Boiling Point: Yeast - it's alive!

Years ago, I was baking bread with my young nephew. We mixed the dough, and it was rising in the bowl.

"It's alive," he exclaimed, as the dough puffed up before our eyes.

He was right. Yeast is a living organism, and must be coddled as such. In some cultures, it takes on religious significance. Mexicans call yeast almas, for souls with a living spirit.

One tablespoon contains tens of millions of cells. They produce alcohol and exhale carbon dioxide, the bubbles we see in dough and the power that causes it to rise. Their food is the natural sugars in grains and flours.

Bread yeast leaves a trace of alcohol in the finished product. Beverage yeasts are stronger, the key to our liquors, wines and beers.

Soft or Crispy Bread?

Yeast determines your bread texture. For a crispy crust and dense texture, use water. Milk, potato water and beer give you a moist, soft product.

As with all living things, yeast needs the right conditions to grow and faces death if they are not met. I've heard from folks who try baking bread only to find their yeast does not rise. Most likely, the liquid used to start the process was too warm. Yeast activates best between 78 and 80 degrees, lukewarm to the touch. It begins to die around 100 degrees.

There are two ways to buy yeast, in powder or compressed cakes. The cakes are old-fashioned and delicate, lasting only a few weeks in the refrigerator. Powder in packets lasts for months, but you pay for the convenience, about 40 cents each.

I bake a lot of bread and buy yeast by the pound. This cuts my yeast bill by 90 percent. I keep it in the freezer, and it will last up to a year.

The powder is labeled "instant," but that has no relation to its rising time. It dissolves quickly, unlike its cake cousin.

Cool Rising

As with fine wine, yeast improves flavor with long rising periods. Many bread recipes call for placing the dough in a warm spot to accelerate the rising. That's not the path to great bread. The best way is to put the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for 24 hours, called cool rising. Use a bag large enough to handle the expansion.

Yeast rapidly is taking on new roles. The ethanol-fuel process is dependent on yeast conversion to alcohol. Molecular scientists have found that yeast cells produce minute amounts of electricity. They're busy finding a way to convert this to usable power in a yeast-based fuel cell. Imagine that.

Jim's Cool-Rise Yeast Bread

4 cups white flour

1 1/3 cup warm water (85 degrees)

2 tablespoons yeast powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly mix one cup of flour with the remaining ingredients. Then add the remaining flour and knead until a satiny texture develops, about 10 minutes. Add a little extra flour if too moist or a little water if too dry.

Place the dough in a gallon-size plastic food bag and twist tie at top, leaving space for expansion. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Remove and punch down the dough. Knead for 10 minutes. Cut in half and place in two oiled bread pans. Cover with oiled wax paper and a clean towel.

Allow to rise for an hour. Bake in 400-degree oven for 25 minutes or until crust is brown.

Makes two loaves, also great for pizza dough.

Send food questions to jim.hillibish@cantonrep.com.