And yes, yeast is alive. It is neither plant nor animal but a fungus. We add it to the flour in its dormant state and expect it to thrive in our dough with moisture and the proper temperature.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

So how do we nurture these little creatures? Like most other living creatures they require moisture, food, and a hospitable environment. In a moist environment, yeast will grow rapidly. Most of the time, you will want your bread dough as moist as you can handle without being sticky. A bread dough that is too dry will take a long time to rise because the yeast will not multiply as rapidly and because the dry dough is stronger and more difficult to lift.

Yeast feeds on sugar or converts the starch in the flour to sugar for food. Without the capability to convert starch to sugar for food, yeast would not thrive in sugar free breads such as French bread. Salt impedes the growth of yeast so you can slow down the rise with salt. Conversely, you speed up yeast growth with sugar. An extra half teaspoon of salt will significantly slow the rise of the dough.

Moist dough between 78 degrees and 80 degrees is an ideal environment for yeast growth. Since yeast is very sensitive to temperature, temperature is a major factor in how fast yeast multiples. Yeast is dormant and will not grow at 40 degrees and grows only slowly at 55 degrees. Yeast dies instantly at 140 degrees. We recommend not using water warmer than 120 degrees to avoid accidentally killing the yeast.

A thermometer has been called the baker’s secret weapon. In all breads, it is very useful to be able to measure the temperature of the water, the dough during mixing, and the bread as it comes from the oven. In using a bread machine, the exact water temperature is critical to a uniform outcome. Bread is baked when the internal temperature is between 190 degrees and 210 degrees. As mentioned, the ideal dough temperature for the proper growth of yeast is 78 to 80 degrees. At higher temperatures, the dough may rise too quickly creating a crumbly texture to the bread. At less, the bread will rise more slowly and will have a higher alcohol content—though some marvelous, complex flavors can be created at lower temperatures.

Understanding yeast and how it works is an essential lesson for the bread baker.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com).
Published by permission

About Author:
Dennis Weaver is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer.  This article is an excerpt from “Ingredients and How They Work”--available free at The Prepared Pantry, http://www.preparedpantry.com, which sells baking supplies and tools and has a free online baking library.

Article Source: http://www.BharatBhasha.com
Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/food-and-drink.php/55730

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