Cooking Hints and Tips   

Leaveners

Baking Powder Baking powder loses its leavening power with age. To test and see if it is still fresh, put 1/2 teaspoon baking powder into 1/4 cup hot water. If the water bubbles lots, the baking powder is fresh. Baking Soda To test the potency of baking soda, add a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a pinch of baking soda. If it bubbles, the baking soda is still effective. Yeast Store active dry yeast at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator and use before the expiration date printed on the package. Yeast can be frozen to extend its life for several months beyond the expiration date. Defrost at room temperature before using. Adding a little sugar to the liquid used to dissolve the yeast will make it more active. Freeze it and use it straight from the freezer. - Use a plastic screw top jar (peanut butter jar) Tupperware, Rubbermaid or snap top jar, sold at Kitchen stores. Compressed yeast should be stored in the refrigerator and once opened lasts for only two weeks before losing its effectiveness. Dry yeast should always be stored in an airtight container. Yeast needs moisture, sugar or starch, and a warm temperature in order to grow and make dough rise. Old yeast that is dead can not be reactivated, so it is a good idea to proof the yeast to make sure it is fresh before using it. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar to yeast when stirring it into water to dissolve. If it foams and bubbles in ten minutes you know the yeast is alive and active. Some recipes call for cake yeast and others for dried yeast--they are interchangeable. One packet of yeast is the same as one cake of yeast. If bulk yeast is used, 1 tablespoon is the equivalent of 1 packet. Yeasts are living organisms with 3200 billion cells to the pound and no two are exactly alike. Did you know that yeast is a tiny plant that produces carbon dioxide from sugar when temperature and moisture are favorable for it's growth? It comes in two forms--active dry and compressed. Soften active dry yeast in warm water (110 degrees) before using. Soften compressed yeast in lukewarm water or milk for the same length of time. Hot water kills yeast. One way to tell the correct temperature is to pour the water over your forearm. If you cannot feel either hot or cold, the temperature is just right. Types of Yeast: ACTIVE DRY YEAST was the first type of dry, packaged yeast developed and it is used by both the home and commercial baker. This yeast is produced from healthy, strong yeast cultures and dried in a special process. They are packaged in jars or foil type packets under a vacuum or with an inert gas to preserve the yeast's viability. Active dry yeast has a shelf life of about two years when stored under cool dry conditions. This yeast can be proofed and some bakers insist that it is essential. INSTANT YEAST (sometimes sold as bread machine yeast) is formulated to quickly activate. It begins to work the moment it comes in contact with liquids. If stored and handled properly it is not necessary to proof this yeast. Do not confuse this yeast with rapid rise yeast. Instant yeast is made from a faster acting strain of yeast, and you use 1/3 less of it than you would of active dry yeast. If an ABM recipe calls for 1 tsp. instant yeast, you would use 1 1/2 tsp. of active dry. And conversely, if a recipe calls for 2 tsp. active dry yeast, you would use 1 1/3 tsp. of instant yeast. RAPID RISE yeast is a special strain of yeast that quickly begins to work and is best used in bread recipes that only use one rise or in recipes designed to use in some machines "rapid cycle". Since this yeast has a special purpose it is not recommend for other recipes. (Do not use in ABMs.) How much yeast is needed for baking? The "rule of thumb" is to use about 1/2 teaspoon yeast for each cup of flour. Often, if you use more, you will get a bitter yeast taste. However, if you are baking a bread with more sugar than usual, then you will need to add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon more yeast. If you are doing a slow rise bread with multiple rises you can use a little less yeast. Miscellaneous Sinkage can be a problem of too little leavening, or leavening that is too old. First check the date on the package and discard any product that has gone past that date. Then make sure the leavening is still active by combining 1 tsp. baking powder with 1/3 cup hot (not boiling) water. If it bubbles immediately, it can be counted on to rise during baking.

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