Recently, we’ve been experimenting with using bread doughs, especially yeast-leavened doughs. One thing we immediately observed was that certain recipes we tested didn’t even work!
After several days of study, we came to the conclusion that the different ingredients used in dough recipes could destroy yeast. This makes sense that our loaves continued to come out flat and dense!
Does salt have the power to kill yeast? Salt may kill the yeast when it comes in close contact with it or if the recipe has too much. It is an essential ingredient in helping to control the rate at which yeast is fermented. That’s why it’s essential to use it in a proper manner and in the proper proportions.
Below, we’ll go deep into how yeast functions and what it requires to flourish. This will let you know when and the reason why salt (and other elements) can kill yeast, what you can do to prevent it, and ways to remedy it!
Yeast
Today, we’re discussing the baker’s yeast. Baker’s yeast is a type of safe and effective yeast that is commonly used in baking products. It can be used for the leavening dough, bread, and other pastries.
If yeast is added along with other ingredients to activate the yeast and nourish it, it transforms its sugars into carbon dioxide and ethanol..
This is the reason why bread rises when it bakes and is the reason it has that distinctive toasty, yeasty aroma.
Different Types Of Yeast
There are different types of baker’s yeast that can be used to bake. It is crucial to be aware of the type of baker’s yeast you’re working with.
The type will decide how it’s employed, the amount of it is required as well as the ingredients it is best to use it with.
This is particularly important when determining which ingredients hinder or kill the yeast.
For instance, If salt kills yeast, you shouldn’t try to mix it with fresh yeast. But you can mix it with dry ingredients with dry yeast.
Today, we’ll only be discussing the kinds of baker’s yeast that everyone has access to.
Compressed Yeast
This kind of yeast is characterized by a solid consistency that looks like putty that is beige. It’s not any moisture but isn’t a dry “powdered” form of yeast. It’s available in an assortment of sizes. However, it’s an extremely perishable component.
This is the reason it’s not often found at the local supermarket. You’re most likely to locate it in bakeries or purchase small quantities from bakeries in your area.
Active Dry Yeast
Dry active yeast is the most simple to locate regardless of where you’re located around the globe. The yeast is processed to produce coarse oblong grains. They are live yeast cells that are encapsulated in the “coating” of dead cells.
This is why active dry yeast has to be proven prior to being utilized in the dough to ensure its leavening capabilities.
This yeast has a very long shelf life due to the absence of moisture. When stored in a freezer, yeast granules will last for more than 10 years!
Instant yeast
Instant yeast is frequently misunderstood as dried active yeast. Although they’re very identical, instant yeast is packed with many live yeast cells within every granule.
It’s also more perishable and doesn’t require some proofing (rehydration) prior to being used.
Rapid-rise yeast
This is a less-known kind of yeast that is extremely beneficial. It’s a kind of immediate yeast. However, it is much smaller in grains.
This allows it to quickly dissolve within the dough, releasing lots of carbon dioxide and eventually allowing the dough to rise more quickly.
How Yeast works
It is the yeast that creates fermentation in the dough, which gives the dough a rise. In order for yeast to begin to ferment, it requires three essential ingredients: humidity, warmth as well as food.
In terms of the food component yeast requires carbohydrates. It employs this process to convert sugars into carbon dioxide and ethanol.
Carbon dioxide (gas) is trapped in the protein strands (also called gluten). Gluten is formed when the dough is mixed.
When the bread is heated (either during baking or proofing), the gas pockets expand to give the bread its rise.
The ethanol released aids in the thinning that makes up the bread crust. It creates a better texture.
The Effects of Sugar On the Yeast
Ok, then the primary ingredients that influence the functioning of yeast are salt, sugar, and other forms of carbohydrates. Each affects the yeast ingredient and if used improperly could result in fatal consequences.
Sugar is the primary food source yeast uses, regardless of what kind you’re making. This is the reason you’ll find that all types of bread with yeast leaves contain sugar.
While it is a source of yeast’s life, however, it may also hinder its growth when used in high quantities.
It works as a dehydrator that takes moisture out of the yeast cells. If you’ve been paying attention that moisture is among three crucial elements for keeping the yeast alive.
Does Salt Cause Yeast Death?
Salt can be a killer to the yeast. However, it’s an essential ingredient in yeast-leavened bread dough recipes. Salt functions as a dehydrator and can help control the rate of fermentation by slowing the yeast’s activity.
The trick is to use it in the proper quantity.
If yeast comes in the direct vicinity of salts, in particular the fresh, highly hydrated type, it kills yeast cells immediately!
It’s the same when you include too much salt in recipes. It is likely to slow the process of fermentation, but it could completely overwhelm the yeast’s capabilities and destroy it.
How to Stop the death of Yeast
Good active yeast is crucial for making fantastic leavened bread that is soft in crumb and has a delicious flavor. This is why it’s essential to pay attention to the quantities that a recipe requires.
An excellent suggestion and one we highly suggest is measuring your ingredients’ weights by grams. Not in volume or “packets”-especially regarding yeast, sugar, and salt.
These tips are extremely useful, particularly if you have some recipe in your kitchen that doesn’t perform as well as you would like.
Do not have direct contacts
No matter what yeast you choose to use, do not ever let salt come in contact with it directly. It will immediately end its life of it.
Mix the salt in along with your dry ingredient. The yeast can be incorporated into the dough with other liquid components.
Set The Temperature
Yeast is extremely sensitive to low and high temperatures. Ideally, it should be between 80 and 90 degrees F (27-32degC). Any lower yeast activity will decrease.
Above at or above 105degF (41degC) then, the yeast also starts slowing down in activity. At 140degF (59degC) the yeast has been killed completely.
Use Less Salt
If you find that your recipe requires an excessive quantity of salt, you should reduce the amount. The majority of bread doughs do not require a lot of salt.
In a rough estimate, salt makes up around 1.5-3 percent (also known as a baker’s percentage) of the weight of the dough.
You can easily determine this, and if it appears that there is excess in the right amount, then reduce the amount. Although slat has an impact on the tenderness of the bread, it could destroy yeast and result in a dry and dense loaf.
Use Sugar to Balance Salt
Sugar has a balancing impact on salt. The more sugar you’ve got (if you’re a heavy user of sodium) you’ll have more nutrients you have available for the yeast to grow on.
This is difficult to achieve and could affect the flavor of the loaf. Be aware that too much sugar may cause yeast to slow down.
Certain recipes do not call for sugar, and in that, the yeast utilizes the sugars present in the bread to feed. This is when adding a teaspoon or two of salt can aid the yeast in getting an advantage over salt.
How to fix “Killed” Yeast
According to us, it is impossible to repair your yeast after you’ve eliminated it. Your best chance of having great bread is to start from scratch.
If you’re looking to dry activate the loaf, add more yeast to the dough you have made. This is done by dissolving yeast into lukewarm water (between the ideal temperature zones).
After that, gently work to incorporate the remaining water into the dough. Begin the process of proofing once more and observe what happens.
We recommend using a little more yeast than what the original recipe calls for. This is because the mixed dough is very heavy and requires an increase in leavening power to form the open crumb.
To ensure that you don’t completely alter the dough’s texture, Mix the yeast with just the amount of water.
For instance, don’t fix the yeast using a complete cup of water. You won’t be able to add the water of 1 cup to an already-mixed dough. Instead, mix the yeast with 1 Cup of water.
We’ve already said that there’s no solution to cure yeast that’s killed. However, you can try it.
