Yeast

Used in 13 recipes on RecipeWiki.

Yeast is the living fungus that makes dough rise, feeding on sugars and releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol, which lift the dough and flavour the bread. This page covers both instant yeast, which can be mixed straight into the flour, and dried active yeast, which is best woken first in warm liquid with a pinch of sugar until frothy. It raises everything from Everyday White Tin Loaf to the batter of Blini. Keep the liquid at blood heat, around 37°C; much hotter kills it. Salt slows it too, so keep the two apart when weighing them into the bowl. Store opened yeast sealed in the fridge.

What else can I make with it?

Most often cooked with

Recipes with yeast

Blini — shot from directly overhead: thin yeasted pancakes of buckwheat and wheat flour

Blini

Thin yeasted pancakes of buckwheat and wheat flour, cooked in a hot pan and served with soured cream, butter or salted fish.

1 hr 45 minServes 4

BreakfastPescatarianRussian

Classic Margherita Pizza — shot from directly overhead: three toppings

Classic Margherita Pizza

Three toppings, nothing hidden — this is the pizza that shows whether your dough is any good.

4 hr 42 minServes 2

CheeseDinnerItalian

Crumpets — shot from directly overhead: a wet yeasted batter cooked in rings on a low griddle

Crumpets

A wet yeasted batter cooked in rings on a low griddle, with bicarbonate stirred in at the end so the holes open right through.

2 hr 5 minServes 5

BreadBritishVegetarian

Everyday White Tin Loaf — shot from directly overhead: a straight-dough sandwich loaf made with commercial yeast and no starter

Everyday White Tin Loaf

A straight-dough sandwich loaf made with commercial yeast and no starter, baked in a tin so it slices square for toast.

2 hr 50 minServes 12

BakingBreadBritish

Garlic Naan — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Garlic Naan

A yoghurt-enriched yeasted dough cooked in a screaming hot pan and blistered under the grill, which stands in for a tandoor.

2 hr 10 minServes 4

BreadIndianVegetarian

Hand-Rolled Bagels — shot from directly overhead: a stiff low-hydration dough rolled by hand

Hand-Rolled Bagels

A stiff low-hydration dough rolled by hand, retarded overnight and boiled before baking, which is what sets the chewy glossy crust.

14 hr 35 minServes 8

AmericanBreadJewish

Kulebyaka — shot from directly overhead: an enriched pastry loaf layered with salmon

Kulebyaka

An enriched pastry loaf layered with salmon, rice, egg and dill, baked until the crust sounds hollow.

3 hr 10 minServes 6

Main coursesPescatarianRussian

Kulich — shot from directly overhead: tall enriched Easter bread coloured with saffron and studded with raisins

Kulich

Tall enriched Easter bread coloured with saffron and studded with raisins, finished with a white glaze that runs down the sides.

7 hr 55 minServes 12

BreadRussianVegetarian

Kvass — shot from directly overhead: a lightly fermented drink made from dried dark rye bread

Kvass

A lightly fermented drink made from dried dark rye bread, sugar and yeast, sour and faintly sweet.

42 hr 40 minServes 8

BasicsRussianVegan

Pirozhki — shot from directly overhead: small yeasted buns filled with cabbage and egg

Pirozhki

Small yeasted buns filled with cabbage and egg, baked or fried, sized to be eaten out of the hand in two or three bites.

2 hr 45 minServes 8

BreadLeafy greensRussian

Seeded Rye Loaf — shot from directly overhead: a dense oval of dark rye and seeds

Seeded Rye Loaf

A dense oval of dark rye and seeds, mixed rather than kneaded because rye forms almost no gluten to work with.

7 hr 25 minServes 12

BakingBreadGerman

Soft Milk Rolls — shot from directly overhead: a dough enriched with milk

Soft Milk Rolls

A dough enriched with milk, butter and egg, baked as a pull-apart tray of rolls with a close crumb that stays soft for days.

3 hr 17 minServes 12

BakingBreadVegetarian

by velvetlapwing

Vatrushka — shot from directly overhead: yeasted buns pressed into a ring around a well of sweetened curd cheese

Vatrushka

Yeasted buns pressed into a ring around a well of sweetened curd cheese, baked until the filling sets to a soft custard.

2 hr 25 minServes 10

BreadRussianVegetarian