On Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:23:59 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:52:01 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:08:12 -0700, sf > wrote:
>>
>> >Question for you bread baking people.... I have a King Arthur bread
>> >recipe (I used all the KA bread flour yesterday, so I'm "stuck" with
>> >the organic best of the best flour that I buy in bulk from Rainbow)
>> >which calls for 3 cups bread flour and 1 cup "old fashioned oats" (I
>> >have it) - but my question is about the yeast measure. The recipe
>> >calls for 2 teaspoons of instant yeast for. When I make pizza, I use
>> >1/2 tsp dry yeast (bought in bulk) to 4 cups all-purpose or bread
>> >flour and it is very active. Do I really need 2 teaspoons of yeast
>> >for this bread???? It seems to me that if I really needed more yeast,
>> >1 tsp would do the trick. What say you?
>>
>> Is there a lot of honey or sugar in the recipe? If so, that may be
>> why the extra yeast as a sweet recipe is hard on the yeast cells
>> themselves. In fact, if you read the King Arthur catalog you will see
>> that there is a special yeast for sweet breads. The extra yeast may
>> also be used to make the oatmeal bread a really light loaf. The one
>> teaspoon you suggest will work, it will just take longer. For a
>> traditional 5 -7 cup flour recipe I would expect the recipe to say 2
>> packages (5 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. If you are using instant
>> yeast you will use about one-third less. Adjust backwards from there.
>> Janet US
>
>Thanks, Janet. The recipe says 3T brown sugar or honey, I don't know
>if that's considered a lot or not. The yeast it calls for is "instant
>or active dry". Not sure what mine is, but I'll be in the store where
>I bought it today, so I can ask. I haven't seen a specialized yeast
>for sweet bread dough although I have gone to KA online to purchase a
>liquid flavoring called "Fiori Di Sicilia". What makes that sweet
>bread yeast different from the others?

The yeast is a SAF yeast product, a brand of instant yeast that most
all of us use. This yeast is SAF Gold, used especially for sweet
breads. Read more in Test Kitchen tip.

SAF Gold Instant Yeast - 16 oz.

item# 1457 $6.95

A professional-grade yeast designed especially for doughs high in
sugar (sweet breads).

Designed to give a long, strong, steady rise.
No need to proof, just add to flour.
Made in Mexico by France's Lesaffre Yeast Corporation.
Available in a vacuum-packed, 1-lb. brick.
Makes about 96 loaves of bread.
Store in an airtight container in your freezer.
Gluten-free.
Kosher.
TEST KITCHEN TIP: Sweet breads can be agonizingly slow risers. Why?
Because sugar attracts water, and when it's in bread dough, it pulls
water away from yeast - leaving the yeast thirsty and unable to grow.
The special strain of yeast in SAF Gold is "osmotolerant" – it
requires less water. So it's able to grow happily despite sugar's
attempts to leave it "high and dry."
Janet US