread.
Instant yeast doesn't need proofing but, if you are in doubt about some
year old yeast, it doesn't hurt to prove it. Put 1/2 cup of warm water
(105-115 degrees) in a bowl or glass container with plenty of room for
expansion. Add a pinch of sugar or flour, then sprinkle the yeast and stir
to dissolve. I use a knife for stirring; it's easier to clean than a spoon.
Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. If it still hasn't foamed up after 15
minutes, discard. Yeast does not need to be fed sugar; it will make its own
sugars from flour. Yeast doesn't like honey, but will tolerate it mixed in
with the other ingredients of the dough. Yeast does better with a
succession of rising periods rather than one long one. Each time you punch
down the dough and briefly knead it, the yeast is exposed to new food.
Measuring yeast:
You do not need to be exact in measuring yeast. Remember it's going to
multiply like crazy anyway. A little less is fine; the dough will rise more
slowly and may taste better. I wouldn't increase the yeast mesurements in
the recipes on these pages; they are already at the high end. Way too much
yeast will give an unpleasantly yeasty flavor and aroma.
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* Exported from MasterCook *
Basic Whole Wheat Bread
Recipe By : Rosemary Grimm <bf940@lafn.org>
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread-Bakers Mailing List Breads
Hand Made
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 Loaf: -- (2 Loaves):
3 C Whole Wheat Flour -- (6 C)
1 1/2 Tsp Instant Yeast -- (1 Tbsp)
1 1/2 Tsp Salt -- (2 1/2 Tsp)
1 1/4 C Water -- (2 1/4 C)
Water Should Be 115F
2 Tbsp Honey -- (1/4 C)
2 Tbsp Oil -- (1/4 C)
Strictly speaking, only flour, water, yeast and salt are required to make
bread. Most people like a little sweetener to round out the wheat flavor.
The following recipe has a clear wheat flavor; if you like your bread
sweeter, that may be because you don't really care for the taste of whole
wheat. Try using King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour. It is much milder in
flavor and lighter in color, but as nutritious as other whole grain flours.
Start with the one loaf recipe if you are new to kneading. It will take
about 10 minutes to knead whereas the two-loaf version will take twice as long.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center. In a glass
measure or small bowl, mix the honey and very warm water; pour into the
flour mixture. Stir to moisten all the flour. Mix in the oil. Mix the
dough, in the bowl, with your hand until it is evenly mixed. It will be sticky.
Feel the dough in your hands. Is it dry or difficult to squeeze? Add more
water. If it is runny or does not hold its shape, add a little more flour.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth
and elastic (about 20 minutes for the two loaf version, 10 minutes for one
loaf.) Remember that kneading is the key to developing the dough's stretchy
gluten, so the dough will expand with the yeast created gas bubbles,
producing a high, light loaf.
Shape the dough into a ball; place in a bowl (the one you mixed in is fine,
no need to wash it.) Wet a cloth with warm water and wring it out. Use this
to cover the bowl to keep the dough from drying out but allowing it to
breathe. If you cover the bowl with plastic wrap, the bread will develop
more of a "Wonder Bread" character.
Set the dough in a warm place, free of cooling draughts (an unheated oven
with pilot light may be perfect.) Let the dough rise for about an hour.
Poke the dough in the center with two fingers about 1/2 inch deep. If the
depressions quickly begin to fill in, more rising is needed. If the
depressions remain, the dough has risen enough. This is called "doubled" as
a term of art. It may be more or less than actually double, don't bother
measuring the volume.
Redistribute the yeast within the dough by flattening it out and briefly
kneading it. You may correct slightly underkneaded dough at this time by
longer, more vigorous kneading. Return the dough to its unwashed bowl,
recover and let it rise until doubled again. The second rise will take
about half the time of the first rise. The second rise is not absolutely
necessary, but produces finer texture.
Deflate the dough again; divide in two (unless you're only making one
loaf); shape into two balls and let them rest, covered, for about 10
minutes to relax the gluten. If the gluten is not relaxed, your attempts to
shape the dough will be futile; it will spring back from any shape you try
to impose. Oil your small (not mini) metal loaf pans and begin heating the
oven to 350 degrees.
Shape into loaves by pressing the balls, one at a time, into flattish
circles with diameters slightly longer than the length of your pans. Roll
the circle up like a jelly roll, but tightly, digging your fingers in as
you go. Scrunch the ends with your palms and snugly fit the dough (seam
side down) into the pan. It should be touching each end of the pan but
probably won't fill in to the sides. Cover and let rise until a gentle poke
at a corner shows you the dough is very soft and spongy, hardly springing
back at all. This will take less time than the last rise. Quickly put the
pans in the oven and bake about 50-60 minutes.
To test for doneness, remove a loaf from its pan and tap on the bottom. If
it sounds hollow, it is done. If not, return it to the oven and retest at 5
minute intervals. Cool, out of pans, on racks at least until lukewarm
before cutting. Cut with a sharp serrated knife using a sawing motion. If
you just can't wait and want to cut into a hot loaf, be very careful not to
mash down the bread with heavy pressure.
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