What yeast do you use and does it make a real difference

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What yeast do you use and does it make a real difference

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JB

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7757
Location: 91° N

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 13 1:15 pm Post subject: What yeast do you use and does it make a real difference

I normally make bread using a sponge starter and dried yeast. The yeast activates while in the sponge.

Having watched the first of Paul Hollywood's series on bread last night I thought I'd try a few variations and in so doing completely forgot about the need to activate dried yeast (insert embarrassed numpty icon here). So while the _second_ batch is proving it made me wonder what yeats people use and if it really makes a difference. I have variously used dried yeast, quick yeast and a home grown starter but generally haven't found that it seems to make that much difference.

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 13 6:29 pm Post subject:
Straight forward fresh yeast - we buy in in blocks from the local bakery and it works fine for our recipes.

OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 13 8:01 pm Post subject:
Doves Farm in a breadmaker. Works every time so far.

Nature'sgrafter

Joined: 22 Feb 2012
Posts: 527
Location: Sanday , Orkney

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 13 8:07 pm Post subject:
hovis yeast, yes it does make a difference poor yeast poor results. some of the cheaper yeasts need activating to get any half decent results.

gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 13 10:24 pm Post subject:
Doves, in a sponge.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13517

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 8:41 am Post subject:
I enjoyed the programme and now have it on series link. It was very good but whose got that amount of time in a day? He sounded some of his words as if he should be from North Staffordshire but I see that he's from the Wirrall. I knew there was something not quite right about him.

JB

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7757
Location: 91° N

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 9:35 am Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

I enjoyed the programme and now have it on series link. It was very good but whose got that amount of time in a day?

I've never found that making bread takes that much time. OK the process of making bread takes a long time but most of that is waiting. So now I tend to make bread when I telecommute. A morning coffee break includes five minutes of mixing and kneading, lunch includes knocking back, second kneading and transfer to tins, and tea or the end of working day includes putting it in the oven. It takes no longer than a coffee break would have taken anyway.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 6945
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 10:20 am Post subject:
JB I have bought Allinson's yeast before. This one https://www.allinsonflour.co.uk/products/dried-active-yeast.html And I've not reactivated it (didn't read the instructions ) and it has worked fine. I now use Morrison's fast acting yeast which I have never had a problem with.

JB

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7757
Location: 91° N

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 10:35 am Post subject:

sgt.colon wrote:

JB I have bought Allinson's yeast before.

This one https://www.allinsonflour.co.uk/products/dried-active-yeast.html

And I've not reactivated it (didn't read the instructions

) and it has worked fine.

I now use Morrison's fast acting yeast which I have never had a problem with.

That's exactly what I use (I went off using sachet's of instant because it seemed an expensive way to buy yeast) and yet two loaves identical apart from one used the yeast activated and the unactivated one just sat there doing nothing. Not a problem with a sponge method as that's effectively activating the yeast anyway but in this case it definitely needed activation.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 6945
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 10:43 am Post subject:
Well the Morrison fast acting are 68p for a box of 8 which I didn't think too bad.

JB

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7757
Location: 91° N

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 10:49 am Post subject:
I know objectively it's cheap but somehow I still balk at using small sachets of anything. I'm tempted to go back to using my own leaven but last time I did that Mrs JB looked at the jar of stuff on the kitchen counter looking like something from the Blob and declared that she wouldn't eat anything made from that.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 13 11:05 am Post subject:

I use the Allinson in tins. Like you I activate it in the sponge.

Don't usually have a problem, although I have failed when making a fruit tea bread and tried to activate the yeast in the tea/fruit liquid. I don't think it liked that- too acid?

If you forget to activate it you could try adding enough extra water to the dough to dissolve the yeast granules & then add more flour later to get it back to a kneadable consistency once the yeast starts to work. shouldn't need too much extra water, just enough to get it into the little grains.

WandaBlue

Joined: 03 Feb 2011
Posts: 40
Location: Sanday, Orkney

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 12:25 am Post subject:
Allinsons or Hovis sachets. Just bung the dried stuff straight in the flour with the salt and mix it up before adding the oil and (cold) water. I don't bother keeping the yeast and salt separated. Do the first prove in the fridge overnight and it works a treat.

nats

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 10:10 am Post subject:
Doves in tins. If I'm baking in one go I activate, if I'm making a sponge I don't bother

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