Yeast - Active Dry vs. Instant

I'm working on testing out some new recipes for you folks and thought I'd include an important service announcement.   Yesterday I was working on making some english muffins, I was using a great recipe that is acclaimed across the web, written by a professional baker.  In my haste, I neglected to notice that the recipe called for instant yeast.  I went my merry way, measured out my active dry yeast and set about mixing my dough.  

Then I started kneading.  

Then I noticed all the little balls of active dry yeast where still present in my dough, like little bits of sand they weren't dissolving.  Then I had a giant "duh!" moment and went to check the recipe.  Sure enough, I had to start over because I hadn't activated my yeast and my first batch was never going to rise. 

Let this be a lesson to you all!  So, what is the difference between active dry yeast and instant yeast?  There is one important difference - instant yeast can be added directly to your recipe, and active dry yeast needs to be "activated" first by being dissolved in warm liquid.   It is possible to substitute active dry for instant like I did by activating it and using a little more than you would if you were using the instant yeast. 

Read my last post on yeast for more details on how to properly activate it, and also check out this Yeast FAQ over at The Fresh Loaf for more info on the differences between active dry and instant.  

Ginger Beer

Isn't it pretty? It doesn't taste bad either. Ours was only very lightly carbonated because we did it in mason jars instead of bottles, so we had to open them to release built up gas while they were fermenting lest they explode.  (Mason jars are meant to hold a vacuum, not something pressurized).  The fermentation process ate up all the sugars, so I like to sweeten mine a little.  Next time I think I am also going to make it with ginger tea instead of water for added ginger flavor.
 
Read how to make a "ginger bug" in this post: Original post

Ginger Beer Recipe:
After 7 days your ginger bug should be bubbling, if it's not throw it away and start again.  If it is, it's ready to use. 
Dissolve 3 cups of Rapadura in 10 cups of boiling water (next time I make it, instead of boiling water I am going to use ginger tea, which you make by steeping cut up ginger in boiling water).  Once the sugar is dissolved add the juice of 4 lemons, and 20 more cups of water/ginger tea.   Mix well, cover the bowl tightly and leave for a week.  After 7 days transfer to eight quart bottles with corks or caps and leave for 14 days at room temperature. 

Yeast - Baking, Brewing and the joy of fermentation

Over the years I've noticed that most people are comfortable making a quickbread but as soon as yeast gets involved people start wussing out. So I'm writing this post for you guys, so you don't have to be scared of the yeast any more. Yeast is our friend. Yeast makes bubbly bread and bubbly beer.


It goes by many names - baker's yeast, brewer's yeast, ale yeast, budding yeast, and its scientific name Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This particular type of yeast has been used for thousands of years in our food, with the first evidence of usage dating back to the ancient Egyptians. A related strain of wild yeast Saccharomyces exiguus (also known as S. minor) is used to make sourdough breads. (Don't get 'em confused for Candida albicans, which is another type of yeast that is NOT our friend.) Yeast basically eats fermentable sugars and turns them into carbon dioxide and alcohols. The carbon dioxide is what puts the bubbles in our bread and beers. In this post I'm going to go through how to properly use baker's yeast, how to make your own "ginger bug" for brewing ginger beer and making ginger soda, and how to make your own sourdough starter. Why those particular things you ask? Because that's what I'm making right now.


S. cerevisiae cells are round, 5–10 micrometers in diameter (cute little buggers). Yeast from the store will come in either packets or jars of a dry brown powder that consists of tiny balls of live yeast cells coated in dry dead yeast cells and a growth medium - this form of yeast is called active dry yeast (other varieties available are cream yeast, instant yeast, rapid-rise yeast and compressed yeast. Don't buy these unless your recipe specifically calls for that kind). Active dry yeast needs to be rehydrated before you can use it. Proper rehydration of the yeast cells is vital for fermentation.

When rehydrating your dry yeast make sure you use clean ph balanced (filtered) water (never distilled, the yeast need those minerals). The water must be warm but not hot! Between 99-105°F (this is very important!) Hotter water will kill your yeast and water below 60 degrees can reduce your yeast's viability by more than half. Allow your yeast to come to room temperature if you have been storing them in the refrigerator. Add your yeast to the warm water and  it in (the dry yeast has a tendency to stick to itself and form clumps if you don't stir it up a bit). Some recipes will tell you to add salt or sugar to this mixture. Don't do it! Salt and sugar both inhibit yeast growth and slow things down. Your active dry yeast has food in it already for your yeast to start with. In about 5 to 10 minutes your yeast/water mixture should be noticeably bubbling, this might take up to a half hour. At this point you can add it into your other ingredients to make a bread dough. Your dough should be the right temperature for yeast growth. Warmer dough will cause more rapid growth, but yeast start to die at 120 degrees so be careful. 85-95 degrees is normally ideal for making bread. To cold with also kill your yeast. Add your salt and sugar in with the other dry ingredients.

Ginger Bug!

 You don't always need to buy yeast to cook with yeast. Its kind of hanging out around us all the time. If you leave something out for it to eat, it will show up. This is the principle behind making a ginger bug or sourdough starter - if you give it the kind of food it likes it will come. I learned how to make these two things from an awesome book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It's my roommates book but I have fallen in love with it. Making your "ginger bug" is way easy. Get a clean jar and put 1.5 cups of filtered water in it. Add 2 tsps of ground ginger and 2 tsp of sugar to the water and shake well. Cover and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Every 24 hours for 7 days add 2 more tsps of ginger and 2 more of sugar. By day 7 it should start bubbling. If it doesn't, throw it away and try again.

To make sourdough starter all you need is rye flour and water, and 7 more days. Start with 2 cups of cold filtered water and 2 cups of rye flour. Mix them together until nice and soupy in a gallon sized bowl. Cover with cheesecloth and let it sit in a warm place. Everyday, transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and add one cup of rye flour and enough water to keep it soupy. After a few days it should start to bubble and develop a wine-like aroma. This bubbly frothy stage should subside. After 7 days you should have about 3 quarts of sourdough starter. Leftover sourdough starter can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer. We are going to make sourdough bread and short beer with our starter.


Once my bugs and starters are all ready I will do another post with recipes for sourdough bread and ginger beer. :)