What did I do wrong?
#285593 - 10/07/06 06:20 PM
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Ok, I made this bread (see below). It tasted so yeasty I couldn't even eat it! Oh it smelled so bad. I've never made bread before so was it just that it maybe called for too much yeast? I added 1 package which is 2 1/4 teaspoons I think. Also, I didn't have a food processor so I did everything by hand but I don't think that would have affected the taste. Any advice would be great.
Thanks
Basic French Bread Recipe
Bread-making may seem difficult, but the process is really quite simple and the actual working time is minimal, especially when using a food processor. Although the aroma of baking bread is a reward in itself, the satisfaction of serving up the finished product is the real payoff.
Basic French Bread (+)
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour, plus a little extra in case you need it
- 1 package dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 cups water
Directions
Dissolve sugar in warm water; sprinkle dry yeast over water and leave until the yeast gets frothy - 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put flour and salt in food processer and pulse briefly to mix. Pour in the frothy yeast water and process 30- 40 seconds. The dough should form a rough ball.
Put the dough into a fairly large bowl (to allow for its volume when raised) and let rise, covered, in a warm draft-free place, until it has almost doubled in volume, about an hour. (Tip: to create a warm, draft-free place, microwave a glass of water for 2 minutes then put the dough inside to rise with the heated water.)
Sprinkle a little flour on a work surface. Scrape out the dough onto the floured surface and divide in half. Press and knead each piece for a minute to get out any air bubbles, then roll into cigar-shaped loaves to fit the baking pan(s). Put loaves into lightly oiled pan(s). Make several diagonal slashes in the top and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until almost doubled, about an hour.
When the dough seems almost risen, preheat oven to 425. Bake for 25 -35 minutes. The bread is done when the bottom of the of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to cool.
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Courtney (IBS-D)
"Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible." Romans 12:18
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The recipe seems fine. Did you let it rise long enough or maybe measure something wrong? did it look ok?
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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yep, I let it rise the two hours that it said. It looked wonderful but it was so yeasty. Do you think it would be ok to try it with only 1 teaspoon of yeast next time?
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Courtney (IBS-D)
"Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible." Romans 12:18
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#285795 - 10/09/06 12:02 PM
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--------------------
Courtney (IBS-D)
"Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible." Romans 12:18
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I've made bread a zillion times and for a pound of flour you're going to need the whole package of yeast (2 1/4 t if you're using bulk yeast) for it to rise properly. With a teaspoon you'll end up with an interestingly-shaped doorstop.
The simplest explanation is that you had a bad package of yeast, even if the expiration date hadn't been reached yet. This can happen.
Other potential problems --
The water temperature when you proofed the yeast might have been off. Until you've done it enough to be dead certain, you should use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the water -- it should be between 90 and 110. If it's too cold, the yeast won't activate properly. If it's too hot, you'll kill the yeast. One clue that your water temperature is off is that the yeast isn't getting properly foamy when it proofs -- it should get nice and puffy sort of like the foam on a root beer float, but with some substance to it. You should always mix sugar/honey in with the yeast before adding water so that the yeast has something to feed on. Generally you should let it sit at least 5 minutes but no more than 10.
Another possibility is that the water you used was too salty (which can happen if you use tap water). Too much salt will kill off the yeast. You should only add about a teaspoon of salt per loaf of bread, and it should be mixed well with the flour before you add the yeast.
Although not very likely, it might also be that since you didn't use the food processor, the yeast just didn't get mixed in well enough. Bread dough should be kneaded for a minimum of 5 minutes if you're doing it by hand, but 10 minutes is much more satisfactory.
Don't be discouraged -- give it another shot and see how it goes. Breadmaking isn't that hard, but it isn't necessarily mastered on the first shot, either. If you plan on doing much bread-making I would buy yeast in jars instead of the packets. I buy Red Star yeast (non-rapid-rise) and it works great.
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jen
"It's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle -- to get one's head cut off." -- LC
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