Yeast: Can it be decreased in the recipes?

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Short answer:  Yes!

My method is super-fast because it’s based on stored dough, not because I use a full dose of granulated yeast in the recipes. In the 2007 edition of the first book, I used full-dose yeast (which was 1 1/2 tablespoons for four pounds of dough) because I knew that many readers would want to use the dough within a few hours of mixing it. For the 2013 update of that book, I decreased the dose of yeast to 1 tablespoon, because testing showed that the extra half-tablespoon made little difference if the water was warm (though if it wasn’t, initial rise-time stretches beyond two hours). I’d still consider that a full dose of yeast in a four-pound batch, and you can decrease to 1 tablespoon in any of the recipes, from any of my books. But if you have more time for the initial rise, you can decrease it further–by large margins.  Half-doses, quarter-doses, and even less will work. When using fresh cake yeast, increase by 50% (by volume) to match the rising power of granulated yeast. 

Why use less yeast?  Experienced yeast bakers sometimes prefer the more delicate flavor and aroma of a dough risen with less packaged yeast. And some people found that the full dose of yeast resulted in bread that tasted and smelled of beer or ale. Traditionally, it’s felt that rising the dough very slowly, with very little added yeast, builds a better flavor. So this is an option to try when you have more time:

I’ve tried it two ways, first halving the yeast (1/2 tablespoon), and then dropping it way down, to 1/2 teaspoon. Both worked, but they work slowly. For the 1/2 teaspoon version, you need to give the dough 6 to 12 hours to rise. The 1/2 tablespoon version needs something in between (about 4-5 hours). You don’t need to increase the resting time after the loaf is shaped. Active time is still five minutes a loaf, it’s just your passive resting and rising times that really escalate when you go to the low-yeast version. If you use cool or cold water with a low-yeast preparation, you’ll need 18 to 36 hours for the initial rise.

So if you’ve hesitated to try my method because you like your loaves risen long and slow, give this approach a try.

Low yeast/slow rise with egg-enriched breads: Readers have asked about the food-safety issues in trying low yeast/slow rise at room temperature with egg-enriched doughs.  Raw egg shouldn’t be left out too long at room temp. How long is too long? US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is very conservative on this question; they say 2 hours is the max (click here and scroll down for their detailed recommendations). Understand that this would make it impossible to rise a cold-started egg-enriched dough fully at room temperature (though I’ve found that two hours on the counter is enough even for a 33% yeast reduction; the problems start when you make more significant reductions, which would require 8 to 24 hours on the counter). The risk is salmonella and other food-borne illnesses. Even though eggs in baked breads are fully cooked, the USDA is clear on this: 2 hours maximum.  They’re a very conservative organization– for example, you basically can’t eat hamburger with any pink in it, according to USDA. Otherwise there’s some risk.

To stay in compliance with USDA guidelines for egg-based doughs, refrigerate at 2 hours regardless of whether the batch has fully risen.  Then, allow the rising to complete at refrigerator temperature (18 to 36 hours).

More in The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and my other books.

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342 thoughts to “Yeast: Can it be decreased in the recipes?”

  1. Can I freeze the dough ubaked and thaw as needed? We just wouldn’t use all the dough for pizza making within a week.
    Thanks for your time.

  2. I read your book and have tried several receipes . They all have been delicious, thanks you for writing the book.
    I would like to make a golden raisin and fennel bread using one of your basic recepies. which one do I use and do I need to add another type of flour such as wheat? The idea of making this bread came from having a taste recently at a friend”s house. It was very tasty and thought I would try making it at home.
    I’m sure you can help me. Thank you both.

    1. Hi Pat,

      Was the bread you had soft crusted and sweet or did it have a crisp crust and a denser crumb? You can really add those ingredients to any of our doughs by rolling them in. It will just depend on the type of bread you want those flavors in.

      This is how you can roll the ingredients into the dough: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1950#

      Thanks, Zoe

  3. Hi,
    I find that my loaves have a slightly funny flavour to them. I can’t quite put my finger on it. My yeast and flour is fine, they are not the issue. I am making the European Peasant Bread with at least 2 day old dough but have found this with the basic white as well. One of my approaches will be to reduce the yeast. But I was wondering whether I can skip the initial room temperature rise. I have tried the version of your basic white recipe from the King Arthur Flour site and they suggest you can skip it. I did and liked that flavour better. But that was a while ago and I can’t remember how long the dough has to be in the fridge for before baking. What are your thoughts on that?
    Cheers, Alex (from Australia)

  4. Oh and by the way, I have your first 2 books and bake from them all the time. I was also wondering about the whole wheat sandwich bread from HBin5. I found it too sweet. Can i just use quarter of the honey or do I have to add something else for moisture?
    Alex

    1. Alex: If you’re perceiving an alcohol flavor or smell, that is usually solved by venting the dough-storage container, either by drilling a tiny hole in the lid, or by keeping it open a crack. Some people who are highly sensitive to this smell need to leave the lid open a crack for the whole batch-life, others can snap it shut after 48 hours.

      If it’s the flavor of commercial yeast that’s putting you off, you should see a big difference when you decrease the yeast; see https://tinyurl.com/yate3j6 .

      About the WW sandwich bread: Try decreasing the honey by half, and adding an extra two tablespoons of water and see if that’s about right.

  5. Thanks for your reply, Jeff. I actually had the dough stored in a bowl covered loosely witth cling wrap. Other times I have been known to just cover the bowl with a plate which never seals it completely. So venting shouldn’t have been the issue. And I actually like the flavour of yeast (I used to like eating a little cake yeast as a child – strange, I know). But I just got myself a dough storage container yesterday, so on my next batch I will try to half the yeast and leave the container open a little.

    As for the WW bread, I’ll try this and let you know how I go.

  6. I’m trying to bake Gluten Free, Egg Free and Dairy Free – have allergies to all of the above. Can’t use flax as a substitute – know you can use chia seed, applesauce and vinegar – but these are normally for 1 egg – how to you handle the Crusty Boule GF that calls for 4 eggs – would I use a combination of egg substitutes?? The Ener Egg Replacer is awful – tried that… Thanks for your time, Lori

    1. Hi Lori,

      I have only tried the flax, but had no difficulty substituting for all the eggs. You can try this with your preferred replacement. Maybe try a half batch to make sure you like the results. I have never used the chia seed, but am anxious to give it a try.

      Thanks, Zoe

  7. Yeast question on the GF breads – do you use Active Dry Yeast or the Saf-Instant yeast for the crusty GF boule? Thanks again

    1. Hi Lori,

      We both use RED STAR dry active yeast, but I have also tried it with the fresh cake yeast, instant, rapid rise and Saf-instant, all with great results. In other words it just doesn’t seem to matter so use your favorite. We try to buy in bulk to save on cost.

      Thanks, Zoe

  8. Hi Jeff and Zoe,
    I just started baking your way a few days ago.
    I made a bucket of basic dough and the bread were beautiful and delicious.
    The only thing i didn’t like so much was the strong yeast smell right after it came out of the oven. It didn’t smell as strong after the bread was cooled. I am just wondering if this has happened to other people and how do i correct it? Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try different dough.
    Andria in California

    1. Hi Andria,

      As you see from this post it is just fine to decrease the yeast, which may be more to your liking. Also you should make sure that you are venting the becket well to prevent the gases from building up.

      Thanks, Zoë

  9. I have both your books and love the bread! I also have been making my own kefir and would like to use that in place of the yeast and as part of the water. Any suggestions on amount, ratio, or initial rise time? I’ve been reading up on the probiotic benefits of sprouting grains and soaking flour with kefir to mitigate effects of phytic acid. Works great with steel cut oats for oatmeal and I would like to try it with your bread method. Thanks for any help you can provide.

    Bonnie in Lino

    1. Bonnie: I’m wasn’t aware that kefir could be used to leaven bread– don’t know that it produces enough gas and haven’t tried it. The closest I can come to helping you is to steer your toward our post on natural leavening: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1284

      Some people have claimed that our long-stored dough is, in some sense, “soaking” for that time. Don’t know if there are health benefits with this or not. Jeff

  10. I replaced one cup of water with one cup of kefir but ended up adding a little yeast after 24 hours because the dough didn’t rise much without it. The kefir also changed the consistency (very wet) so the loaf I baked today was pretty spread out and flat. Sure tastes good, though! I’ll do some more research and experiment a little until I get the benefits of soaking the flour with kefir (or some other mildly acidic liquid) as well as a taller loaf. Thanks for your help.

    Bonnie

    1. Bonnie: Thanks for letting me know what happened– I was worried about the rising power of the bacteria in yogurt. Natural sours and levains typically contain a mixture of beneficial bacterias plus wild yeasts. The yeast is what’s missing in the kefir.

      I bet it did taste good though, nice tang to that…

  11. Just a quick not on the Kefir. If you are making authentic Kefir from propagable grains, it actually does contain bacteria AND yeasts (unlike yoghurt). But I’m not sure it would have enough leavening power by itself. it can however be used to prepare a sourdough starter. There is an Australian guy called Dom who has lots of Kefir info. Google Kefir sourdough and you should find his site (I hope it’s alright to mention another site).

    I posted a while ago about the Soft wholewheat sandwich bread from HBin5 being too sweet for me. I ended up making it with only 1 Tbsp Honey and a little extra butter instead (had melted a bit too much) and it turned out fine. While the flavour is good, the texture of the sandwich breads always seem a little too crumbly for my liking, so today I will just make a sandwich loaf from the wholewheat master recipe with the method from this post: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=904
    I hope my kids will like this better.
    I was also wondering whether it would be alright to replace part or all the water with liquid milk?
    Your method is so easy that it makes it fun to start experimenting and adapting to get the perfect loaf for your own taste.

  12. Blame it on pregnancy nesting or blame it on being more financially conscience, but I have been baking quite a bit of your bread lately!!! I’ve only done the Master Recipe, but since my husband basically uses the bread for sandwiches and I use it to devour my homemade jams, it’s worked beautifully for us and I’m a bit scared to try something new!

    However, it had been awhile since I baked bread, so the jar of active dry yeast stored in our fridge died, and my bread didn’t rise the way I wanted it to. I felt horrible throwing the nearly full jar away! However, I had read on various blogs that you can buy bulk yeast and freeze it in order to get a longer lifespan from it. So I bought a 1-lb package of RedStar’s vacuum-packed Active Dry Yeast. I have yet to open it because I don’t know how to incorporate it into your recipes!
    Questions:
    1) Since it’s compressed yeast, the suggestion on the bag is to use 40-50% of the amount that you would use in loose yeast. Is this true for your recipe? (I’ve never used the compressed yeast before!)
    2) How would you suggest freezing it? I’m not sure if leaving it in the bulk package and having to defrost the entire thing everytime I want to use some yeast is damaging to the quality of the yeast.

    Thank you for your help in these matters! I’m so scared of messing things up!

    1. Hi Karen,

      I use Red Star Active Dry yeast and buy it in a 2-pound vacuum packed package. I used that to test all the recipes in the book and it is absolutely perfect for all of our breads. I freeze the yeast in a 1-quart plastic food storage container and it lasts for months. Just pull it from the freezer and use straight in the recipes, no need to defrost.

      The only thing that can damage yeast is heat, freezing it will not hurt it at all.

      Happy nesting! Zoë

  13. Karen: my 2 cents also…

    The product that Zoe and I get here in Minneapolis in a 2-pound package is not a compressed package, and doesn’t say anything on the label about decreasing the amount used. However, I usually decrease the yeast below what we say in the recipes, it just takes a little longer with the initial rise. See the FAQ above for details on how to do that, the one labeled: “Yeast, can it be decreased in our recipes?”

    Jeff

  14. Thank you Zoe and Jeff!
    This morning, I made a batch of dough using the bulk yeast. I used exactly what is written in the recipe and it didn’t seem to rise “too much,” but exactly what I would expect. It touched the top of my bucket, and I expect it to fall in the fridge. Then I put the rest of the yeast into the freezer. For some reason, I thought it would be more like caked yeast and not granulated, but I guess that was the package deceiving me.

    Thank you so much for your help!
    Karen

  15. I am in a quandry about the crust for the whole grain breads. I have made your master recipe, 10 grain, and now the 100% whole wheat, and the crusts have not been the artisan crusty type, but very tough and almost impossible to slice. What am I doing wrong? I get better results when I don’t add the steam and put the dough into a high sided iron pot. I would love to achieve the crusty European type but haven’t yet.

    1. Hi Karen,

      The temperature of the oven is crucial in getting a great crust. This is why you are getting a better result with the pot baking. Using a baking stone will help, but you need to make sure that it is preheated to the proper temperature. This can take anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on the thickness and materials of the stone. In order to make sure that the oven is actually the proper temperature you will want to use an oven thermometer.

      The whole grain breads, especially 100% and any with oil or sweeteners will not get as crusty, because the oils in the flour prevent a crisp crust from forming. But, you will come much closer if the temperature is correct.

      Thanks, hope this helps! Zoë

  16. I’m sure you’ve answered this somewhere, but I haven’t found it — what would happen if I used KA Bread Flour instead of KA or other brand of all-purpose flour?

    Can’t wait to have your book in hand! (And a dough hook … )

    Thanks!

  17. The breads seem to have a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Is this too much yeast or maybe too crisp of a crust? I have experimented with both and cannot seem to lose the bitter taste. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!

    1. Karen: Would love to help; need more info. Which of our recipes are you using (from which book– page number helps too). Jeff

  18. I began baking your breads in the last week or so. So far every type of loaf I have baked has “over expanded” in some part of the loaf. How can I solve this? Thanks in advance!

  19. Just wanted to say that I just tried your Artisan Wheat recipe (article from Dec 09/Jan 10 issue of Mother Earth News.) I really cannot believe the results, it is possibly one of the most amazing breads we have ever eaten!
    I pretty much make everything homemade, we try to buy very little processed “grocery store” food, but bread has always intimidated me so we have been making due. Not any more!!
    I can’t believe it took me this long to try it. Thanks so much!

  20. Jeff:

    I have been using the basic “master recipe” boule loaves and French baguette. Both have puffed up and given the loaves irregular shapes. The consistency, flavor and texture and crust always comes out fantastic. We made the pain d’epi last night with same dough and it came out perfect. Any thoughts?

    1. Hi Chris,

      This generally happens with dough that needs to rest longer before baking. Try letting the boule rest for an hour and the baguette rest for about 30 minutes and see if the problem is resolved. You also want to make sure that you are slashing the loaves deep enough or they tend to split open and bulge in unpredictable ways.

      Thanks, Zoë

  21. My first loaf turned out tasting too yeasty. I used the master recipe: Boule page 26 in the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book. Any suggestions?

    1. Hi Sandy,

      How old was the dough you were baking? Was the lid on your bucket snapped tight or left loose?

      Give us some more details and we can help you! Zoë

  22. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes says we can use just about any type of yeast, does this include yeast made for breadmakers?

  23. How does this less yeast method work with pita? Should they rest a bit before going into the oven, or will they puff anyway? Thanks!

    1. Hi Lina,

      The initial resting time will be much longer, but the pita should still puff once you roll it out and put it in the oven, with no additional resting. How much yeast are you using?

      Thanks, Zoë

  24. I’m a convert!! I’ve been baking bread for a few decades now, but only on weekends since I work a ton of hours. Here is my question: Since the lid is not on tight in the fridge, how do I prevent the top of the dough from drying out so much. So far it hasn’t been a problem, the moisture seems to reabsorb in the dry areas during baking. Should I be doing something different?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Sharon,

      You can poke a tiny hole in the top of your lid and then snap it shut. Here is a post where I show how I’ve done that to my lids: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=2358

      If you don’t put a hole in the lid then you should have the lid on, just not snapped shut. It shouldn’t be so loose that the dough is drying out.

      Thanks, Zoë

  25. Thanks for the info Zoe! I have really enjoyed both books. Now off to convert my old favorites to this method…..
    🙂

  26. Hi Jeff and Zoe. I love your book and i’ve made a couple of the breads so far. I think this is a great method! (and very tasty too!) I just had a question on yeast. The last few times i’ve made the bread, I used the active dry yeast, which worked great. This time however, I only have the RapidRise yeast and I was curious as to if that would still work. Would I just have to cut down the time of the initial rise?? Thanks so much for your help!

    1. Jill: “Rapid-Rise” is the same as “Instant Yeast,” which we explain in detail on page 10 of ABin5, and on page 16 of HBin5.

      Glad the method’s working well for you! Jeff

  27. I was trying to compare your basic bread recipes with other bread recipes and got bogged down in the conversion of ozs. to tablespoons to packages (related to yeast quantities) so I did my own quick calculation, and I’m still confused. The yeast packages I use say they are 1/4 oz. If 1 tablespoon is 1/2 oz. (fluid measure) then 1-1/2 tablespoons (your basic recipe) should be 3/4 oz., or 3 packets of yeast, but your recipe says it’s equivalent to 1- 1/2 packets. Where am I going wrong?

    1. Vic: Fluid ounces have nothing to do with U.S. weight ounces. Apples to oranges with that one– that’s the source of the confusion. Use one or two packets of yeast in any of our recipes and you’ll be fine– it takes a little longer with the one packet but gives a nice result.

      Which book/page number are you working from?

  28. Thought that might be the case. Thanks.
    Working from page 26, but it appears elsewhere, such as page 134….

  29. Jeff/Zoe, How do I test to see if my refridgerated yeast is still good. It is passed the expiration date a little, but I had to throw away anything that might still be usable. Thanks for your help. I can’t wait to try your basic bread loaf.

    1. Hi Darlene,

      If your yeast is past the expiration date then you may want to put a teaspoon in a small bowl of warm water and see if it forms bubbles. This will take about 5 minutes. If it does then your yeast is still good. If not, you will need to get new yeast.

      Thanks, Zoë

  30. Hello. I tried this method once and absolutely loved it (found it on the Italian Dish blog). However, I have since tried again and just can not replicate the same results!

    I follow the instructions very carefully and after the initial 2 hours rising my dough is very wet with what look like bubbles on the top. It is impossible to form a loaf from this dough as it just sinks. I’ve tried using slightly less yeast and less water but it doesn’t seem to make any difference. Do you think it’s the flour I’ve used (plain white flour as I’m in the UK) or the amount of yeast/water?

    Please help as I’m desperate to make another amazing loaf and have wasted quite a lot of flour so far!

    Thanks,

    Elle.

    1. Hi Elle,

      Are you using the scoop and sweep method of measuring the flour? If you spoon the flour into the cup it will result in too little flour and a very wet dough. You may also find that the dough is easier to work with once it is refrigerated.

      We now have a British edition of our book that uses weights and measures geared to a UK market. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Minute-Bread-revolutionary-kneading/dp/0091938945/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298684470&sr=8-1.

      Thanks, Zoë

  31. In addition to the above, my dough continues to rise over the bowl I use even after putting it in the fridge so it pretty much quadruple’s in size!

    Thanks.

  32. I am using approximately 4 litre bowl.

    I’m not spooning the flour into the cup. I will try your UK recipe, do you have the master available online?

    Thanks Zoë.

  33. Thanks Jeff. I’ll try a bigger bowl but it’s really the consistency of the dough that’s a problem, not the size (as I often half it anyway). I just can’t shape the loaf as it’s too wet after the first 2 hour rest or even after a night in the fridge! I shape it and it’s far too sticky and just flattens into a puddle!

    1. Elle: Can’t remember if we asked if you might be using bleached flour (will be too wet). Try adding more flour. Jeff

  34. Thanks. I’m not using bleached flour as you can’t get that in the UK. I’ll just try more flour.

  35. I’m living in a dorm right now and am trying to make some decent food out of the limited ingredients in our community kitchen. Could you share some wisdom on making bread without yeast?

    1. Hi Katie,

      You will have to create a natural starter to do these breads without yeast. There are great books about creating starters from Nancy Silverton and Peter Reinhard. Here is how to use the starter in our recipes. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1284

      If you are not using yeast due to the cost, you may consider buying it bulk at a local co-op or at costco. It can be purchased very inexpensively when you buy it in larger quantities.

      Thanks, Zoë

  36. I seen you at the Mother Earth News fair over the weekend and I have your book Artisan Bread in 5 mins. Where can I buy bulk yeast?

    1. Hi Deborah,

      Thank you for visiting us at the Mother Earth News FAIR, it was such an incredible event. You can buy yeast in 2-pound packs from Amazon or at costco or one of the large stores like that. You can also buy it in bulk from your local co-op. If you are buying in large amounts, you will want to store the yeast in the freezer. You can use it straight from the freezer.

      https://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-Baking-Vacuum-Packed/dp/B001KWEZTO/ref=pd_sim_b43

      Thanks, Zoë

  37. Friends,

    I was just given your book and after years of playing with various bread recipes, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of yours.

    My question: if I want to make larger (e.g,. larger than grapefruit) loaves, do I simply increase the baking time? Or, should I also lower the temp?

    Thank you!
    Katherine

    1. Hi Katherine,

      Glad you are enjoying the bread. You can bake any size loaf, but you will want to let it rest longer after shaping the loaf and bake longer. This will depend on how much larger you want the loaf to be. Which dough are you baking.

      Thanks, Zoë

  38. Hi,

    I’ve recently begun using Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and am really enjoying it. At times when I’d like to make a smaller quantity of dough, can I cut your dough recipes in half? Do any adjustments need to be made or can I simply cut all the ingredients in half? Thanks.

  39. Is it possible to make 1/4 recipes? If so, would you need to increase the initial rise if you use 1/4 yeast – or would you recommend keeping yeast at 1/2 to keep a 2 hour initial rise?

    I typically make 1/2 recipes, but since there is just me, it would be nice to occasionally make less dough, particularly when trying a new recipe that I’m not 100% sure I’ll like. [It would also give me the opportunity to try more recipes in a shorter period of time].

    PS – I have all 3 books and absolutely love them [Just obtained the Healthy Bread book but haven’t had a chance to try any recipes in it yet – need to use up some dough in the fridge to make room for more].

    1. DM: Sure, you can quarter the recipes, and you can decrease yeast accordingly without changing the initial rise time.

  40. Hello, I came across your 5 min bread, and giving it a go. I would like to know if you have a book for people in uk, using uk measures and products. Thanks Helen

  41. Just made my first batch of the basic master recipe. I decided to double it. I used regular unbleached white flour until I get the hang of it. There was a small crust when I took it out of the fridge to make my first loaf (I mixed it friday night) and removed that and took what I assumed was a good amount for my first round loaf.

    I let it rest for 30-40 minutes after shapping and put it in the oven on my pizza stone. The crust didn’t get overly brown, just a regular brown/gold and its a very crusty loaf. Does this mean my steam escaped?

    Also, the flavor is very salty, it can be decreased correct?

    And there was no sugar in the recipe, this surprised me. I read it correct, right?

    Thanks!

  42. I am looking at Healthy bread in five
    Can I substitute spelt flour for any other kind of flour. I can find spelt flour in my local store. I really want to try a couple recipes now. I don’t want to have to wait if I order online.
    Thank you
    Rosemary

    1. Hi Rosemary,

      Spelt flour has less gluten strength than regular whole wheat, so it can’t be substituted in equal parts. You will need to use slightly more spelt and you may also want to add a touch more vital wheat gluten to get a better rise from your bread.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. My problem is I can’t find spelt flour in my local store. Can a different flour be used in place of spelt?
        Sorry I didn’t mt myself clear in the last email.
        Rosemary

      2. Hi Rosemary,

        Sorry about that! Yes, going the other way is much easier! You can substitute regular whole wheat or white whole wheat for the spelt flour. You may need to add an additional tablespoon of water, but only if the dough looks much too dry.

        Thanks! Zoë

  43. I made Brioche bread from Bread in five minutes.
    I mixed everything and let it sit two hours. It didnt rise like it should. Can I somehow add more yeast? I hate to waste all those ingredients.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Rosemary,

      Is it possible that the water you added was a bit cool? If so, it may just need longer to rise.

      Thanks, Zoë

  44. hi jeff,

    i am using the master recipe from AB in 5 and was wondering if there is a substitute for yeast i can use. i am sensitive to yeast and was wondering if there was something else i could use to leaven the bread?

    1. Kelsey: Only thing is naturally-occurring yeast, from the air. Many recipes on the web to do that, we don’t have one. But you may also be sensitive to naturally-occurring yeasts and bacterias.

  45. I am wondering about adding things to dough that is already in the frig.
    I have some sandwich dough (about 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 ap) in the frig and would like to add cinnamon chips and walnuts. I know that I could roll it out, spread things on, and roll it up and bake a loaf, but I’m wondering if I can “knead” these things in.

    1. Hi Donna,

      Yes, you can knead them in, but you then need to allow the dough to rest longer before baking, so the bread will not be dense. I would say at least an additional 30 minutes.

      Thanks, Zoë

  46. Hello,
    I purchased ABin5 and HBin5 a few weeks ago, and have tried the master recipes from both, as well as a few others, with good results. I have started experimenting with decreasing yeast, and with adding sourdough starter (about 1 1/2 cups per batch, per Zoe’s recommendation). I have two questions with regard to technique.
    First, how do you incorporate your sourdough starter into your dough? I added the dry and wet ingredients, gave it a couple of stirs, and then added in the starter. But then, after reading how you incorporate leftover dough into a new batch by forming a “soup” with the liquid ingredients and the old dough, and then adding the dry ingredients, I wondered if that is how I should add in my sourdough starter.
    My next question is about the technique for adding yeast. In the ABin5 recipes, the yeast is added to the lukewarm water and other wet ingredients; however, in all HBin5 recipes, the yeast is whisked in with the other dry ingredients first. I am curious about this! Can I just always add the yeast to the dry ingredients, or is there a specific reason to do it the other way around in the ABin5 recipes? I have not yet purchased your Pizza book, but did “peek” inside at the Amazon website, and noticed that the basic pizza dough recipe called for adding the yeast to the water first. Does it make a difference, and if so, why?
    I am enjoying your books so much–thank you! I’ve just taught my son how to make pizza–from dough to pie, so now he is hooked. We’ve got 3 buckets going in the fridge right now (I think next I’d better read up on freezing dough!)

    1. Nora: Assume you’ve seen this post, at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/11/30/sourdough-starter-in-our-recipes

      Generally, it seems you get a more uniform result by either forming the “soup,” or by using an immersion blender to break up the old dough or the starter, but I’m not absolutely sure it’s unnecessary. For a demo on how to use the immersion blender, go to https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/10/18/no-knead-whole-grain-baguette-buns-with-extra-sourdough-kick-this-time-weigh-out-the-ingredients

      You can always whisk the yeast and salt, first, into the dry ingredients; that’s fine for either book. But for HBin5, you have to do it that way, or else the vital wheat gluten clumps. For PI5, we decided to return to our old method since that book doesn’t use VWG, and this was more consistent with our method. But you can do it either way for PI5.

  47. so, I’ve ordered Artisan pizza book and I should get it in a week. My sense is suggesting to me that the next book will be about cakes??

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