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Yeasty Bread Flavors

post #1 of 11
11/13/06 at 10:51am
Thread Starter 
We’ve been making good, crusty French bread using Julia Child’s recipe and our pizza stone for years, but one of the things we missed was the nice yeasty flavor one finds in some artisan breads. We found one way to achieve it was with a dough conditioner bought from King Arthur Flour that contained (amongst other things) inactivated yeast. Then KA stopped selling that product (their other dough conditioners are not the same--mostly just ascorbic acid). We couldn't find out from them their source for the original stuff which hsad been repackaged under their own label. We’ve tried adding diastalic malt to our bread recipe (about a teaspoon per four or five cups of flour); it made a better bread, but still not the same. Does anyone know what I’m talking about and how to achieve it?
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post #2 of 11
11/13/06 at 10:59am
Just a wild thought, but would brewers yeast do the job?
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post #3 of 11
11/13/06 at 5:20pm
No. Brewer's yeast and baker's yeast are two different animals.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by Yeasty Flavor. I've never tasted that in bread and I'm not sure I'd want to either. Do you mean the ever so slightly sour taste - not exactly sour dough but not quite sweet either. That would come from using "old dough" in your formula or some other preferment. Or perhaps the nutty sweetness you get from allowing the dough to rise long and slow in the fridge to bring out all the complex flavors from the flour.

Kyle will probably know more about this.

Jock
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post #4 of 11
11/13/06 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 

What means "yeasty"?

Jock--It's always hard to describe flavors, but I think of "yeasty" in somewhat the same way I'd use it (or maybe "toasty") in describing a good champagne. It is not the tang of sour dough. I recently saw an article by Mark Bittman in the New York Times on a no-knead, cold rise bread. Since you're suggesting that a slow rise might produce what you describe as a "nutty sweetness", I might try it. I wrote up a cold rise recipe for a cookbook 30 years ago (another life), but I've not made it in many decades, so I don't remember it well.
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post #5 of 11
11/13/06 at 7:06pm
You may also wish to experiment with retarded rises, i.e. primary fermentation overnight in the reefer, rather than in an hour or two in a warm room or proofing box. The longer the yeast has to work, the more flavor potential.
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post #6 of 11
11/13/06 at 8:02pm
Have you tried a sourdough bread recipe? I don't have one here right now, but it should be easy to find. A sourdough starter can be kept going forever...I love yeasty bread, and I love sourdough bread. Might be a good substitute.
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post #7 of 11
11/13/06 at 8:32pm
Yeasty (bread that sorta tastes like beer) is an adjective I would use to describe over-proofed bread dough. A deep nuttiness is a taste I would associate closer to an excellent rustic loaf that uses pre-ferments, cold proofing, retardation. I would first suggest using a pre-ferment (depending on the country in question it's some ratio of flour, water, yeast and maybe salt), allowed to sit in the fridge. Then use this base to make your actual dough on the day you want your bread.
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post #8 of 11
11/14/06 at 2:46pm
jonK,

castironchef of absolutely correct. Julia Childs has more than one French Bread recipe so I'm not sure exactly which you're referring to.

Use regular yeast. Not quick rising yeast, and allow the dough to rise slowly at a temperature of 70F degrees. This is the secret to getting optimum flavor out of your yeast which is often the flavor enjoyed in artisanal breads.
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post #9 of 11
11/14/06 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 

Yeasty Bread--or whatever

Thank you all for your suggestions. The consensus seems to be pre-ferments and/or a long rise and I will give it a try.

As I mentioned, years ago I edited a cookbook and transcribed many of the recipes from watching cooks who never wrote things down. One of the recipes was for a cold rise bread which I haven't made in years. Too impatient these days, I guess.

Yes, Cookiemomster, I have made sour dough and love it as well. My first sour dough recipe came many decades ago from "Mother Earth News". I'm also sold on sour dough pancakes. I broke my sour dough crock some time back and then just never got another starter going. Time to renew acquaintances.
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post #10 of 11
11/18/06 at 4:44pm
As far as the dough conditioner, you might try adding lecithin. Some dough conditioners contain lecithin. Some add vital wheat gluten. There are various dough conditioners out there.
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post #11 of 11
11/19/06 at 9:55am
Just finishing up the biography of Julia Child, Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch. I heartily recommend it to anyone who has the slightest interest in cooking.

According to the book, she, her husband Paul, and many assistants spent literally years trying to figure out how to make "real" French bread using American ingredients. (American flour is different than French flour, for instance.)

Anyway, she had a fascinating, exciting life and it's a real page-turner. It's really an adventure story that happens to involve a lot of cooking.

Mike :roll:
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