temperatures of between 105º and 110°F (41º to 44°C). The packages may only tell you to use

very warm water (most home bakers don’t own an accurate thermometer), but try to give the

yeast ideal conditions, measured with a thermometer. The yeast’s work decreases dramatically at

a low temperature, and a temperature above 140°F (60°C) kills the organism. But when you bake

often with yeast, eventually you will have a feel for 110°F (44°C) water and you may leave your

thermometer in the drawer.

A rapid-rise yeast is made for people who have no time to wait for the regular yeast to act.

Many bakers think that rapid-rise yeast acts too fast and won't produce quite as good a bread as

regular yeast. Others prefer it not only because it acts faster but because the faster action

discourages other microorganisms to develop in the dough along with the yeast during fermentation.

These foreign microorganisms generally produce a slight sour taste in the bread. For this reason

some bakers say that with rapid-rise yeast the breads taste sweeter. For other bakers that is a

disadvantage—they prefer the barely detectable sour flavor. Take your pick.

TASTINGS What is rapid-rise yeast?

A rapid-rise yeast is a slightly different, even faster-acting strain than the

common dry yeast with a more open, more porous structure that quickly

absorbs moisture. The yeast maker may slowly air-dry, instead of oven-dry,

rapid-rise yeast at lower temperatures so more cells remain alive in the

package you buy thus they act faster. You add rapid-rise yeast directly to the

dry ingredients instead of first dissolving it in liquid. Though it works

faster, and many cooks swear by it, you would not taste a noticeably

difference from breads that common dry yeast leavens.

Yes, you can bake a yeast bread without the yeast. The role of the yeast, after all, is to

produce the bubbles in the gluten structure. Mechanical action can also produce bubbles. Large

commercial bakeries don't have time to wait for the slow action of the yeast. Huge, powerful

machines whip air into the bread dough, and without further ceremony bakers put the bread into

gigantic ovens for baking. They only add yeast to give the dough the characteristic yeasty flavor.

Yeast is finicky about its environment. Besides heat, it loves sugar, while it dislikes salt and

acids. It doesn’t mind a small amount of spices but too much suppresses its activities. For example,

if you add too much cinnamon in your cinnamon-raisin bread, your slaves become sluggish.

Some spices, interestingly enough, enhance yeast activity. For instance, German bakers used

to add a small amount of dry ginger to their dough. They didn't know why but yeasts became more

active. Today food scientists proved in their laboratories that, indeed, yeast prefers its foods spiced

with ginger (and a few other spices), and they become harder-working slaves.

As a general rule, use no more than ¾ teaspoon of spice for every 2 cups of flour in the

dough. If you like more spice, either knead it into the dough just before shaping (after the yeast

finished most of its work), or use it in a topping or filling.

Whenever you substitute honey for sugar in sweet yeast breads, there is another possible

problem that occurs occasionally. Some raw honey contains a natural antibacterial agent, a

substance that also kills your yeast. There is no way to know which honey does. Pasteurized honey

is always safe.

Yeast favors a monotonous diet of nothing but sugar—for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It

even snacks on sugar. But too much sugar as in a sweet bread dough slows yeast down, even stops

its activities. Sugar is hygroscopic, that is, it holds on to water. What happens is that too much sugar

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