Hey, so since I love bread so much and do a lot of work with yeast I thought I’d write a little tutorial. Yeast can be a bit persnickety, but if you follow a few simple rules it will work for ya every time.
get a clean bowl and measure out your yeast. boom. simple.
warm up your liquid (usually it’s water, but sometimes it’s milk) to a temperature somewhere between 110-115. if it’s cooler than that, the yeast won’t activate and you’re bread won’t rise. if it’s warmer than that, it will kill the yeast and again, your bread won’t rise. I usually use a candy thermometer, but can guesstimate if need be. But for the green chefs out there, I’d recommend a thermometer. when you get really good at it, you will know the water is the right temperature by touch and whether or not your yeast is activated by the smell of it.
mix it together and let it stand while you mix the other ingredients. if you are mixing it with things such as eggs or milk, make sure they are warm or room temperature so it doesn’t mess with your yeast.
** When you are letting your bread rise, put it in a big mixing bowl that has been greased and roll the dough over so that the whole ball gets greased. Cover it with cellophane and place in a warm draft-free place like an oven or microwave (don’t turn them on though, because that would cook it and that’s not rising…. that’s cooking).
