The yeast of my problems

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Adillo303

Head Chef
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
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Haledon, New Jersey
Sorry for the bad pun, well,maybe not. Anyway, here's the problem.

What brand of yeast do Y'all use? Are you having any problems with Fleichmans yeast(SP). I bought 10 3 envelope pcaks in the same day. All had the same expiration date. I made the hot dog buns that were discussed here and thy came out great. Three days later, I needed more buns. They did not rise well, at all. Same bag of flour, same recipie, same everything else that I can think of, different results.

I proofed the yeast with 1/2 cup warm water, a pinch of sugar and see if I get action. Both times got action.

Today, I made a loaf of 10 grain bread and used my last envelpoe of Hodgedons yeast, it rose like crazy.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You in advance.
 
I thought the pun was funny! Not sure what happened there, just a fluke I guess, but as long as the rest of your breads came out good (buns, and 10 grain), strike it up to who knows what happened I guess. Could simply be a matter of humidity and room temperature and not necessarily your recipe and products.
 
Adillo, pun away.

If the yeast proofed, well, I doubt it was that.

The Devil is in the details, if you think closely about what you did you might find the problem.

We all have things go awry, particularly in baking. Have no idea what the probelm could have been.

But tomorrow is another day. And with the sunrise we start again.

And I have confidence tomorrow those suckers will rise just fine.
 
If you're going to bake alot, buy the little jars of yeast instead. It's much cheaper ounce for ounce that way.
Also, look into instant yeast. I use it at work baking bagels. You don't need to proof it first.... just put it on top of your dry ingredients before mixing. I'm gonna ask my boss about buying a pound from her next week, it keeps for at least a year in the fridge.
Oh, and as far as the not rising, was it cooler in your kitchen this time? thats all I can think of.
 
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Yeast breads are very critical of temperature so where you proofed you bread was on the cool side this might be your problem..Second It might have been the humidity if it was on the low side and you used the same amount of liquid as the day before the dough would not proof as well as it was to dry. When you are making your dough when you think it is ready to come off the mixer feel it, if it is firm to the touch you do not have the correct amount of water. also have a quick read thermometer your dough should be in the range of just past room temp. If you have a dish washer in you abode
run one cycle till the machine is very warm and the humidity is close to 100% shut off the machine and let your dough proof in there. It will raise much better in a humid environment. Tempature and humidioty play a big part in succesful bread baking
Just my 2 cents
 
Thank You everyone'

Humidity can always be different. The dishwasher idea is interesting.

I thought that I had temperature under control, I set the oven to 170 degrees and rise the bread on the stovetop. The oven vents heat at the back of the cooktop.

Suziequzie - I have not seen the jars of yeast in the grocery store. Is that where you get it. I like that idea.

I keep the flour in airtight containers. Hope that helps with humidity.

I will percevere. Fortunately, the labradors don't care if the bread didn't rise.
 
yep, jars are at the grocery store. Actually if you have a Super Wal-Mart near you, I've found the jars 2-3 bucks cheaper than at the grocery store. Sickening isn't it??
 
We do not have a walmart close by. We do have a sign telling us that one is coming. Of course, it,s been there fro three years. Maybe Target.

Odly enough, our local shop rite has a very large selection of flour. Even a big rack of Bob'd Red Mill specialty flours. They have been out of yeast altogether for 3 weeks.

All that flour and nothing to rise it. I wonder if NYC has a store devoted to bread baking? Hmmmm.

BTW - Good Morning.
 
You live in the land of food, there's got to be a way!
Otherwise, I'm sure there's got to be a good online supplier.
Good morning yourself!
 
I use SAF Instant Yeast that I buy, mail order, from the nice folks at King Arthur Flour. I get it in 1-pound packages and store it in tightly-sealed glass jars in the freezer. I use about 2 packages a year for the two of us for all our bread needs.

I haven't used any yeast on the grocery store shelves in too many years to count. I really don't know what is available there anymore.

When I proof my bread, I put a 2-cup bowl with about 1 cup of water into the microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Leave the bowl of hot water in the microwave and then put my dough in to proof. The inside of the microwave stays warm and moist for about 1 hour, which is long enough for most of my breads to rise.
 
I think the subject line rates in the top 10. :LOL:

Thank You - Actually, I love bad puns. Prolly should start a thread for that.

Anyway, 1# of Red Star active dry yeast is on it's way to me VIA King Arthur's website.

I hope to try the hot dog buns tonight and see where I get.

Here's a thought and a question. I proof the yeast by putting 1/2 cup of warm water n a bowl, stirring in the yeast, add a pinch of sugar and hope to see bubbles within 10 minutes.

I usually get a brownish foam (Yeast color). Has anyone made a quantitative observation? IE: How long till this happens? Relative indication of how much action is seen? I read somewhere about a bread diary, I know that temperature, humidity can change results a lot.
 
Thank You - Actually, I love bad puns. Prolly should start a thread for that.

Anyway, 1# of Red Star active dry yeast is on it's way to me VIA King Arthur's website.

I hope to try the hot dog buns tonight and see where I get.

Here's a thought and a question. I proof the yeast by putting 1/2 cup of warm water n a bowl, stirring in the yeast, add a pinch of sugar and hope to see bubbles within 10 minutes.

I usually get a brownish foam (Yeast color). Has anyone made a quantitative observation? IE: How long till this happens? Relative indication of how much action is seen? I read somewhere about a bread diary, I know that temperature, humidity can change results a lot.

Adillo, I usually proof my yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar and a pinch of flour. Swirl around with a fork and allow to sit on the counter for a few minutes. Within about 10 minutes the mixture will show tiny little bubbles (pinhead size) on the surface. If you want "evidence," use a glass measuring cup and watch as the level gently goes up along the markings on the cup. It will be slight, but you will definitely see a difference.

Yeast baking is very rewarding and lots of fun. Don't let the process intimidate you and don't complicate it too much. Just get into it and have a ball.
 
Just get into it and have a ball.

That is what I am doing. I have a colony of Rye sour living in the fridge. I make 2 loaves every other week. I just made 10 grain for sandwiches and toast. I make foccasia (SP) just for me. Challah (SP) for to give friends. It is great to do.

I am making an effort to make all of the food eaten in the house. I am comming close and we are ejnoying the better taste.

AC
 
Natural food stores often have bulk yeast--much cheaper than buying little jars or packets.

I have never found much difference in different brands/types of yeast, and use them all interchangeably.
 
This is an interesting and timely topic, especially since I've just run out of yeast in a 4 oz jar, and have a few packets of the "high priced spread" left in the pantry. I wanted to buy yeast in bulk, but was unsure which type to get. So I Googled it and teh best explanation came from the Fanatic Cook website at Fanatic Cook: Experimenting With Yeast

Based on the fact that ACTIVE DRY YEAST needs to be proofed to get teh most out of it, and that INSTANT YEAST is ready to use without proofing, I think I'm going to get a 1# brick of SAF INSTANT YEAST from my local Gordon Food Services store ( Welcome to the World of Gordon Food Service ). It's only $2.19 for a 1# brick, so that should hold me over for almost 6 months, at which time I can get another fresh brick.

GFS also has Red Star ACTIVE DRY YEAST for $4.49 for a 2# brick. I would get one to have on hand, but I think I would just be adding more prep time to my bread making.

Any additional thoughts on this newbie's decision?

Joe

P.S. As inexpensive as this ingredient is, money is NOT an issue at all.
 
This is an interesting and timely topic, especially since I've just run out of yeast in a 4 oz jar, and have a few packets of the "high priced spread" left in the pantry. I wanted to buy yeast in bulk, but was unsure which type to get. So I Googled it and teh best explanation came from the Fanatic Cook website at Fanatic Cook: Experimenting With Yeast

Based on the fact that ACTIVE DRY YEAST needs to be proofed to get teh most out of it, and that INSTANT YEAST is ready to use without proofing, I think I'm going to get a 1# brick of SAF INSTANT YEAST from my local Gordon Food Services store ( Welcome to the World of Gordon Food Service ). It's only $2.19 for a 1# brick, so that should hold me over for almost 6 months, at which time I can get another fresh brick.

GFS also has Red Star ACTIVE DRY YEAST for $4.49 for a 2# brick. I would get one to have on hand, but I think I would just be adding more prep time to my bread making.

Any additional thoughts on this newbie's decision?

Joe

P.S. As inexpensive as this ingredient is, money is NOT an issue at all.

Joe, I've been using SAF instant yeast in the 1-pound brick for years and I love it. It's never let me down. I store it in the freezer in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. I bake all the bread Buck and I use and go through at least one brick per year. Great stuff. You've made a wise decision IMO.
 
I always use instant dry yeast because is it the only type of yeast I have been able to find here. I use Magidelly Levadura Seca instantanea, which comes in a vacuum-packed brick of 450g. It lasts me almost a year, and I keep it in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator. I don't know if it is the yeast, the flour or the humidity, but I have never baked such good bread. Worth noting that America's Test Kitchen uses instant dry yeast for their bread baking....
 
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