5 Tips for Baking with Yeast and What to Make with Yeast
These tips for baking with yeast will help you feel more confident in the kitchen and yield more successful results. Be sure to check out a few of my favorite recipes if you’re wondering what to make with yeast – they’re all tried and true family favorites that even my picky eater approves of.
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I love baking homemade bread. It tastes so good and makes the house smell amazing. Some people find baking with yeast to be confusing, challenging, or otherwise just hard to understand. Today I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for baking with yeast.
Top 5 Tips for Baking with Yeast
MAKE SURE THE DOUGH IS DOUBLED IN BULK
I don’t stick to the rising times as listed in the recipe. Instead, I consider them to be guidelines. My main concern: has the dough doubled in bulk. That is how you know the rise is complete.
HOW TO KNOW IF DOUGH IS DOUBLED IN BULK
Now you’re probably wondering: How do I know that my dough had doubled in bulk? The simplest method that I have learned over the years is to dust my fingers in flour and plunge them into the dough as the “guideline” recipe rising time nears.
The hole that you make will quickly collapse if it is not ready. Give it another 10 minutes and try again. If the dough is ready the indentations will remain.
MAKE SURE YOU USE FRESH YEAST
I always make sure to check the expiration date on my yeast. If I don’t remember purchasing it then it could have been in the pantry for months (or longer). Old yeast doesn’t yield reliable rising results.
If you don’t think you’ll be baking regularly, buy packets rather than jars of yeast to eliminate waste. Additionally, you can lengthen the life of yeast by storing it in the refrigerator, but make sure you let the yeast come to room temperature before using.
KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT IS FOR BAKING WITH YEAST
You don’t need fancy equipment to bake bread. Yes, a bread machine, a stand mixer or other heavy duty mixer, and a food processor are all nice to have. And they do make the process easier. By all means, if you have any of these tools, feel free to use them.
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But, if you don’t, no worries. Your own two hands work just as well. Don’t let the lack fancy equipment keep you from making bread. With a little elbow grease, you’ll find that kneading bread is actually quite satisfying.
This Rustic Rosemary Garlic Bread is super fun to make in the food processor if you have one!
PROBLEMS WITH YEAST? TRY AGAIN!
We all have our flops. Rolls that don’t rise enough and taste like yeasty rocks. Dry bread. But I’ve learned that you can’t let failure keep you from giving it another go. Practice makes perfect!
5 Tips for Baking with Yeast and What to Make with Yeast
Ready to test your baking skills now that you’ve read all about my 5 Tips for Baking with Yeast? Here are some of our favorite yeast recipes.
Don't see what you're looking for here? Head over to the Recipe Index where you can browse all the yeast recipes. You can also check out the Ingredient Index if you want to browse recipes by specific ingredients.
Have you ever made BBQ Chicken Pizza at home? Take this as a hint to change up your Friday night pizza routine with this Barbecue Chicken Pizza. The homemade crust of this chicken pizza is slathered in BBQ sauce and topped with sliced chicken, red onion, cilantro, and 2 types of cheese.
Focaccia bread is a wonderful, classic Italian bread. It goes so well with any soup you'd like to serve.
Delicious homemade pizza with the amazing flavors of a garlic cream sauce, caramelized red onions, crispy bacon and sauteed spinach.
For a spring take on the classic cinnamon roll, try this recipe for Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing.Their sweet and tangy taste is perfect for this time of year!
My kids absolutely love helping me make this delicious Indian Flatbread – what they like to call “circle bread.” Rolling the dough into little balls and then flattening with a rolling pin provides so much entertainment for their little hands. I serve it with this delicious Indian Butter Chicken, or as a wrap for Tandoori Chicken. The kids love helping roll the circles out.
Gooey Caramel Pecan Rolls are perfect for a special occasion brunch. They feature a soft brioche dough, cinnamon filling, and tons of caramel pecan topping. They're seriously the best sticky buns!
This recipe for Rustic Rosemary Garlic Bread is my go-to yeast bread recipe when I want some warm, crusty homemade bread to go with dinner. You can change up the flavors by using different herbs, adding sun dried tomatoes, or even some cheese, like asiago or parmesan. I hope you’ll try this delicious free-form rustic bread. It’s great as a snack, with soup, or to make sandwiches or a panini with.
While these tender Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls will make an excellent addition to any Thanksgiving menu and a great way to use up leftover turkey for turkey sandwiches, we love to serve them all fall and winter.
These are the BEST homemade cinnamon rolls you’ll ever make! They’re light and fluffy, with a gooey cinnamon filling and a bourbon cream cheese icing that’s slathered over the cinnamon rolls while they’re still warm. Perfect for the holidays or as a special weekend treat!
This baguette had hardly any prep time and start to finish took a fraction of the time in a traditional recipe. I highly recommend giving your hand a try at artisan bread like this!
Pizza Night is always a winner in our house, especially when we make our own Homemade Pizza Crust. Be sure to check out my tips for Totally Awesome Pizza at Home. This recipe for Supreme Veggie Pizza with Mozzarella and Feta is a great addition to Friday Night Pizza Night.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect breakfast treat – pumpkin spice dough is rolled with plenty of cinnamon and sugar, and then slathered in cream cheese frosting. My kids would totally revolt if I ever stopped making homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on major holidays. Their favorites are Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. But we’ve tried several different types when we’re in the mood to mix it up. Need more pumpkin? Check out 25 Pumpkin Recipes to Try.
This recipe for Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Calzones is perfect for using up leftover ham (think after Easter!) and like hot pockets, only way better since they’re homemade. They’re easy to make and freeze really well, too. By the way, our favorite ham recipe is this Slow Cooker Spiral Ham.
Do you remember something like this from your childhood, only it involved a can of biscuits? Here is my take on pull apart bread, complete with a caramel topping and plenty of cinnamon!
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What are your favorite recipes to bake with yeast?
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