Hello Fellow Homemakers and Homemakers In Training!
I know I already shared a blog post today but I need to get this off my chest too. I wanted to share a little something I learned about using yeast. Something that NO ONE tells you.
If you've been around my Instagram for a while, you know that I love to cook, bake, stir fry and really do anything in the kitchen. And for years I considered myself quite good! Banana bread? You got it. Homemade pasta? Easy.
But there was one skill that evaded me. One tool in my kitchen toolkit that I didn't have.
The ability to successfully use yeast.
Y'all. This has been something I've been unable to master for quite some time. Being able to see that dough rise was a dream I thought I'd never be able to accomplish. But as I was scrolling on Pinterest earlier in the week, looking at all of the delicious bread recipes, I decided that I would give it another go.
And by George, I did it!!!!
I made TWO loaves this week: A cinnamon roll and a rosemary garlic loaf. And let me tell you, it was glorious.
There is no feeling quite like seeing that dough double in size, and knowing that a yummy, freshly baked loaf of bread awaits you.
But here's the thing, I have read countless articles and blog posts on how to use yeast and I couldn't get it quite right until now. So what changed?
Well friends, this is where context and language comes into play. It's like that old adage about knowing where to put the comma in a sentence: "Let's eat Grandma!" vs "Let's eat, Grandma!" The comma is of the utmost importance.
Words and punctuation are key to understanding each other. But often, depending on our upbringing and our experiences, different words can mean different things to different people.
So when the countless articles I read on using yeast called for "warm" water, I thought that meant what warm means to me. And in my mind, "warm" is equivalent to "lukewarm". "Warm" is when you step into the tub and you don't flinch at the temperature. If there was a spectrum from cold to hot, warm would be in the middle closer to the cold side.
That was my understanding of warm.
Turns out, I was wrong.
The secret to using yeast is that the water needs to be "warmer" than you think. Actually, it's borderline hot. Not so hot that there's steam coming from it, but warm bordering on hot.
It's the heat which activates the yeast. And for some reason, everyone kept saying "warm."
So here's what I did.
Step 1: I boiled water in the kettle until it was steaming hot.
Step 2: I then transferred the water to a heat safe measuring cup or bowl and stirred it to let the steam release. I did this until there was no more steam coming from the water but it was still hot to touch.
Step 3: I poured the still hot/warm water into the yeast and voila! Two successful loaves of yummy, homemade bread for the fam.
Cain and I enjoyed the cinnamon bread toasted with butter and Manuka honey. And the rosemary garlic was enjoyed with olive oil and a little salt on top.
Both were delish and I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself for not giving up. So if you're struggling with yeast, use this as your sign to keep trying!!
The recipes to both of these will be linked below for you ladies!
xo,
F.
Happy Bread Baking!!
Rosemary Garlic Bread
Easy Cinnamon Bread
Comments