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Show DONT MURDER THE YEAST 0 and yeast If you're a bread-bakin- g addict, here are some hints I've picked up through numerous trials and flubs. teast is alive. It has a life cycle. Store fresh yeast cakes in the refrigerator they are healthy as long as they are firm. If soft or discolored, toss them out. You can freeze fresh yeast for at least several months. Dry, active yeast keeps best in the freezer, too but not indefinitely. Proving yeast. If youve had dry yeast for some time, then make it show you it's alive: Dissolve a tablespoon of it in 3 tablespoons of warm water (not over 105-- 1 10F too much heat will kill it): stir in a teaspoon of flour or sugar so it will have some- thing to eat. In 5 minutes it should begin to foam. It's alive! bur dough wont rise. Have you left it long enough? Is it cold? Or is the room cold (60F or lower) so the yeast is somnolent? If so, put the dough in a warmer or set your bowl in a bowl of place warm water. Or perhaps you killed the yeast by water. Or was dissolving it in it dead to begin with? Break out some new yeast, prove it to make sure, mix it into the dough and start again. A heavy-dut- y mixer or food processor will be faster than elbow grease in this case, and your bread may be even better because it has had time to develop character. Give it time. If you let your dough rise in too warm a place over 80F, sav you'll get a lot of hot air but little flavor and texture. A long, slow rise at 15 gives the best results around 3 hours for the first and most important rise. ou've let the dough over-risand it has fermented. You can still make beautiful bread! It will act like an lexuin, or starter. If only slightly and strong yeasty, use an equal amount of Hour, water and so forth for a new batch; if fairly strong, use twice the amount. Mix the required liquid into the dough (a food processor or heavy-dut-y mixer is useful here); then knead in the flour, salt, etc. . but no yeast your fer mented dough will do the work. You'll probably produce a bread with much more character and texture than usual. too-war- m e, PARADE MAGAZINE OCTOBER w 17, 1982 PAGE 17 o |