Two questions about yeast and my bread maker.

To activate yeast you need to mix in warm water (not boiling). Sometimes I also add some sugar to get it going. Check out this link for more info about the process.

I have no idea why you need to make a well. What liquid does it say it isn’t supposed to touch?

Just liquid in general. So the water and oil that is added. They also say the order is important going: water – oil – salt – sugar – flour – yeast.

So if I wanted to activate my yeast for the bread maker, would I add it with warm water at the start before I add the rest?

“Instant” or Bread Machine yeast is ground up into smaller dry pieces which enables it to absorb liquid faster and leap into action. The yeast you have, which needs to be activated, probably didn’t hit the ground running (like the instant stuff does) in the time allotted to it by the bread machine, so it didn’t provide lifting power for your loaf.

I’m willing to bet that the bread machine instructions are expecting you to use the more active yeast, and wants you to keep it separate from the warm liquids so that it doesn’t just go crazy and over-produce, making the bread dough escape the pan, get inside the machine, and make a horrid mess. Ask me how I know that it’s a horrid mess.

If you’re using yeast that is less active, perhaps the problem could be solved by introducing the yeast into the warm water in the machine (or on your counter first) so that it activates, and provides the lifting action you’re looking for. Or, like I do when I’m using older (out-of-date, ahem) yeast, add twice as much to make up for the fact that it won’t be as prolific as you like to begin with.

Try a couple loaves, maybe, some each way, and see if they turn out well. That will tell you what works best. :)

More info on yeast types and bread machines.

My bread machine claims the well is to keep it from touching the salt, which will make it start working too soon.

Most bread machines have a delay timer, so you can set the machine to start baking bread in the middle of the night, so you wake up to a fresh loaf.

If the yeast touches the liquid, it will activate, and then it’ll be all over by the time the timer auto-starts the machine.

If you’re using a canister of yeast, as opposed to yeast packets, make certain you’re storing it in the ‘fridge, and not the cabinet, after it’s opened. It will last about six months after opened, but only if it’s chilled.

Just follow the directions on the machine. You don’t need to “activate” the yeast before you add it to the flour – the machine does that part for you. You physically activate the yeast when making bread dough by hand. If you wanted to do that, you wouldn’t have a bread machine. ^_^

I recommend, also, adding 4 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten to each loaf of bread. It just makes the yeast work a little better, in my opinion.

Happy baking!

Sugar activates the yeast. That and heat. I have a bread maker. The well is so that it gets down inside the bread and works it’s way from the inside out, throughout the bread.

To begin I mix brown sugar and an egg (unless I don’t use an egg) in 1 cup of a good dark beer and pour that into the breadmaker first.
Put in flour.
Make the well for the yeast, put in yeast.
I put butter in all four corners of the flour.

As far as the bread not rising….is the yeast old? Did you use enough? Was the dough too wet? If you didn’t use sugar, it won’t rise.

Per the wet dough….when it starts it’s initial mix, I keep a close eye on it and add liquid if it’s too dry, flour if it’s too wet. It takes time and experience to determine what the right consistency of the dough should be.

Happy Baking!!

I just opened the can that it came in. On observation of the yeast it looked larger than the sachets that I usually use. And yeah I did use sugar. I shall try it again adding it to water and mixing it a bit first.

Also another question: do you really need “bread flour” to make bread. Will plain flour do? If so, what would the differences be?

Well…are you saying you’re going to mix the yeast in the water first? That’s OK if you’re mixing bread by hand, but I don’t know what it’ll do as far as using the bread maker. By a making a “well” in the flour they just mean make a small depression in it for to put the yeast in.

Any flour will work.

@Val123 I mean the yeast that needs to be “activated”. I have a whole can of it that I don’t really know what else to do with :p

But….what are you going to do with it once you activate it??

Bread flour is different from all-purpose flour. All-purpose is a blend of wheat varieties that are high and low in gluten so that it will work with everything, but is optimized for nothing. :) Bread flour uses only the varieties of wheat that are high in gluten, so your bread will have more elasticity, allowing the yeast to make more little gas “balloons” inside the bread.

If you use all-purpose, it will work, but will work even better if you put in extra gluten as @Seek_Kolinahr suggested.

@Val123 the recipe says to use 1cup of water. I was planning on using that 1 cup to activate the yeast. Ie stick it in the breadmaker at the start of the recipe.

@Ame_Evil

DON“T ACTIVATE THE YEAST BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN THE BREAD MACHINE.

The machine mixes everything up just fine. Sometimes, depending on the setting, the machine heats all the ingredients to the right temperature before it starts mixing, to make sure everything’s Kosher.

You’re overcomplicating the issue.

Just put all the ingredients into the bread machine in the order the recipe states with the yeast – still dry – on top. The machine will take care of everything.

@Seek_Kolinahr Thank you for screaming that! I’m totally confused! It sounds like she wants to..activate the whole jar or something!
@Ame_Evil do what @Seek_Kolinahr says. Besides, water doesn’t activate it. Sugar does. Water just dissolves it.

@Val123 & @Seek_Kolinahr Sorry I just got confused because I did that last time and the bread didn’t rise well so I thought it was because it needed activating. So are you saying that it will just work the same as the sachet yeast? I’ll find the can later so I can tell you the make and instructions.

P.S. I am a he.

Yes, the yeast you have in the jar is exactly the same as the sachet yeast. You just have to measure it out yourself.

There are a lot of reasons bread doesn’t rise well….the biggest culprit is having the dough too wet and heavy. During it’s first mixing cycle, after the dough has formed, look at is. If it’s too wet it’ll be sticking to the sides. Just add a little flour until it isn’t sticking to the sides. If it’s too dry it’ll be a big lump, and your machine will be laboring. Add a little liquid. Experience will eventually allow you to be able to tell when the consistency is just right! (And don’t be afraid to experiment with your ingredients! Like I said, I use a dark lagar for my liquid. It makes the BEST bread!)

@Val123 Do you have to be concerned with the temperature of the liquids you add… or does the bread machine make everything the right temperature?

Well, room temp or warm is best. I know when you’re mixing by hand you want to use warm liquids, but with my machine I’ve used cold beer, and my flour comes out of the fridge, and it doesn’t seem to make much difference. The bread machine takes care of all that because it’s heating it up as it goes.

I have an old 1939 cookbook. The ladies in there say flour that’s left out overnight to dry out on a warm stove (in those days, probably a wood burning stove!) is the best. I tried it once, but I couldn’t tell any difference.

@Cupcake

The recipe will normally tell you.

My white bread recipes say 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s too hot (around 105), it’ll kill the yeast. Too cold (70 or lower), and they won’t be active enough to make the bread rise. I use a candy thermometer to be sure I’ve got the right temp.

I`ve been having the same problem with the dry active yeast, I follow the instructions to a T and the yeast doesn`t dissolve thus making the bread a lump. It won`t rise. I haven`t been able to find a solution and thought maybe I should just put the yeast in with the water before I add everything else!