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Welcome to the Home Ec Section. Matters of the family sometimes bring joy and other times bring grief. But it is never trivial: Family matters! Feel free to discuss topics such as the sanctity of marriage; the awesome responsibility of raising children; the struggles of communication problems; the grief of losing a loved one; or anything else that relates to the home and family. However, due to the more personal nature of this section, I ask that you would be especially thoughtful of the readers' feelings. My earnest hope and prayer is that the discussions in this section will help families grow in the love of Christ.

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Yeast

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  • Yeast

    For those who make your own bread.

    How often and how much yeast do you get each time you have to restock? What kind, and why?
    Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

  • #2
    Well since I don't make bread often, just whenever I need it. And usually just the cheap packs of 3 or 6 Fleischmann's Live Active Yeast. Those suckers live forever anyway..... Some bread makers by the Yeast by the Jar which has Umpteen Tablespoons and that seems to work fine too. There is no difference just Live Active Yeast is great. I stick to Fleischmanns because its reliable as an active brand but the local health food stores sell a good one too. Just make sure if you buy it in a jar its dark coated and glass. It lasts a lot longer.
    A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
    George Bernard Shaw

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    • #3
      I've been using Fleischmanns packets. I make bread much more frequently, so I've been going through them like crazy. I've looked at the jars but I'm kind of hesitant. That's a lot of money.
      Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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      • #4
        Originally posted by DesertBerean View Post
        For those who make your own bread.

        How often and how much yeast do you get each time you have to restock? What kind, and why?
        Since I make bread frequently, I maintain a sourdough starter to use. There are some good reasons to use a natural wild yeast starter instead of the instant or active yeast you can get in the store. First, wild yeast (sourdough) starter creates more complex flavors in the bread. It takes longer for the bread to rise with this type of yeast which creates more flavor and also breaks down the components of the flour to make it more digestible. Off the shelf yeast mostly just adds carbon dioxide to the bread to make it rise but doesn't really make it more flavorful or digestible.

        Now it does take some effort to get your starter going and maintain it, but if you love bread and make it often, I think it's worth it. It also opens up lots of variations in how you make the bread so you can have some fun experimenting. Depending on how long and how many rises you use you can make the bread milder or more sour to fit your taste or mood. There are a lot of websites talking about making sourdough bread. One I like a lot that also talks about all kinds of bread making is this one. Some of the members are well versed in the science of bread making. Here's a tested method to get your starter going. You can also purchase packets or kits of sourdough yeast if you want to get it going faster.

        Here are some other sites I also like for bread making:

        Breadtopia
        SourdoughHome
        Last edited by stevegp49; 05-09-2016, 07:38 AM.

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        • #5
          Wow, thanks.

          Do you use an oven or a bread machine, stevegp49?
          Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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          • #6
            Sourdough is wonderful. It makes delicious breads, and also makes great pancakes and waffles.

            Since it does take significantly longer to raise you would have to fudge with a bread machine. Unless you have one designed to accept sourdough - if they even make such a thing.
            Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

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            • #7
              Originally posted by DesertBerean View Post
              Wow, thanks.

              Do you use an oven or a bread machine, stevegp49?
              I use an oven. One of the tricks to getting a good rise in an oven is to heat up a skillet in the bottom of the oven with the preheat and then throw a few ice cubes in the skillet just before you put the bread in. This creates steam which softens the outer skin of the dough and allows it to rise higher.

              However, most of the time I do use my KitchenAid mixer to do the kneading. Hand kneading is fun but most times I'm not in the mood for the effort.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Jedidiah View Post
                Sourdough is wonderful. It makes delicious breads, and also makes great pancakes and waffles.

                Since it does take significantly longer to raise you would have to fudge with a bread machine. Unless you have one designed to accept sourdough - if they even make such a thing.
                My machine has a setting for French bread which may be the same thing. I've seen mentions of other machines that actually has Sourdough settings.


                EDITED: Yep, the French setting is used for sourdough as well.
                Last edited by DesertBerean; 05-09-2016, 04:26 PM.
                Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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                • #9
                  What is the most common conversion ratio of yeast to starter?
                  Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by DesertBerean View Post
                    What is the most common conversion ratio of yeast to starter?
                    I don't know if you can use a sourdough starter with a bread machine. The key to sourdough is a long "ferment" where the yeast eats the flour sugars and converts them into lactic and ascetic acids and alcohol (it evaporates off). My guess is that a bread machine has a timed rise instead of a long ferment.

                    Here's a good example of the process. Although, I use whole wheat flour instead of the spelt flour. I also usually use bread pans instead of baking it on a stone or la cloche. Anyway, it does illustrate how the starter is used and the rest of the process.
                    Last edited by stevegp49; 05-09-2016, 05:47 PM.

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                    • #11
                      Yes, the key for a machine is in the rise time. It seems that the most reputable writings I've found says one has to experiment to find the right conversion ratio for most recipes.

                      I've forgotten that a great many new machines are now programmable so one can set the cycles as they please.
                      Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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                      • #12
                        For my recipes, I've used water at about 105 - 110 F because that was what they define as room temperature. I tried water that was barely warm to the touch and the results were not as good. When milk is called for, I pour that into the measured water and it usually brings it down into the correct temp range.
                        Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by DesertBerean View Post
                          What is the most common conversion ratio of yeast to starter?
                          There is not really a conversion ratio. Have you worked with or read about using a sourdough?
                          Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

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                          • #14
                            I have read about it. Never worked with it.
                            Watch your links! http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/fa...corumetiquette

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