Fresh Yeast and Breadmaking by hand

pandaonmyshoulder · 3 May 2006 at 10:08AM

Ok so I've got hold of some free yeast from ASDA but with no breadmachine what recipie can I use to make some bread?? I have never made bread with fesh yeast before?????

lister · 3 May 2006 at 11:41AM

pandaonmyshoulder wrote:

Ok so I've got hold of some free yeast from ASDA but with no breadmachine what recipie can I use to make some bread?? I have never made bread with fesh yeast before?????

Basic white load

500g strong white flour + 1 tsp salt + 25g sugar, mixed together.
Approx. 1/2 pint warm water.
30g fresh yeast.

Dissolve the yeast in about half the water, make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the yeast mixture in. Gradually incorporate into the flour. Add the rest of the water and mix together until you can draw the dough into a single mass.

Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave to rise (don't worry about a warm place - room temp is more than adequate, just slower - in fact you can prove a dough in the fridge if you really want to... Slower proving gives better flavour) for 1-2 hours.

Knock the dough back (punch it a few times - literally) and reknead for a couple of minutes. Shape dough into a greased and floured loaf tin (or onto a greased baking tray for a more rustic shape), and leave to rise for another hour. Bake at 200C for about 20-30 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Depending on the fresh yeast (and it can be very variable) you may find the yeast proportions vary. This should rise easily, but you may be able to reduce the yeast by up to 50%.