Have some yeast which I am unsure of. Is there anyway f testing it to see if it is useable for my breadmaking?
nitronz,
Apr 6, 9:58am
yes by making some bread
bunny51,
Apr 6, 10:12am
You can mix a teaspoon or so with some warm water and about teaspoon sugar (I think) and leave it to see if it frothes (about 10 minutes) if it goes frothy it is ok if it doesn't then it is no good and your bread won't rise
duckmoon,
Apr 6, 11:00am
I agree
cookessentials,
Apr 6, 7:13pm
same as bunny51
2halls,
Apr 6, 7:33pm
Yes, I agree with the warm water and sugar method. I did this the other night with some yeast in the fridge that supposedly expired in August 08 ! It was absolutely fine and made some lovely bread with it. You may even need to leave it longer than 10 minutes depending on the temperature of the room. Just go and do something else for a while and then check on it. What I do to get the perfect temperature is boil the kettle and add equal parts of boiling water and cold water together, mix in the sugar until it dissolves, then sprinkle on the yeast. DON'T mix the yeast, just sprinkle and leave alone:-)
uli,
Apr 6, 9:16pm
Hmmm - and I always thought everybody would do this before they make their bread? No? Make a well in the middle of the flour and put yeast sugar and water in and let it froth up ...
Has that fallen out of fashion? How do you make bread nowadays ?
dezzie,
Apr 6, 9:28pm
lol breadmaker I guess
rebecca12,
Apr 6, 10:41pm
Uli if I am using yeast rather then sourdough I often just chuck everything in because I tend to do long rises its never been an issue.
uli,
Apr 7, 12:01am
Well I do not know how "bread makers" work ... LOL :) Too old fashioned I am afraid ...
cookessentials,
Apr 7, 2:10am
no, some of still make it by hand and in fact, I prefer it. my breadmaker is still in it's box, unused and brand new. I think 2halls meant the testing of the freshness of the yeast - warm water and sugar to make sure the yeast still blooms.
2halls,
Apr 7, 3:17am
Yes cookie, that's exactly what I meant. And for the record, I make my bread by hand too :-)
cookessentials,
Apr 7, 4:34am
Fiona, have you ever tried the terracotta bread pots? I was given some way back in 1983 for a gift and I found them again the other day, so I might just make some flower pot loaves this weekend.
2halls,
Apr 7, 4:55am
Hi Pam, no I haven't, but have always wanted too. What I am going to try verysoon however is the "fake oven" method. Google "Mark Bittman + Bread" if you want to know about it. It's fascinating, and I think would be really good. Sadly, due to the fact that I can't eat gluten, all my lovely baking is devoured by hubby and I just have to sniff ! ! :-)
The "normal" no knead bread? But what is a "fake oven"?
I always leave my bread dough for at least overnight (so that would be about 14 hours) then knead and form it and leave another 3 to 4 hours to rise and then bake. Or I put it into the fridge to let it rise and bake the next day.
Probably "new" to Kiwi bakers, but "old" to Europeans who grew up with sourdough anyway.
Give it go - you might like it!
And if keen read some pages here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages. asp x? id=131
bunny51,
Apr 7, 6:03am
My mother used to make bread in flower pots. It tasted really yummy! (Don't know what she did but it always tasted different to the usual bread she made
2halls,
Apr 7, 6:18am
The "fake oven" part is when you heat a lidded cast iron casserole dish in the oven (very hot) and then you put the shaped dough straight into the casserole dish. It is to try and mimic the heat that might come from a baker's oven as opposed to a domestic oven.
uli,
Jan 8, 10:02pm
Yes that might work really well ...
However I would still recommend that you do a very slow "rising" - not to worry about the "kind" - either sourdough or yeast ...
Let us know how you got on - and if you liked it ... I am always interested in learning more ...
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