What To Do If There Is Too Much Yeast In The Bread?

What to do if there is too much yeast in the bread?

In this brief guide we will address the question, “what to do if there is too much yeast in the bread?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to tell if your bread is over fermented and how to avoid adding too much yeast in the bread?

What to do if there is too much yeast in the bread?

Too much yeast in the bread will spoil the deliciousness and aroma of our freshly baked bread, and we all want to get rid of it. So in this section, we will discuss what we need to do if we add too much yeast in the bread.

We’ve all been there! When too much yeast is added in the bread, the best approach is to lower the temperature during the proofing time. A relatively lower temperature will retard the production of gas, while giving the dough sufficient time for proofing. Note that temperature is directly proportional to the degree of fermentation your yeast will do.

Now there are some other ways you can do this, but they all revolve around the same science. If the amount of yeast is less than 2.5% of the flour used, then there are greater chances of saving your dough. You can just punch the dough to remove excess gas, and let it rise again at a lower temperature.

Another way is to roughly estimate the excess yeast and increase the amount of flour accordingly. This will increase the sugars in your dough for the yeast to ferment. Just adjust the recipe with the new yeast quantity!

When it comes to baking, every step is crucial. The most important definitely being the one where you adjust the ratio of your ingredients. Following the recipe while baking is also of utmost importance. If you just keep on experimenting, it may take you a lot more experiments to perfect your dish, so it is just better to stick to one recipe and make changes in the quantity of ingredients using that particular recipe.

How to avoid putting too much yeast in your bread?

You can avoid putting too much yeast in your bread by following these steps of bread baking. Too much yeast is not just because you added a little extra, it could be due to some other reasons like unclean utensils or over proofing.

Proper kneading

Kneading? Just add everything and mix it up!

Not quite… When kneading the dough, you must be careful as to completely mix the yeast with the dough.

A good way is to add small amounts of yeast while kneading it, until all the yeast has been added. In this way, the yeast will not clump and will spread evenly in the dough. Using this approach also ensures uniform texture and raising of the dough.

Proper raising

Another common mistake while baking is the raising of dough. Raising requires a definite amount of time, and if you overdo it, you will simply be allowing the yeast to ferment more. Consequently, increasing the chances of over fermentation that results in the yeasty smell of your bread.

Bread usually takes about 45 minutes for proper raising. You can go 5-10 minutes more or less depending on the type of bread you’re baking and the quantity of yeast added. Anything more than an hour will result in over fermentation and give your bread the yeasty smell.

Another way to check proper raising is by measuring it. No, you don’t need a scale for it. Just stick in your finger before and after proofing, and you will know how much your dough has risen. It is recommended that your dough should roughly double when it rises.

Hygiene is important

Whether it is the bowl you’re mixing your dough in or an electrical kneading machine, you need to make sure there are no residuals in the container. Like mentioned before, baking always requires delicacy; anything less or more can turn your product into a disaster.

This is a common mistake that people tend to make while baking. They do not clean their utensils properly and dry them out. It is possible that some of the yeast from earlier is still stuck at the head of your kneading machine (mixer). This will just add extra yeast and your bread will have a yeasty smell.

Similarly, you might also want to clean your oven properly when you put dough into it. Your oven is probably the most susceptible place from where your bread can be exposed to extra yeast. Just think of all the items you bake in that poor thing without cleaning it.

Temperature precaution

Finesse is key! Just when you thought you were out of the whole delicacy thing, comes your next precaution – temperature. Ideal temperature for yeast storage is 75-85 Fahrenheit. After proper kneading and proofing, heat is supplied to make sure that all of the yeast reacts with the ingredients of your dough.

Temperature is a key factor in the making of bread and the enzymatic reactions that take place during its preparation.

Baking is a step by step process, and additional yeast or a yeasty taste could be a result of one of these steps. Let us take a look into the details of each step and analyze where we can go wrong while baking.

Other FAQs about Yeast which you may be interested in.

What happens when adding yeast to sourdough starter?

Conclusion

In this brief guide we have addressed the question. “What to do if there is too much yeast in the bread?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to tell if your bread is over fermented and how to avoid putting too much yeast in your bread.