Dry active yeast is the magical ingredient that makes bread rise, cinnamon rolls puff up in all their glory, and helps give pizza dough that light and airy texture. But yeast is a living thing, and it's somewhat delicate. If you don't treat it just right you'll be left with many disappointing bread recipes that simply don't rise. And to be frank, many bread recipes online today don't go through the proper process (I know, I've tried them).
Once you know the secrets to working with yeast though, it's really not that difficult. While there isn't a great margin of error when working with yeast, the few steps it needs to go through before being added to a recipe are simple enough and should only take about 10 minutes from start to finish. After that, it will start doing all the hard work for you.
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1. Yeast needs to be proofed
'Proofing' is really just another term for activating the yeast, and it's the most important step. This is the process that will get the yeast started so it can do its job. Proofing simply requires sprinkling the yeast on the surface of a liquid (water and milk are best) and giving it a quick stir. Wait for about five to ten minutes until it bubbles and froths. You may even see some clumps of yeast starting to rise to the top - that's a good thing!
'Proofing' is really just another term for activating the yeast, and it's the most important step. This is the process that will get the yeast started so it can do its job. Proofing simply requires sprinkling the yeast on the surface of a liquid (water and milk are best) and giving it a quick stir. Wait for about five to ten minutes until it bubbles and froths. You may even see some clumps of yeast starting to rise to the top - that's a good thing!
Most recipes will call for the yeast to be proofed first, but that is only when working with dry active yeast, the type of yeast typically called for in recipes. If you're working with rapid rise yeast, which is in smaller granules, proofing may not be necessary.
2. Yeast hates salt
It's frustrating to see so many online recipes that call for adding salt to the proofing liquid. Salt can prevent yeast from blooming and if too much is added, it can even kill the yeast, making it entirely ineffective and wrecking any bread recipe. That doesn't mean that salt can't be added at any point. Usually it should be added to the dry ingredients and once the yeast has proofed, the liquid can then be added. The yeast will have already done its most important job, so salt won't be able to touch it at that point.
It's frustrating to see so many online recipes that call for adding salt to the proofing liquid. Salt can prevent yeast from blooming and if too much is added, it can even kill the yeast, making it entirely ineffective and wrecking any bread recipe. That doesn't mean that salt can't be added at any point. Usually it should be added to the dry ingredients and once the yeast has proofed, the liquid can then be added. The yeast will have already done its most important job, so salt won't be able to touch it at that point.
3. Yeast loves sugar
Just as much as yeast hates salt, it loves sugar and often just a teaspoon or so added to the proofing liquid can go a long way. Yeast relies on sugar to do its job because it metabolizes sugar, releasing carbon dioxide into the bread, which is what ultimately causes it to rise. Even if you're working with a bread recipe that doesn't add sugar to the liquid, it's a good idea to do it. Your yeast will work so much better, and you really can't taste that little amount of sugar in the final product.
Just as much as yeast hates salt, it loves sugar and often just a teaspoon or so added to the proofing liquid can go a long way. Yeast relies on sugar to do its job because it metabolizes sugar, releasing carbon dioxide into the bread, which is what ultimately causes it to rise. Even if you're working with a bread recipe that doesn't add sugar to the liquid, it's a good idea to do it. Your yeast will work so much better, and you really can't taste that little amount of sugar in the final product.
4. Proofing liquid needs to be warm
By now you can see just how delicate yeast can be. Another area in which yeast is somewhat tricky is the proofing liquid it sits in as it activates. Too cold and it won't be able to jumpstart the yeast into action, but too hot and it too, will also kill the yeast. A happy medium is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which will give the yeast the warm spot it needs to start to froth and bubble away, but won't be so hot it will kill the yeast.
By now you can see just how delicate yeast can be. Another area in which yeast is somewhat tricky is the proofing liquid it sits in as it activates. Too cold and it won't be able to jumpstart the yeast into action, but too hot and it too, will also kill the yeast. A happy medium is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which will give the yeast the warm spot it needs to start to froth and bubble away, but won't be so hot it will kill the yeast.
Don't have a thermometer to check water temperature? That's okay, there's a little trick you can use. Place a very clean finger into the liquid. If you can hold it there for a few seconds, but no longer than that, it's warm enough.
5. Keep it warm
Proofing definitely is the most important part of working with yeast, but that doesn't mean its job is done after that first step. Yeast works hard during the entire process, from the time it's proofed throughout the recipe's entire rise time. In order to help it along and make sure your bread rises up big and beautiful, keep the dough in a warm spot, such as right beside a hot oven or on top of the fridge. Yeast likes to be warm, and this will get your recipe to rise faster. In order to keep it warm, it's also better to cover the bowl with a tea towel instead of plastic wrap.
Proofing definitely is the most important part of working with yeast, but that doesn't mean its job is done after that first step. Yeast works hard during the entire process, from the time it's proofed throughout the recipe's entire rise time. In order to help it along and make sure your bread rises up big and beautiful, keep the dough in a warm spot, such as right beside a hot oven or on top of the fridge. Yeast likes to be warm, and this will get your recipe to rise faster. In order to keep it warm, it's also better to cover the bowl with a tea towel instead of plastic wrap.
Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule. Some recipes, particularly pizza dough and cinnamon buns, will call for a slow rise, which means the dough is placed into the refrigerator, usually overnight. The cold air likely will not kill the yeast, but will make it rise at a much slower pace.
6. Check your dough before rise time
It is incredibly frustrating to bring a bread recipe together, let it sit on the counter for two to three hours, and then find out that it didn't rise. All that wasted time! Luckily, there is a way to tell if the dough has a good chance of rising just by looking at it before placing it into the bowl to rise.
It is incredibly frustrating to bring a bread recipe together, let it sit on the counter for two to three hours, and then find out that it didn't rise. All that wasted time! Luckily, there is a way to tell if the dough has a good chance of rising just by looking at it before placing it into the bowl to rise.
Dry active yeast comes in the form of little brown granules that look very much like grains of really hard sand. But as those granules are proofed and start to work their magic in a recipe, they sort of disappear. You know they're there, or at least have done their job, because the dough is rising, but you can't see them. And that's a good thing.
If, after kneading the dough, you can still see those little brown granules, don't waste your time. Toss the dough and try another batch, keeping a careful eye on it during the proofing phase. If it still doesn't work, your yeast may be old and no longer good.
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7. Freeze unused dry active yeast
The shelf life of yeast in an opened package in the pantry is about six months. But you can extend its life a great deal more than that by keeping it in an airtight container in the freezer. In fact stored this way, yeast can live for several years. And while it's true that yeast likes to be warm, that's only during its proofing process, or afterwards. Before those stages, yeast is actually dormant and so while the cooler temperatures will help preserve it, they certainly will not kill it.
The shelf life of yeast in an opened package in the pantry is about six months. But you can extend its life a great deal more than that by keeping it in an airtight container in the freezer. In fact stored this way, yeast can live for several years. And while it's true that yeast likes to be warm, that's only during its proofing process, or afterwards. Before those stages, yeast is actually dormant and so while the cooler temperatures will help preserve it, they certainly will not kill it.