An expiration date on the package of purchased yeast that has not yet passed is, unfortunately, no guarantee that you have a quality product in front of you. We are talking about a living culture which, like all living things, has its own ideas about life expectancy. And before making yeast dough, you must activate the yeast or, in other words, wake it from hibernation. It is better to do this in any case, regardless of whether the yeast dough recipe mentions a sponge starter or not.
The Five Most Commonly Used Ingredients in Yeast Dough Recipes:
| Product | Calories per 100g | Protein g per 100g | Fats g per 100g | Carbohydrates g per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 398 | 0 | 0 | 99.7 |
| Dry Yeast | 410 | 49 | 6 | 40 |
| Milk | 68 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| Flour | 325 | 12 | 1 | 67 |
| Wheat flour | 325 | 12 | 1 | 67 |
How to check whether yeast is still good?
Pour a teaspoon of dry yeast (you can use fresh, no difference) with a tablespoon of warm water and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Leave it in a warm place for 20 minutes. If no bubbly cap has appeared on the mixture during this time, the yeast can safely be thrown out.
How to activate yeast?
Yeast dough rises much faster and better if the yeast is activated. Making a sponge starter is exactly this activation. Has a foamy cap formed on its surface? Then you can continue cooking. For the sponge, the composition is the same as for the freshness check: warm water and a little sugar.
It is also better to decide in advance on a warm spot in the house where you can leave your yeast dough to rise. Choose a recipe with a photo from the alittlelunch.com catalog. Many home cooks put the bowl of dough in the oven at a low temperature. A slow cooker in warming mode does an excellent job of this too, as does a bread maker, which always comes with a note on how to prepare yeast dough.
The Five Most Nutritious Yeast Dough Recipes:
| Dish Name | Cooking time | Calories per 100g | User Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baursak dough | 2 hours | 429 | +11 |
| Yeast puff pastry | 1 hour | 417 | +46 |
| Homemade puff pastry | 10 hours | 392 | +64 |
| Puff pastry for cheese buns | 8 hours | 381 | +62 |
| French yeast dough | 45 min | 360 | +26 |
Tips and Tricks :
- yeast dough does not like sharp, loud sounds - keep a good mood and don't make noise while you cook
- the longer the dough is kneaded, the better it is saturated with oxygen and the fluffier the baking
- to keep the dough from sticking to your hands, grease them with vegetable oil