yeast in BM?

liz.._4

I use dried yeast in the packets in my BM but was reading one of the freebie threads which said people were getting free yeast from supermarkets from the bakery dept.

The manual says to only use fast action yeast, will it work if I use fresh yeast? Or does anyone know of a cheap way round it? I find the small packets a right old rip off!

many thanks:)

BrandNewDay

I have heard that you are supposed to use the quick stuff in packets. In the book Tips for your Bread Machine (or whatever it's called) the author clearly says that you want the fast-acting stuff, NOT regular yeast and NOT fresh yeast.

Are the people in the freebie thread using bread machines?

squeaky

Yes you can use fresh yeast - you just can't put it straight into the machine.

You need to put some in water and add some sugar to activate it. The advice is to use warm water, but cold is OK, it just takes a little longer. Leave it sitting until the bubbles make a froth on top, then you can bung it in the machine.

I use an ice cube's worth (because I freeze it as soon as I get it) with one teaspoon of sugar to start. Then once it's in the machine I add two more teaspoons (total then is one tablespoon) and of course all the rest of the ingredients for the bread.

You'll need to keep an eye on the bread rising time the first few times because it might be a bit slower or faster than the program allows for, and if you always get a low rise, you can add a crushed vitamin c tablet (or two).

It takes trial and error, but if you also use the shop's own value plain flour at around 29 per pack (enough for three loaves) that's really cheap bread.

liz.._4

Thanks Guys, I'll probably give it a whirl...not sure if the freebie posters are using BMs Brandnewday...:)