The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

New to Yeast Bread - No Machine

Blanche's picture
Blanche

New to Yeast Bread - No Machine

Hello, this is my first visit.

I have successfully baked four loaves of Amish White Bread.  I am having a great deal of difficulty duplicating my success with a slightly different recipe from kitchn called Basic White Sandwich bread.  Despite measuring the temperature of my water to 115 degrees Fahrenheit and using purified water, my yeast will not proof.  I attempted it six times today before throwing in the towel.  I thought I had solved my problem when I switched from city water to purified in making the the Amish White Bread.  My successes occurred only after I made that change. Today's slightly different recipe called for the sugar not to be added to the proofing water.  Having no success, I did add the sugar in a couple tries.  It made no difference.  Of the six tries, twice fermentation began but stopped abruptly.     

I wrote a post entitled, "I'm Bombing at Baking Bread" on my website SixtySomethingSister.com.  It's humorous, but in reality, I am becoming very frustrated.  

My thoughts are that I might audit some culinary classes at my local community college or enlist the help of the cooking instructor/chef at my local supermarket.  Other than that, I do not know how to proceed.  I don't think this process should be so difficult and wonder what I am doing wrong.    

BGM's picture
BGM

Sounds like your yeast is dead.  What kind are you using?  Get some SAF RED Instant yeast and don't bother with proofing..

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/saf-red-instant-yeast-16-oz

Blanche's picture
Blanche

When I had success, it was with Red Star Active Dry Yeast in jar which had expiration date October 2017. That is the same yeast that failed today. When you say don't proof, you mean just mix water and yeast, then just keep going with the recipe? How do you get the carbon dioxide bubbles? Do you still do a first rise, punching down, and second rise? 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I'm not sure, but I think yeast is killed at water temperatures over 110 degrees. Try proofing a bit of your yeast in water more like 85 degrees, with or without sugar.

ao's picture
ao

If there's one thing I learned at the beginning of my bread making adventures, it's to go cool and slow.  I didn't have a bread machine or a kitchen aid either and still don't. 

after reading your blog, I would advise on cutting down the yeast to about 75% and proof in a cool place. set a time. so you don't forget to check back. 

In my experience, it's better to bake under proofed dough, as soon as the dough looks puffy enough, pop it in the oven. It is most likely that oven spring will take it the rest of the way. you may end up with some cracks in the bread, but this will be purely aesthetic.

It can be a learning curve. I was so disappointed in my first few bakes as well, but after falling down and climbing back up again it's become an addiction to keep learning and perfecting.

Blanche's picture
Blanche

This SAF Red Instant Yeast--is it a block? How do you work with that? Crumble or chip some off? Don't know how to measure if it's nor granular. Thanks. Blanche

Postal Grunt's picture
Postal Grunt

The SAF instant yeast that is sold in local Walmarts is indeed granular yeast, it's just compressed into a 1lb block for sale. It's also a much cheaper way to buy yeast in that it can be found for $5-6/lb. As soon as you buy one of these packages, find a small relatively air tight container to store what you might use in a month's time in your refrigerator. Store the remainder in an air tight container in your freezer. As long as you keep the yeast dry, it will keep for years in your freezer. I have some SAF active dry yeast in my freezer that still works after six and a half years. You should be able to expect the same from the instant dry yeast.

Measuring dry yeast is best done by weight, rather than by volume when baking large loaves. The usual rule of thumb for dry yeast is 2% of the total flour weight for your dough. As you gain experience, you'll find that using a scale to weigh your ingredients is much more accurate and consistent which will lead to a better result for your efforts. You don't need a bread machine or a big old Kitchenaid to make good bread but you do need a scale to make better bread.

BGM's picture
BGM

I too agree that you are probably killing the yeast with water that is too hot. Room Temp or body temp water is OK.  Maybe your thermometer is a little off.  Just feel the water and if it's warm, use it. 

Red Star looks like a block in the sealed vacuum packet foil package but it's really a dry powder.  I do measure it because the weight of yeast is so small it takes a good scale to weigh it.

Just add the dry yeast to your other dry ingredients, mix them well and add your warm water.  Follow the directions from there.

Lots of good recipes and video's on the King Arthur web site.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

115°F is too hot and killing the yeast.  

richkaimd's picture
richkaimd

1,)  If you're going to proof the yeast, something I've not done for many years but stopped when I discovered I didn't need to, use water that's warm, not hot.  A normal finger can tell warm from hot.  (Hot, as measured by the finger test, will reliably be anything over normal body temperature of 98.6F.)  Doing it this way will relieve you of the necessity of washing your thermometer.  I no longer use warm water in making bread unless I really need to get the yeast going quickly, as, for example, when I need to turn out my challah loaves in three hours.  Under those circumstances I also do my rising in a very warm (not hot!) place.

2.)  I purchase the large bags of yeast sold in the big box stores.  Once I open one of the vacuum sealed containers I store the yeast in a well sealed glass container in my fridge.  It keeps for MONTHS.  Doing this, I've yet to have this yeast die on me, something which used to happen before the bread bug hit me hard.  The little sealed yeast packages I purchased in supermarkets would come dead on occasion.  That never happens now.

BobBoule's picture
BobBoule

but 115 degrees F should not be too high. I looked up the temperature for cell death for yeast and its listed as 130 degrees F so I experimented with using 125 degree F water and it worked just fine so I don't think that temperature was a problem.

-Maybe your thermometer is not calibrated (mine is calibrated by placing it into a cup of water with ice cubes, stirring it for 30 seconds to see if it reads 32 degrees F, then I place it into boiling water to see if it reads 212 degrees F. If its off then I use the calibration procedure and fix it (check the manual for the thermometer and follow the calibration instructions there.

-Your yeast may be dead. I used to buy very large packages of yeast to save money but regardless of brand the yeast would eventually fail before I finished the package. I now buy the smallest quantity I can that will only last me no more than three months and my yeast is always extremely active. I only buy my yeast from a store that has a very long expiration date.

-I don't proof any more. I just throw the yeast in there and go for it and my loaves all have great rise.-

-I do now follow the "The Rule Of 240" for setting my water temperature and it seems to work very well for me, so I get consistent results (for what I do I don't think its absolutely necessary but consistency does have its own value).

Blanche's picture
Blanche

Thank you for doing all the testing for me, BobBoule. BTW maybe I would be better off trying to make a boule than a loaf! Maybe me thermometer IS off!  THAT never occurred to me. also maybe my jar of active dry had just been opened and closed too much, even though I hadn't had it very long. I'm going to keep using purified water but maybe I SHOULD just go to recipes where proofing isn't mentioned. Although I have to admit it is impressive when it happens as it also is when that bread rises so beautifully in the bowl! Now if you would, please, explain to me the Rule of 240. Sorry so obtuse.

Blanche's picture
Blanche

Thank you for doing all the testing for me, BobBoule. BTW maybe I would be better off trying to make a boule than a loaf! Maybe my thermometer IS off!  THAT never occurred to me. also maybe my jar of active dry had just been opened and closed too much, even though I hadn't had it very long. I'm going to keep using purified water but maybe I SHOULD just go to recipes where proofing isn't mentioned. Although I have to admit it is impressive when it happens as it also is when that bread rises so beautifully in the bowl! Now if you would, please, explain to me the Rule of 240. Sorry so obtuse.

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I just looked it up myself. Here is the link that I found that explained it really well.

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=bakingintro2