Yeast is a very handy raising agent. Without it bread would be as dense as bricks. However, yeast can be very tricky to bake with. Yeast is a complex organism. The emphasis with yeast is that it is a living organism. As such certain factors must be taken into account.
Water: Yeast like moist environments. However, as bread is made by mixing flours with liquids this is a fairly easy need to fulfil.
Air: Yeast need oxygen just like us - this is why it is important to sift the flour before use as this allows for the most aeration of the flour as possible; ensuring the larges air pockets for the yeast.
Food: Yeast live on sugars. This is why sugar is added to bread mixtures - too feed the yeast.
Heat: This is a big factor. This often where people fail in the baking process. It is important to keep all ingredients of the bread dough at a temperature between 20-37 degrees Celsius. This is because yeast's optimal growth happens in this 20-37 temperature range. It is equally important for the rising process to place the dough in a place where the temperature is 20-37 degrees for an hour prior to baking.
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