A single sentence from my neighbor changed how I approach bread baking

My neighbor Carol saw me frustrated with a flat loaf last Saturday and said 'you're probably killing the yeast before it even wakes up'. She was right, I was adding yeast to water that was way too hot from the tap. Anybody else had a simple comment from someone totally shift how you do something basic in the kitchen?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

dakota7872mo ago

Blew out a whole batch of dough once because I thought hotter water would make it rise faster. Let's just say the yeast went to heaven early and my bread turned into a brick. Your neighbor saved you from that sad experiment.

2

william3202mo ago

Had a friend once who thought more yeast = faster rise. Man, that kitchen looked like a science experiment gone wrong. He filled a mixing bowl with warm water and dumped in three packets of active dry yeast. Forgot to add the flour until thirty minutes later. By then, the yeast had bubbled up into this huge foamy mess that spilled all over the counter. His wife walked in and asked if he was making beer or bread. You ever seen a grown man try to salvage a puddle of yeast water with a spatula?

7