Best Practices: What We Use

I've been wanting to write this post for a long time.  And while it might not be one of our most interesting posts, I think it's information worth sharing.  WHAT do we use?  HOW do we bake?  What about the rest of the stuff... the oil, the eggs, etc.

The moral of the story (which you're reading before you even hear the story) is use the best you can.  I'm not advocating becoming a baking snob and spending a fortune on all your ingredients.  But find the best product for your challah.  Challah is special, and Shabbat is a special day.  Don't go crazy, but find things that make a flavor difference for you... and enjoy them!

Flour
I've blogged before about flour.  My mother-in-law, who lives in New England, is completely sold on King Arthur Flour which is made in Vermont.  And... she completely sold me.  It's wonderful.  The challot we make with it really, really, really turns out better.  Right now, I'm still buying Gold Medal Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, for things like cakes, scones, and muffins.  But for Bread Flour (which I use exclusively for my challot), I always use King Arthur.

I strongly suggest getting on the KAF mailing list.  They have great sales (recently 29 cent shipping on February 29th) which make the product just as cheap if not cheaper than your grocery.

PS: King Arthur has compensated me for writing the above.  They probably don't really know that I exist.  I just really, really like their product.

Eggs
We always buy cage-free eggs in our house.  The Humane Society of the United States states that... "while cage-free does not necessarily mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have significantly better lives than those confined in battery cages. The ability to lay their eggs in nests, run and spread their wings are tangible benefits that shouldn't be underestimated."


Yeast
I go back-and-forth on yeast. I really, really, really like fresh yeast. Honestly, quite recently I've been back on using active dry and/or instant yeast. Our grocery store had a few particularly bad batches of yeast that were either moldy or just didn't rise quite right. If you're a newbie, active dry or instant are your best bet. And if you're a purist, active dry or instant might be your best bet. One thing I do really like about fresh yeast is how quick it works. My initial rise time can sometimes be as short as an hour.


Oil
Oil extraction is actually a sort of interesting and scary concept that I don't completely understand.  In regards to neutral oils like canola or vegetable oil, it doesn't matter that much.  In general, cold pressed is idea, expeller pressed is a lesser but still okay option, and oils extracted through chemicals are the worst.  I don't really get it, and reading about it kind of freaks me out.  Oil is not good for you.  Use it sparingly.  That's all I got, folks.


Salt
We sometimes use sea salt and sometimes use table salt.  Make sure to always pre-mix your flour and salt together.  Salt kills yeast, so you don't want to add it directly to your yeast slurry or as the first dry ingredient after the oil and eggs.  At the very least, plop in a cup of flour in your bowl and then add the salt on top.

Toppings
This is a complete personal preference. One thing we found that we really like are toasted sesame seeds. One can definitely toast their own sesame seeds, however we really like these from the Asian food aisle at our local grocery store. The toasting really makes a big difference.


Baking Tidbits
I LOVE my insulated baking sheet.  I find it keeps the bottom of the challah from getting too dark, and the rise is all-over great.  I always use parchment paper because I like lots of honey drizzled on my egg wash.  Clean up is a breeze, and you don't have to scrub at the crystalized honey.


Baking Methods
You can read about some of my adventures in oven-temps here.

View of Shabbat - September 9th

We also had macaroons... the good kind. :)

The Fresh Yeast Chronicles

A few weeks ago, I spotted a little block of fresh yeast nestled in between the eggs and the cottage cheese at my local grocery store.  Excited, I dropped it in our cart and brought it home for some experiments.

I'd read in several of my cookbooks some conflicting ideas on fresh yeast. Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook says:

Our recipes call for fresh or dry yeast.  To substitute one for the other: One cake compressed fresh yeast (.6 ounces) equals one envelope (1/4 ounce or 2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry or instant yeast... Fresh yeast, also known as compressed yeast... should be smooth, relatively dry (not soggy), and free of any mold.  A good test of freshness is to press a piece of the yeast between your fingers--it should flake and crumble easily.  If there is any hint of gumminess or moisture, the yeast is probably past its prime.  Both fresh and dry yeast should be stored in the refrigerator to maintain their potency.

In Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, he writes:

The process [rising] is as old as baking--that is, thousands of years--but it's been understood only since the mid-nineteenth century, when o' Louis Pasteur discovered that yeasts are living, single-cell fungi that produce carbon dioxide through fermentation (baking and brewing have a lot in common).  Before then, most breads were risen with sourdough starters, which contin wild yeasts, but shortly thereafter commercial yeast production began.  Now, of course, you can buy yeast in various forms at the supermarket, including fresh, active dry, and instant, which is the most recent addition to the group and bay far the most convenient... Many bakers contend that fresh yeast tastes better than dry, but I don't see it.  It is kind of fun to work with, but for me instant is the way to go.

So, using Martha's measurments of .6 oz equaling 2 1/2 tsp active dry (what a coincidence), I divided my 1.8 oz block into three and made three weeks worth of fresh yeast challah.

Week 1 - Made alongside Hippy Dippy Flax Seed Bread, this was our actual challah for Shabbat.  It seemed to rise "faster" to me, but it was very, very hot at home, so I couldn't be sure.  Fresh yeast has a ripe, yeasty flavor (duh!), that reminds me a lot of beer.


Week 2 - Made alongside Double Chocolate Challah, wooza!  I left for a haircut and came back an HOUR AND A HALF later (short rise!) to find this explosion.

A quick braid and second rise (maaaaybe 25 minutes, again, quick), baked. Completely golden. This time, we decided we really noticed a qualitative change in the challah. Softer, yeastier (again with the uncreative adjective), and yet a more delicate yeastiness. It's hard to describe. It seems very yeasty but it doesn't taste overly yeasty. If you've ever accidentally used too much yeast in bread, you know what I mean.


Week 3 - We were having a BIG crowd of IMPORTANT people that I wanted to IMPRESS (more on this another time), so we needed to full size challahs. But, since I wanted to try the fresh yeast more time, I made two half-batches -- one with fresh and one with active dry. The active dry was about 10 minutes "behind" the fresh yeast (that is to say, I started ten minutes after the other). No question, however. The fresh yeast rose faster. Waaaaaaaay faster...

The dough felt pretty much the same. To keep everything very standard, I used the same baking sheet. The active dry continued to rise while the fresh was in the oven, until it appeared to the same size in the bowl. Once baked, side by side, the loaves do look different. The active dry (with poppyseed) sort of collapsed open in the oven and isn't quite as lovely. At the Shabbat table, we tasted and compared.


The Verdict - Side by side, the fresh yeast tastes better. As I said, it a mild, but stronger yeastiness. The texture is a little "doughy-er" which I like (both were baked to around 185 degrees in the center). Fresh yeast certainly isn't all that more expensive when you're talking about 50 cents per loaf. That said, my friend pointed out that her giant bag of active dry from Costco can last several months. I'm planning on buying fresh yeast when I can. But, honestly, you're not really missing much if you don't want to bother with it. It's worth trying for fun and I'd definitely be interested in experimenting more with it for more "pure" breads like baguette and things where there isn't honey and eggs in the equation.

Have YOU ever used fresh yeast? Have any other secret yeast tips?