HM Bread and rising

flea72

how long should i be leaving my bread to rise?

i give it one rising, until its doubled in size (about 1hr on a radiator), and then i knock it back, shape and then leave to rise again, til doubled in size (about 3/4hr)

But im finding that once cooked, the top 1" of the bread is all airy, and looks more like a crumpet, or like stringy pizza cheese, iyswim

is this due to the rising, or am i using too much yeast, and the bread is just getting too airy?

Flea

mrs_drudge

Possibly the radiator is too warm? Try leaving it in a warm room, not too close to a radiator, but still until it doubles in size. I have Elizabeth Davids English Yeast and Bread cookery which is brilliant - have not made many of the recipes but it is a good read! She recommends a slow cooler rising.

squeaky

Too much yeast and/or rising too fast would be my calls too. If the bubbles get too big the bread will actually collapse in the first part of cooking.


This would be a good question to add to our main Breadmaking Hints Tips and Recipes thread so I shall merge it shortly.

Good luck

flea72

no it doesnt collapse - i just have huge loaves, with an airy bit at the top, the rest of the loaf is a really good texture

i think the prob with the yeast is, i have mechanical scales and the smallest amount i can weigh is 20g, so i have to rough guess how much the 1/2oz of yeast i need is

does anyone have a spoon size conversion for fresh yeast, as the recipe i use is all spoons/cups, except for the yeast info which says 1/2oz - would be soo much easier if i could spoon it

Flea

squeaky

Hang on while I go and weigh my last chunk of fresh (well, frozen really. I divide it into rough portions to use later)...

..I'd say that three dead level teaspoons worth would be about right. Once you've tried that you can reduce or increase as required.

I must admit, I don't use proper bread programs when I use fresh yeast. I set to make dough, then check every fifteen minutes or so until the bread has risen right, and then set it to bake.

HTH

flea72

i dont use a bread machine, i use my kenwood and then leave to rise on the radiator

but 3 tsps of fresh yeast??!! - i dont think im using 1sp at the mo, let alone 3

ok perhaps my recipe is totally wrong, but this is from experimenting to get a flavour we like:-

1/2 tsp sugar, about 1/2oz fresh yeast, 2 tbsp milk powder, 2 cups of warm water - put in liquidizer, whizz til mixed, then leave to stand for about 5mins til really frothy

1/2 tsp salt, 3 cups plain flour, 3 cups bread flour

add yeast mixture to flour, and mix in kenwood til coming away from sides, for about 2 mins (sometimes need to add a little water as i go)

warm bowl in microwave for 1min, then grease - turn out dough into bowl, cover and stand on radiator til doubled in size, usually about 1hr (or more, if i forget about it lol) - knock back down, put into greased loaf tin, and put uncovered on radiator to rise again, usually about 40mins

then cook in the oven gas 6 for about 25mins

this makes a standard shop size loaf (800g?)

Flea

apprentice_tycoon

if you think that it's your scales that are a bit too clumsy for such a small amount of yeast I'd have a look around for some diet scales, pound shops often have them, they will be far more sensitive to small amounts

Hunnymonster

Weigh a larger quantity that can be easily subdivided...

So if you need 1/2 oz - weigh a 4oz lump, roll it in your hands to a ball - quarter the ball and then half the quarters - it should get you remarkably close to the 1/2oz without buying new scales.

Remember they still managed to make bread in the dark ages without scales at all

squeaky

flea72 wrote:

but 3 tsps of fresh yeast??!! - i dont think im using 1sp at the mo, let alone 3

based on what the OP asked for, i.e. a way to measure half an ounce...

..an ounce is 28 grams...

..and a dead level teaspoon is five grams.

Three teaspoons would be 15 grams which is darn close to the 14 grams for half an ounce.

I know that would be one level tablespoon - but working out minor changes to suit the recipe will be easier by the part teaspoon than by the part tablespoon.

Anyway, roughly that amount works just fine for me

Debt_Free_Chick

I'm with Elizabeth David on this one and leave my dough in the unheated utility room to rise overnight.

I find that dough risen in a warm room ends up exactly as flea72 has found - with a gap of air between the top of the bread and the crust. Either that, or it actually deflates in the oven! :eek:

apprentice_tycoon

Out of interest, does anyone have any views on yeast? is fresh yeast better than the new single rise easy blend granulated yeast? - I know you can get fresh yeast for free at the supermarket bakers but any other advantages?