Whether you're making a recipe for cinnamon rolls or French bread, yeast factors into the equation.
Yeast is a required ingredient for almost all bread recipes. While we typically just buy yeast
at the grocery store and toss it in our mixing bowl, yeast has quite an interesting backstory.
Yeast are fungi, living organisms found all around us, floating in the air.
According to producer Red Star Yeast, yeast is made up of egg-shaped cells,
only visible through a microscope. They're fungi just like the molds found on blue cheese,
mushrooms, or even in antibiotics such as penicillin. However, yeast grows in
a different form than other fungi, which are typically composed of tubular chains of
cells called hyphae. Yeast is found in small clusters of cells, or as an individual cell.
And since it's alive, yeast can also die. According to Red Star Yeast,
their yeast is stamped with a best by date of two years from when the yeast is packaged.
Keeping it in a cool, dry place such as your pantry or refrigerator will ensure it'll live
up to that date. If you're not sure if your yeast is alive, pour it over warm water with
a teaspoon of sugar. If it bubbles, it's still kicking, The Spruce Eats advises.
Also? Yeast has been around for longer than pretty much any of us.
In researching the ancient tomb of the Egyptian ruler Scorpion from around 3100 B.C.,
archaeologists found 700 jars of resinated wine. According to Scientific American, the resin was
used to slow the wine's natural progression into vinegar. Researchers found evidence of
the same species as modern-day brewer's yeast in the jars. While that isn't solid evidence
the ancient Egyptians knew that the addition of yeast could turn their juice into alcohol,
it certainly does show that yeast has been prevalent for a very, very long time.
"In these hallowed grounds, that which was set forth in ancient times
is as strong today as it was then."
There are hundreds of species in the yeast family. When baking bread or other goodies,
we turn to one of the most common species: Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. But according to
The Conversation, there are actually 250 species of yeast that do the same job as the variety we
all know and love. Those 250 species have the power to break down sugars and convert them
into carbon dioxide and alcohol. That said, only 24 of those species of yeast interact
with other ingredients and actually play a role in making food taste good.
These other species are found in a variety of food products as well.
Lactobacillus Brevis is used for cheese and yogurt
and Brettanomyces Lambicus may be used in brewing to specifically produce sour varieties of beer.
Yeast doesn't make its way to your local supermarket without some work.
According to Quartz, on a large manufacturing scale, yeast and molasses are mixed together
and fed a ridiculous amount of sugar to keep it happy and growing. Once that sugar is consumed
and fermented, the solid and liquid byproducts are separated, and the yeast is dried out.
That dried out powder is what we've become accustomed to purchasing in the store,
and manufacturers package it in a way that makes it shelf-stable.
Because of that manufacturing process, some yeast varieties need a little waking up.
Instant yeast is ready to rock straight out of the package, but
active dry yeast must be activated before use. Sprinkle it in warm water before adding in any
other ingredients in your baking project. And check the package to make sure which one you have!
Yeast is mostly known for its role in baking bread, but it also plays a big role in the
production of alcoholic drinks. That's right. You can thank yeast for your buzz.
In beer brewing, yeast is added to the wort, the mash that's made from malted grains like barley.
This begins the process of fermentation. The yeast begins to consume the sugar
in the wort and converts it into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
It's responsible for the alcohol content in beer, as well as its carbonation.
Yeast plays a role in making wine, too. It's found on the skins of grapes, which makes its way into
the fermenter during the winemaking process. Wild yeast strains consume the sugars in the grapes,
ultimately creating alcohol. Winemakers help the process along by adding commercial
strains of yeast, and each strain adds a different flavor to the finished wine.
So yeast can be the cause of hangovers. It can also be the cure. According to Jim Koch,
co-founder of Samuel Adams beer, mixing a bit of dry yeast with yogurt before a night of drinking
is the ideal way to alleviate your headache the next day. Because yeast breaks down alcohol,
the alcohol in what you're consuming may be broken down before being absorbed into your bloodstream.
Smells evoke feelings. The smell of freshly baked bread can definitely
inspire nostalgia for your grandmother or mother baking bread in the kitchen.
“What’s that?”
“What?”
“Th-that smell? What’s that smell?”
“What smell?”
“It’s very familiar! I can’t put my finger on it. It’s very familiar.”
Next time you're thinking back to the old days, remember that the comforting smell of freshly
baked bread isn't just coming from the baking process itself. It has everything to do with
yeast. As the yeast in the dough is feeding on the sugars found in flour, carbon dioxide is
being released to make that dough rise and create those incredible aromas we love along the way.
During the fermentation process, a number of compounds are produced,
and we can thank these compounds for the delicious smell and flavor of bread.
The more time a dough spends fermenting, along with a higher amount of yeast used in the dough,
ultimately the higher the concentration of aromatic compounds.
Pulling off a great loaf of homemade bread can be a challenge. After all,
you have to get your ingredients just right, along with your mixing,
and even your rise times. There's a lot of science that goes into baking the perfect loaf.
As you're looking at how much flour to add, or how much sugar and salt,
remember that one of the most important ingredients to get exactly right is yeast.
If you add too much yeast to your dough, it may end up producing more volume than intended.
A dough can increase in size too much, which ultimately leaves holes in the end product.
At the same time, if there's excess yeast, creating too much of a rise,
your loaf has the potential to completely collapse in the oven. On the other hand,
if you don't include enough yeast, you may end up with bread that's a bit too heavy,
with a tough texture because there wasn't enough development of carbon dioxide.
If you find yourself in a pinch, and you're out of yeast at home,
there are yeast substitutes and ways of skipping yeast altogether.
You might want to consider making a loaf of Irish Soda Bread,
which is typically served with thicker slices, as it's a bit more crumbly than
your typical loaf. That texture comes from the omission of yeast. A typical Irish
Soda Bread recipe will employ baking soda rather than yeast as its leavening agent.
If you're still set on a recipe that calls for yeast, you can opt for a substitute that
mimics what yeast will do. You can substitute an equal amount of double-acting baking powder,
for example. The baking powder acts to make the dough rise, as yeast typically would. Or, you can
use baking soda, paired with an acid such as lemon juice or buttermilk to mimic the same reaction.
Did you know you can harvest yeast yourself? If your local supermarket is out of yeast packets,
here's a unique science project to see if you can actually master it on your own.
A sourdough starter, which is obviously used for baking sourdough bread,
is essentially a form of yeast that you can grow on your own at home.
Because yeast is all around us, it really just needs a nice spot for it to form a community
and to grow. You can provide that perfect environment. According to Discover Magazine,
creating a home for bacteria consisting of flour and water essentially creates an enticing dish
for the yeast in the environment to eat, leaving it congregating and growing in one vessel such
as a jar. As it grows, your sourdough starter becomes ready to use in bread baking projects.
2020 has certainly been a wild ride. As stay-at-home orders began to pop up across
the U.S. in March as coronavirus cases rose, people were buying groceries by the cart-full,
stocking up on essentials like meat, bread, and a wild amount of toilet paper. Similar
to a winter storm or a hurricane, people were trying to prepare their families for
what might happen. Psychotherapist Lisa Brateman told How Stuff Works,
"We spend a lot of time and energy trying to feel in control, and buying things you
might throw out still gives the person a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation."
As news was developing about the coronavirus, people were engaging in those same tactics,
throwing staples like flour and yeast into the mix as well.
More time at home means more time for baking, right?
According to USA Today, within a four-week period, leading up to April 11,
2020, sales of yeast jumped by 410 percent. And according to John Heilman,
Vice President of manufacturing for AB Mauri, the parent company of Fleischmann's Yeast,
the buffer inventory the company had available on store shelves,
providing two to three weeks in between when they restock, was bought up almost instantly, creating
a prolonged lull in availability of the product. Now that's a scenario that isn't very fun, guys.
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