I‘ve explained the right way to make yeast bread and some of the basic principles behind it that you really need to stick to. However, some people still have trouble and don’t know what they are doing wrong. If that’s you – then this is for you. Here are the 5 most common ways (in my opinion – no science here) to ruin yeast bread.
1. Kill The Yeast
I use active dry yeast in all my recipes. You have to proof the yeast in warm water if you want it to work. The first way to ruin your bread is to douse the yeast with scalding water – or better yet – straight cold water from the tap. You’ll notice that the yeast does almost nothing. It doesn’t foam, get frothy or bubble. This is a fantastic indication that you’ve killed your yeast. Congrats – you’ve ruined the recipe early on. Please, don’t continue, you’re just wasting your ingredients. Throw out the yeast and try again.
2. Don’t Knead Long Enough
If you want the consistency of your bread to be tough, dense or dry – do this: Knead only once or twice, until it looks good and mixed, then set it for the first rise. No need to wait for that smooth and elastic thing that recipes constantly mention. Moist, even consistency is highly over-rated.
3. Add Too Much Flour
If you like your bread to be dry and crumbly – then add tons of flour. As you’re kneading – just dump it right in. Pay no attention to the feel of the springy dough as it becomes more like a dense, stiff ball – flour away!
4. Don’t Keep Track Of Time
If you want to be sure that your dough will deflate in the oven then absolutely DO NOT keep track of how long it rises. Consider the rising times to be more of a suggestion. If you’re tied up with something – go ahead and let it rise for 90 minutes. It doesn’t really matter that the loaf collapsed – does it? I mean, dry bread is good for something – right?
5. Bake Too Long
Out of fear of under-cooking – be sure and add at least 10 minutes to the suggested baking time. One can never be too careful. Disregard the suggestion to tap the top and bottom of the loaf, listening for the hollow sound – it might fool you. Bake a little longer – just in case.
No harm or offense intended. This post is written as a light-hearted how-NOT-to. For information on how you SHOULD make yeast breads, try this post.
Why I do what I do ~ Chloe, to me while I’m starting supper- “Mom, will you sew me some swan wings? They need to be white and have feathers and go like this (shows me the shape). Can you do it right now?”
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