#yeastfail

[Chris Allingham]

We had two unopened yeast packets in the pantry, both 5 mos expired. I tested one packet using a freshness test I found online and it was very active. Used the second packet for no-knead bread and you can see the poor results. #yeastfail

 

[Rich G]

Nothing like a discus made from flour, water and salt, Chris!!

I guess it's time for you to try sourdough if you can't find any viable yeast. I can dehydrate and send you some of mine (which I started from some of Cliff's dehydrated starter.....) Let me know if you're interested.

If you were within my 5mi restricted zone, I'd make an essential trip to bring you fresh starter, and some of my Fleischman's (I've got a jar in the fridge.)

Sorry that loaf didn't work out!

R

 

[Rich Dahl]

That's a bummer Chris, but I know the feeling. Being a mile up the yeast doesn't activate as well as it does at lower altitudes so I've had some hit and miss with making bread. Keeping a starter going up here you almost have to have an IV hooked up to it.

 

[Chris Allingham]

The yeast test I found online was from Red Star Yeast. Place 1/2 cup of 110-115*F water in a 1 cup measuring cup. Stir in 1 tsp sugar to dissolve. Stir in 1/4 ounce of dry yeast (an entire Fleischman's foil packet) until fully moistened. After 10 minutes, the mixture will foam up to the 1 cup mark in the measuring cup. That's exactly what the first packet did.

What I should have done was remove the 1/4 tsp of dry yeast I needed from the packet for my bread and used the remainder for a test. If the result was anywhere near 1 cup of foamy yeast mixture, I would know my reserved yeast was good. If not, toss out and repeat with the second packet.

Lesson learned.

 

[JKalchik]

'Doh!

I buy yeast from Costco, IIRC, 1 lb. or 500g packages of SAF Instant, and it's kept in an airtight container in the freezer. It hasn't let me down yet, and keeps YEARS past the package expiration. Any good restaurant or food service supply should have the equivalent And the advantage to this is that I can test it's efficacy and be sure about it as a whole, contrary to Chris' unpleasant experience. Oh, and that big package costs me just a shade more than that glass jar in the grocery store, or a few of the packets.

 

[JimK]

Bummer! Did you taste it? Despite the lack of rise, it looks pretty good!

 

[Chris Allingham]

Did you taste it?

Hard to describe. Tasted like dead yeast? Not good.

 

[Brad Olson]

So it's not even salvageable as breadcrumbs? Ouch, but at least it was just a loaf of bread and not a prime ribeye!

 

[CaseT]

'Doh!

I buy yeast from Costco, IIRC, 1 lb. or 500g packages of SAF Instant, and it's kept in an airtight container in the freezer. It hasn't let me down yet, and keeps YEARS past the package expiration. Any good restaurant or food service supply should have the equivalent And the advantage to this is that I can test it's efficacy and be sure about it as a whole, contrary to Chris' unpleasant experience. Oh, and that big package costs me just a shade more than that glass jar in the grocery store, or a few of the packets.

Yep this or keep in the fridge.

Probelm for us right now is finding flour. Luckily we had a good stock of both flour and refrigerated yeast on hand. Another yeast hack is to use brewers yeast. I'm sure all of the home brew places have been hit too. But its worth a shot.

 

[Jim Lampe]

The yeast test I found online was from Red Star Yeast.

Anyone who grew up in Milwaukee or who lived here before 2005 may remember a pungent yeast smell in the Menomonee Valley, around I-94.
Milwaukee historian John Gurda said, "If you were eastbound on I-94 and you had a south wind, and especially if it was a rainy day, you were almost inside it. It was really enveloping."
“[The story] begins back in 1882 when a company called Meadow Springs Distillery opened on 28th Street." Gurda explains, "They began to make whiskey - turned out something like 180,000 gallons of whiskey in their first year."

“Back then, [the Menomonee Valley] was beyond the edge of town," he says. "There was very little settlement out there, and there was nothing resembling a freeway. It was far enough away not to be a nuisance, but close enough to get workers."


Front view of the former National Distilling Co. Building on Buffalo St.
CREDIT COURTESY OF MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY
The company became National Distilling in 1887, and expanded to include gin and bourbon.

National Distilling marketed the yeast product as Red Star. And in the 1920s, with prohibition, this addition product became the company's saving grace. “All of a sudden, the tail begins to wag the dog, and Red Star yeast becomes their main product,” he says. “They were doing so well, that back in 1933, when prohibition ended, they began to make gin for a while, but they were making more money in yeast.”

But like all good stories even distantly related to bread or baking, this one involves the French, [Lesaffre Group], who bought the company in 2000. “The French [owners] ran it for a while, right there on 28th Street, along the west side of the 27th Street bridge and then they closed it in 2005, and that’s when the smell ceased.”

What Happened to Milwaukee's Signature Yeast Smell?

Anyone who grew up in Milwaukee or who lived here before 2005 may remember a pungent yeast smell in the Menomonee Valley, around I-94. Listener Dan…

www.wuwm.com

Sorry Chris, my intent was NOT to hi-jack your thread....

 

[Bruno]

Nothing like a discus made from flour, water and salt, Chris!!

I guess it's time for you to try sourdough if you can't find any viable yeast. I can dehydrate and send you some of mine (which I started from some of Cliff's dehydrated starter.....) Let me know if you're interested.

If you were within my 5mi restricted zone, I'd make an essential trip to bring you fresh starter, and some of my Fleischman's (I've got a jar in the fridge.)

Sorry that loaf didn't work out!

R

I was thinking about making some sourdough, what would you rate the difficultly factor?

 

[Rich G]

I was thinking about making some sourdough, what would you rate the difficultly factor?

Like many things related to cooking, it takes a little experience to find a groove, and is definitely a bit more finicky than using commercial yeast. I will say, though, if I can do it, you can do it.....I would start with some commercial yeast breads so you can get a feel for what bread dough is like in different stages of development. If you are a book guy, I recommend Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish. There's a great website (theperfectloaf.com) that has some great tutorials and process for beginner sourdough bakers. The website I visit the most is thefreshloaf.com, which has a forum that is very similar to the feel here in terms of the amount of experience you can tap into, and the friendly/helpful folks that you can hit up for help.

Hit me up any time if you have questions, or even if you want some of my starter. I make sourdough breads at least once a week, so I always am in a position to build up some starter to hand off. All you need is flour (which is hit/miss sometimes these days, but I've been able to find what I need.)

Difficulty factor is hard to nail down since there's a lot of your own personality that goes into it, but based on what I see you cooking, I'd say this would be a 5/6 for you.

R

 

[Bruno]

Like many things related to cooking, it takes a little experience to find a groove, and is definitely a bit more finicky than using commercial yeast. I will say, though, if I can do it, you can do it.....I would start with some commercial yeast breads so you can get a feel for what bread dough is like in different stages of development. If you are a book guy, I recommend Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish. There's a great website (theperfectloaf.com) that has some great tutorials and process for beginner sourdough bakers. The website I visit the most is thefreshloaf.com, which has a forum that is very similar to the feel here in terms of the amount of experience you can tap into, and the friendly/helpful folks that you can hit up for help.

Hit me up any time if you have questions, or even if you want some of my starter. I make sourdough breads at least once a week, so I always am in a position to build up some starter to hand off. All you need is flour (which is hit/miss sometimes these days, but I've been able to find what I need.)

Difficulty factor is hard to nail down since there's a lot of your own personality that goes into it, but based on what I see you cooking, I'd say this would be a 5/6 for you.

R

Thanks Rich, I have a friend dropping off some starter tonight so I am definitely going to try. Seems like such a fun thing to do!