28 November 2007
Introduction to Yeast Doughs
Yeast is a type of fungus. Sounds gross, but makes for tasty fluffy breads. We’ve all seen the little packets of yeasties, to make your goodies with. Mix with warm water, or milk, maybe with a little bit of sugar, to wake those bad boys up and get them going. Then add to your dough and knead, knead, knead.
But why do we go through all of these steps? Why can’t we just toss the yeast in the dough itself? Is instant yeast really that much faster than normal yeast? Is there really a point to kneading so much beyond working your forarm muscles? Why are you kneading if it pushes air out of the dough, and that is the whole point of having yeast in there in the first place, to make those tasty fluffy airholes in bread. Why is cold the enemy?
I have found that there are as many answers to those questions as there are variations of yeasts, doughs, and everything that you can put into them. The next series of posts will be about yeast doughs, the different types of yeasts, and what different ingredients do in relation do the dough.
November 28, 2007, 12:13:31 PM | Permalink |
