November 25, 2012 - 4:01pm
Why the extra yeast?
I regularly make the Jim Layhe No Knead bread with great results.
I recently tried making Pan co Santi (jim lahey walnut raisin bread) I found on the internet. It called for 1/2 teaspoon of yeast instead of 1/4 teaspoon, why? (The normal recipe uses 1/4 teaspoon of yeast.)
Did the dough need more lift because of the weight of the nuts and raisins?
Thank you!
Share
According to Hamelman, cinnamon significantly reduces yeast activity. One of the components, cinnamic aldehyde is responsible for this. Other spices such as mace and allspice can cause similar activity reduction. He probably wanted to keep the fermentation time relatively the same, so the yeast quantity is increased accordingly.
-Brad
Thanks Brad, I didn't know that cinnamon does that!
If you don't already have Hamelman's Bread in your library, you should consider it. It has tons of information on bread baking, both background and practical, in a very easy to read and digest format. And it has the added bonus of formulas that work and taste good!
-Brad
I sprinkle cinnamon on the exterior with a sieve after spraying with water, instead of adding to the dough. When the crust carmelizes, it makes the cinnamon taste very sweet and the aroma is wonderful. And you don't have to worry about impeding the yeast or starter.
Lloyd
Thanks, that's a great tip.