question about yeast in a recipe
 

I was baking with my dad this weekend, making cookies that my grandmother
used to make - her recipe for Kolacky. The recipe for the dough called for
6 cups flour, 1 lb sour cream, 1 lb butter (or half butter, half margarine),
4 egg yolks a tsp of salt, and 4 yeast cakes. The method was to mix the
yeast cakes with half the sour cream, then mix the rest of the sour cream
into that. Mix the egg yolks into the sour cream. Cut the butter into the
flour and salt. Then mix it all together. Then roll it out, cut them, fill
them, and bake them off.

My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand why
it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I can't
ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in May,
maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me know,
I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.

Jenn. W.

--
If we do not change direction, we'll end up where we're headed.
-Lao Tsu

question about yeast in a recipe
 

"Jenn" wrote:

<snip>

> My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand
why
> it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
> yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
> rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I
can't
> ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in May,
> maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me know,
> I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.

The yeast belongs there if the dough is meant to be sweet buns that cradle
the filling and puff up around it in cooking, as opposed to other recipes
for flat cookie-like kolachke which don't rise and work more like tulipe
baskets to hold fillings.

I have a collection of recipes from my grandmothers, greatgrandmothers,
aunts, great aunts, great great aunts... One thing that impresses me greatly
about them is how much important information was left out of them! It wasn't
that they wished the next generation of recipe users ill luck or anything
like that. It was because a great deal of paper, ink and time could be saved
by not reiterating directions which were at the time common knowledge to
every housewife and housewife in training*. In my grandma's day, everybody
knew that yeast dough had to rise twice before baking. I suspect that is the
case with your grandmother's recipe for kolachke.

<*lots of these recipes have baking directions that specify "fast oven,"
"slow oven," "hot oven" and other temperature approximations in use, some of
them don't have directions for the actual baking at all, one is a bread
recipe measured in "spadefuls," and there is a very old and faded sheet of
handwritten instructions for banking wood and coal fires for best oven
temperature control>

question about yeast in a recipe
 

"Jenn" wrote:

<snip>

> My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand
why
> it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
> yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
> rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I
can't
> ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in May,
> maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me know,
> I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.

The yeast belongs there if the dough is meant to be sweet buns that cradle
the filling and puff up around it in cooking, as opposed to other recipes
for flat cookie-like kolachke which don't rise and work more like tulipe
baskets to hold fillings.

I have a collection of recipes from my grandmothers, greatgrandmothers,
aunts, great aunts, great great aunts... One thing that impresses me greatly
about them is how much important information was left out of them! It wasn't
that they wished the next generation of recipe users ill luck or anything
like that. It was because a great deal of paper, ink and time could be saved
by not reiterating directions which were at the time common knowledge to
every housewife and housewife in training*. In my grandma's day, everybody
knew that yeast dough had to rise twice before baking. I suspect that is the
case with your grandmother's recipe for kolachke.

<*lots of these recipes have baking directions that specify "fast oven,"
"slow oven," "hot oven" and other temperature approximations in use, some of
them don't have directions for the actual baking at all, one is a bread
recipe measured in "spadefuls," and there is a very old and faded sheet of
handwritten instructions for banking wood and coal fires for best oven
temperature control>

question about yeast in a recipe
 

In my grandma's day, everybody
> knew that yeast dough had to rise twice before baking. I suspect that is
the
> case with your grandmother's recipe for kolachke.

But my grandmother used to make these with us, and we never let them rise at
all, that's why I can't figure out why the yeast is in them. It's not that
it doesn't say to let it rise, but that when she was "teaching" my dad how
to make it, she never had him let it rise. Just doesn't make sense to me.
Jenn.


> <*lots of these recipes have baking directions that specify "fast oven,"
> "slow oven," "hot oven" and other temperature approximations in use, some
of
> them don't have directions for the actual baking at all, one is a bread
> recipe measured in "spadefuls," and there is a very old and faded sheet of
> handwritten instructions for banking wood and coal fires for best oven
> temperature control>
>
>

question about yeast in a recipe
 

"Jenn" wrote:
> But my grandmother used to make these with us, and we never let them rise
at
> all, that's why I can't figure out why the yeast is in them. It's not
that
> it doesn't say to let it rise, but that when she was "teaching" my dad how
> to make it, she never had him let it rise. Just doesn't make sense to me.

Hmmmmm. When your grandmother made them, did they come out crisp and
cookie-like or puffed and bread-like?

question about yeast in a recipe
 

"Jenn" <wannabeachef @ wideopenwest.com> wrote in message >...
> I was baking with my dad this weekend, making cookies that my grandmother
> used to make - her recipe for Kolacky. The recipe for the dough called for
> 6 cups flour, 1 lb sour cream, 1 lb butter (or half butter, half margarine),
> 4 egg yolks a tsp of salt, and 4 yeast cakes. The method was to mix the
> yeast cakes with half the sour cream, then mix the rest of the sour cream
> into that. Mix the egg yolks into the sour cream. Cut the butter into the
> flour and salt. Then mix it all together. Then roll it out, cut them, fill
> them, and bake them off.
>
> My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand why
> it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
> yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
> rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I can't
> ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in May,
> maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me know,
> I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.
>
> Jenn. W.

There are versions of kolacky that contains yeast. Maybe your grandma
got confused with the other recipes and knowing other recipes contain
it she just have to add it to her recipe without understanding its
purpose.
Have a look at these:
http://www.bakery-net.com/rdocs/kolacky.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1810,...239207,00.html

The dough here is rested (or allowed to ferment).
Roy

question about yeast in a recipe
 

--
If we do not change direction, we'll end up where we're headed.
-Lao Tsu

"Pennyaline" > wrote in
message ...
> "Jenn" wrote:
> > But my grandmother used to make these with us, and we never let them
rise
> at
> > all, that's why I can't figure out why the yeast is in them. It's not
> that
> > it doesn't say to let it rise, but that when she was "teaching" my dad
how
> > to make it, she never had him let it rise. Just doesn't make sense to
me.
>
> Hmmmmm. When your grandmother made them, did they come out crisp and
> cookie-like or puffed and bread-like?

They're not bread like, more like a cookie, but not quite crisp. Like I
said, when I get to making them again, sometime here in the next few days or
so, I'm going to try them w/o the yeast and see how it works out. It just
doesn't make any sense to me to have it in there! Jenn. W.

question about yeast in a recipe
 

I looked at these recipes, thanks. And I've seen other w/o yeast, too. I
don't know why my grandmother didn't let them rest if there was yeast in
them. Just doesn't make any sense to me, but oh well. I have a few other
recipes for them I thought I'd try, too, at some point. I don't know where
she got her recipe from, if it was an old family recipe that she was just
"remembering" at the time she gave it to my parents, or what! Anyway,
thanks for the help!
Jenn. W.


--
If we do not change direction, we'll end up where we're headed.
-Lao Tsu

"Roy Basan" > wrote in message
om...
> "Jenn" <wannabeachef @ wideopenwest.com> wrote in message
>...
> > I was baking with my dad this weekend, making cookies that my
grandmother
> > used to make - her recipe for Kolacky. The recipe for the dough called
for
> > 6 cups flour, 1 lb sour cream, 1 lb butter (or half butter, half
margarine),
> > 4 egg yolks a tsp of salt, and 4 yeast cakes. The method was to mix the
> > yeast cakes with half the sour cream, then mix the rest of the sour
cream
> > into that. Mix the egg yolks into the sour cream. Cut the butter into
the
> > flour and salt. Then mix it all together. Then roll it out, cut them,
fill
> > them, and bake them off.
> >
> > My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand
why
> > it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
> > yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
> > rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I
can't
> > ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in
May,
> > maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me
know,
> > I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.
> >
> > Jenn. W.
>
> There are versions of kolacky that contains yeast. Maybe your grandma
> got confused with the other recipes and knowing other recipes contain
> it she just have to add it to her recipe without understanding its
> purpose.
> Have a look at these:
> http://www.bakery-net.com/rdocs/kolacky.html
>
> http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1810,...239207,00.html
>
> The dough here is rested (or allowed to ferment).
> Roy

question about yeast in a recipe
 

"Jenn" <wannabeachef @ wideopenwest.com> wrote in message
...
> I looked at these recipes, thanks. And I've seen other w/o yeast, too. I
> don't know why my grandmother didn't let them rest if there was yeast in
> them. Just doesn't make any sense to me, but oh well. I have a few other
> recipes for them I thought I'd try, too, at some point. I don't know
where
> she got her recipe from, if it was an old family recipe that she was just
> "remembering" at the time she gave it to my parents, or what! Anyway,
> thanks for the help!
> Jenn. W.
>

Maybe it was just for flavor. Your grandmother probably used fresh yeast.
It has a distinct flavor.














>
> --
> If we do not change direction, we'll end up where we're headed.
> -Lao Tsu
>
> "Roy Basan" > wrote in message
> om...
> > "Jenn" <wannabeachef @ wideopenwest.com> wrote in message
> >...
> > > I was baking with my dad this weekend, making cookies that my
> grandmother
> > > used to make - her recipe for Kolacky. The recipe for the dough
called
> for
> > > 6 cups flour, 1 lb sour cream, 1 lb butter (or half butter, half
> margarine),
> > > 4 egg yolks a tsp of salt, and 4 yeast cakes. The method was to mix
the
> > > yeast cakes with half the sour cream, then mix the rest of the sour
> cream
> > > into that. Mix the egg yolks into the sour cream. Cut the butter into
> the
> > > flour and salt. Then mix it all together. Then roll it out, cut
them,
> fill
> > > them, and bake them off.
> > >
> > > My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't
understand
> why
> > > it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o
the
> > > yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting
anything
> > > rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I
> can't
> > > ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in
> May,
> > > maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me
> know,
> > > I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.
> > >
> > > Jenn. W.
> >
> > There are versions of kolacky that contains yeast. Maybe your grandma
> > got confused with the other recipes and knowing other recipes contain
> > it she just have to add it to her recipe without understanding its
> > purpose.
> > Have a look at these:
> > http://www.bakery-net.com/rdocs/kolacky.html
> >
> > http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1810,...239207,00.html
> >
> > The dough here is rested (or allowed to ferment).
> > Roy
>
>

question about yeast in a recipe
 

>
> Maybe it was just for flavor. Your grandmother probably used fresh yeast.
> It has a distinct flavor.
>
Ok, that could be, too, I suppose. I know it's got that good smell! (I
LOVE the smell of bread rising!)
Jenn. W.