Yeast

[marmee]

Just a quick question.

I was reading a recipe today that says to add a pkt of yeast.

How much is in a pkt?

And the bread recipe in the EDC says to add a certain amount of fresh yeast (20g I think) or a pkt dried.

We just use a tin on Lowan brand yeast.  But how much?  Today I used 10g in our bread and it seemed ok??

[~Narelle~]

Most packets are 7g from experience.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I also use yeast from a tin and just measure it out rather than weighing.  It's a shame that our scales don't weigh by the gram up to 10 grams.
Chelsea 

[Ceejay]

I just use a teaspoon and a half.. out of habit! LOL

[I Love Bimby!]

From memory there was another post on the exact same topic. Correct 7g is the sachet weight.

[marmee]

Ok - so the Lowan stuff is like pky yeast, I gather?

Thanks all.  No wonder 10g has been working   

[I Love Bimby!]

Yes, the brand I use is Tandaco.

[Thermomixer]

Packets (Tandaco) and Lowan are dried yeast - about 2 tsp per 500g flour.  The fresh yeast can generally be purchased from god bakers or some delis.

Dried is easier - Lowan can be stored in the freezer for longer periods.  But if you have a good baker nearby, then go for fresh.

[UnConundrum]

As a general rule, fresh yeast should weigh 1% of the weight of the flour.  If you're using active or instant yeast, reduce that to 1/3% (.0033).  Active yeast should be allowed to bloom in some of the water before adding.  Instant yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients.

[Hannah]

UnConundrum - Is 1% fresh yeast really enough? I'm sure I use 20-30g when I do most things. I am at work at the moment but know with pizza dough there is 500g of flour and I use 30g fresh yeast. Have I been overdoing it? Can you overdo it?

[UnConundrum]

Barb, everything is relative.  When you make bread products (including pizza) there's a lot of bio-chemistry going on.  Enzymes are working away at the same time the yeast is.  Together, they make a great time, but they're not fast.  I've been recently watching some experiments on the pizza forum (www.pizzamaking.com) where they're playing with 24 hour fermentations (most people call this rising).  The percentages of yeast they're using is actually hard to measure it's so small.  The advantage is that the enzymes have plenty of time to work and generate food for the yeast that multiples and generates CO2 causing the dough to rise.  It's that long fermentation that develops great taste.  Sure you can add more yeast, especially if you're in a rush, but the quality of the product won't be the same.  If you're making a bread with something other than just flour, water, salt, and yeast, such as a cinnamon raisin bread, or something with oil or butter or milk, you probably wouldn't observe the nuances.  However, if your flavor is coming from how you handle the yeast, it would make a big difference.

[cookie1]

I use the Lowan dried yeast and keep it in the freezer and it lasts really well. Although since the birth of "Termite" I have been using a lot more. I tend to use 2 teaspoons for a packet of yeast and it seems to work well without leaving a yeasty flavour which can be a problem.
Bought my bread tin yesterday so will be making more 5 Seed Bread today. Alos hope to call at Loose Produce and buy lots more seeds and things, it's the only place I can buy rye seed unfortunately and I love rye bread.

[UnConundrum]

Barb, give this recipe a try...  http://www.recipesonrails.com/recipes/show/639

[Hannah]

UnConundrum - I bought some new loaf tins and decided to try out your "formula" to make a 900gm loaf for my sandwich tin. I used 530gm flour (100%), 310gm water + 40gm olive oil (65%), 10gm salt (2%), 10gm sugar (2%) & 10gm fresh yeast (2%). (According to the formula I should have only used 5gms yeast (1%) but cutting back from 30gms to 5gms was too much for me this first time!)

The dough rose beautifully and in fact, I left it too long the second time. It had reached the lid already and I had trouble closing it to cook it! I also had trouble getting the loaf out of the new tin - I had to use a spatula to prise it off the edges (but it hopefully will come out easier next time. You can see where I lost some of my crust along the edges.)

I am absolutely delighted with the result. The loaf is the perfect density, it smells great and is nice and soft inside. The crust is a lovely brown, courtesy of the sugar I think which I haven’t added to my bread before. I really wanted to make this loaf because it reminded me of the time when we had a deli and this sort of loaf could be broken in half and sold as two pieces. We used to put just a strip of tissue paper around the bread in those days and the person who got the first half got the bit with the dough bulging out! You could tear it off and eat it on the way home!

The other bonus is that my yeast will now last 3-6 times longer! So a big thank you!

Sorry - picture is a bit grainy.

[Amanda]

Lovely loaf, Barb.
Where did you get your tin?  Mine looks to be the same, but has no lid.
Cheers,  Amanda from Balhannah.