Secrets of Yeast Baking and Pizza Dough

The secret to good dough, whether for baking bread, rolls or pizza, lies in the yeast. Take care of your yeast, and it will take care of you. Even if you are making bread machine bread, it pays to understand what the little microorganisms are doing, and what helps them do their job better.

Freshness is the key in cooking, and it's especially true with yeast. Make sure that you keep your yeast refrigerated, not past its expiration date, and use fresh flour and other ingredients. Some preservatives can cause problems in baking: in particular, sulfur-based preservatives such as in dried apricots can keep your bread from being a success.

If you don't plan on using a lot of yeast, or if you want to try different brands or types, the little packets are a good choice. Jars of yeast will keep for some time in the refrigerator, and with regular baking they are a good buy. Cakes of yeast are also available, but not all recipes are written to use them.

Of the types of yeast, there are bread machine yeasts, "active dry," and rapid rising. These are the types generally available in grocery stores. Active dry is a good general purpose choice, and a good place to start.

Refrigerated yeast needs to come to room temperature before use. Temperature is one of the keys to working with yeast, along with salt, which inhibits yeast action, and sugar, which feeds it. Water used in dough generally should be about 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit, although some recipes will differ. It is very much like chemistry!

The yeast transforms the flour into the sticky, "glutinous" dough you have seen in pizza parlors and bakeries. In doing so, it also produces gas, which provides the "rise." Dough recipes describe different ways to adjust this process for the desired result, which is why precision is so important. Teacup estimating doesn't work well here! Even using whole wheat flour is tricky, because it has less gluten, and produces a weaker dough.

Yeast relies on the right temperature to do its job right.

Credit: David Maddox

Copyright: David Maddox / five senses impressions