Welcome to my experiment in baking with beer yeast you guys. Especially if you are a brewer, I can wholeheartedly recommend using dry brewing yeast for bread baking. You can also learn more about the function of yeast in general
More baking with brewers yeast with my Champagne Yeast Pita and Champagne Yeast Brioche.
For ease of browsing, you can find all my bread recipes in one place. Thanks for being here!
Want to refer back to this post?
Baking with Brewers’ Yeast Pinterest Link
The beginnings of a plan
Sometimes I get crazy ideas. Sometimes these ideas don’t work out. But a few weeks ago, I actually had a good crazy idea. I thought that it would be Fun to experiment with different strains of brewers’ yeast in my bread.
Granted, bakers’ yeast has been optimized for baking, so I guess it’s a fan of the particular sugars present in wheat flour.
But all yeasts eat sugars and expel carbon dioxide and alcohol. I figured that trying to bake with beer yeast might be a fun experiment.
The Beloved and I took a trip out to the local home brew store, American Brewmaster. I came home with a veritable Treasure Trove of goodies.
I bought three kinds of yeast, some Belgian candy sugar (which sat on the sidelines during this experiment–I kind of forgot about it), and some dry malt extract.
I was going to get the syrupy malt extract, but The Guy told me that it is Very Susceptible to bacterial infiltration and just to get the dried. I sullenly accepted his advice.
So, then, there they were. All my ingredients. Facing me. Day after day. Finally, after a couple of weeks, I broke down and decided that That Day was The Day. I decided to be kind of scientific-y about the whole thing.
Getting started (and get in touch)
I used exactly the same ingredients in the same proportions for each dough. The only difference was the type of yeast I used.
I also labeled everything and gave all the dough the same amount of rise time both on the counter and in the fridge.
Read on to learn everything you want to know about baking with brewers yeast.
And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, email me. Seriously.
About this dough
Incidentally, this is a fantastic wet-ish dough. The long, uber-slow rise helps to develop some really nice chew and flavor, even using all purpose flour.
Even if you’re not feeling Up to the whole brewers’ yeast thing, this recipe makes a great loaf that weighs about 1 1/2 pounds.
This recipe yields a chewy bread with a reasonably open crumb. If you are looking for a sandwich bread, try my Spent Grain Bread and use brewers’ yeast rather than bread yeast.
Supplies you may need
Here are some recommendations for brewer’s yeast and other products and ingredients you can use in baking bread to enhance flavor or switch up the flavor profile a bit. Not all your experiments will be perfect, but you’ll always learn something.
Some good yeasts to start with are SafAle Ale Yeast, the Nottingham yeast (the one that made the bread smell like oatmeal), and of course the lager yeast, that loves the cold anyway.
You may also want to check out this Mangrove Jack’s US West Coast dry yeast.
Consider picking up some malt powder or even some rock sugar for feeding the yeast. I also have added a link for a reliable instant read thermometer, a high quality but reasonably priced kitchen scale, and a lamé for scoring bread.
I consider the thermometer and the scale to be essential kitchen tools, whether baking bread of not. And the lamé is certainly nice to have if you do a lot of bread baking.
Basic bread ingredients for this experiment (per loaf):
- 15 oz all purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
- 9 oz cool warm-ish water (about 100F)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry malt extract (feel free to substitute molasses, honey, sugar, maple syrup–whatever type of sugar you want)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried yeast
Procedure
NOTE: I made 4 separate loaves with 15 oz flour each to make it easier to blend the yeast into each loaf.
First, weigh out your flour.
Choose your yeast. You’ll only be using 1/4 teaspoon.
Salt and malt extract go into each loaf.
And 9 ounces of water. If you don’t have a scale or a liquid measure with accurate markings, use 1 cup (carefully filled to the top) plus 2 tablespoons of water. (Again, please buy a scale.)
Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Turn on your mixer (fitted with the dough hook) to low speed and mix for three minutes.
Raise the speed to medium and knead for seven minutes.
**What follows is the rising schedule I used to bring out as much flavor as possible. If you don’t have the time, increase the yeast to 1-2 teaspoons and let it rise once until doubled.
Punch down, shape, let rise again and then bake. Let the last rise happen in a greased 1 pound loaf pan if you want a taller loaf. Since this dough is pretty loose, it tends to spread a bit.
Apocalyptic rising schedule
- Put each dough in a 1-gallon zip top bag. Label (!) and let rise in a cool kitchen (65F) for 3 1/2 hours
- Transfer to the fridge–don’t stack them–and let rise for a long over-night. Mine rose for about 10 hours.
- In the morning, put them back on the counter for 3 hours.
- Oil your hands. Take each piece of dough out of its pouch. Punch each piece down and knead a few times to redistribute the yeast. Round, oil and cover. Let rise again for 3 hours.
- Punch down again, press out all (most) of the large air bubbles, and shape. Oil and cover. Let rise on a prepared baking sheet for another 1 1/2 hours OR
- Shape lightly and don’t press out the gases for a loaf with a more “artisinal” open-crumbed texture.
- Slash with your lame (if you want) and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheets and finish them directly on the racks for another 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 200-205F.
- Let cool completely on racks. Slice and freeze.
Since this dough is so slack and sticky, make sure to oil (or spray Pam on) your hands to keep it from sticking (to you or the counter) or to help you resist the urge to add more flour.
You Can’t Make This with Brewers Yeast Supplement
I had a reader message me to say their yeast wasn’t working. Then they sent a photo of a brewers yeast supplement they were trying to use.
Please note: the supplement version of brewers yeast will not work in this recipe or any other bread recipe, if you want to use it as the leavening agent.
This type of nutritional supplement is an inactive form of yeast. Otherwise, you’d have a tummy full of alcohol and would be burping carbon dioxide for who knows how long!
Takeaways
So, what did I learn from my experiment of baking with beer yeast? Well, I learned lots of stuff.
- Each yeast lends a slightly different character to the dough.
- The differences that I noted were fairly subtle. I could only really detect them in side by side tests.
- Lager yeast definitely enjoys being in the fridge. Lagers ferment at a lower temperature than ales, so it makes sense that the lager yeast was pretty happy in the fridge and in our 65F kitchen.
- Bread made with Nottingham ale yeast smells like oatmeal. This is a Very Good Thing.
- The loaf made with the bread yeast (the Control Loaf), while still tasty, was the least interesting of the four loaves. Sorry, bread yeast. I can absolutely Quit You.
- This base recipe would absolutely make the best baguettes. Try it. A twitter friend uses the Safale Dry Ale yeast in her baguettes. It yielded a pretty fine and regular crumb–perfect for baguettes.
- You can never have too much bread in the house.
If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.
If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.
NOTE: Most of my recipes are written by weight and not volume, even the liquids.
Even though I try to provide you with volume measurements as well, I encourage you to buy a kitchen scale for ease of measuring, accuracy, and consistency.
This is the scale I use, love, and recommend. If you’re unsure, please read my post about how to use a food scale.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Bread Made with Beer Yeast
This is the basic bread recipe I used to experiment with baking with beer yeast. Feel free to use this recipe as a jumping off point for your own experimentation.
Ingredients
- 15 oz all purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
- 9 oz water, just above body temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry malt extract or powder, or sweetener of choice
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
Instructions
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the water on top.
- Turn on your mixer (fitted with the dough hook) to low speed and mix for three minutes.
- Raise the speed to medium and knead for seven minutes.
Rising Schedule I Used
- Put dough in a 1-gallon zip top bag. (See Notes) Label (!) and let rise in a cool kitchen (65F) for 3 1/2 hours
- Transfer to the fridge and let rise for a long over-night. Mine rose for about 10 hours.
- In the morning, put the dough still in the bag on the counter for 3 hours.
- Take dough out of its pouch.
- Oil your hands, and punch down and knead a few times to redistribute the yeast. Round the loaf, oil and cover.
- Let rise again for 3 hours.
- Punch down again, press out all (most) of the large air bubbles, and shape.
- Oil and cover. Let rise on a prepared baking sheet for another 1 1/2 hours
- If you prefer, you can shape lightly and don’t press out the gases for a loaf with a more “artisinal” open-crumbed texture.
- Slash (if you want) and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheet and finish the loaf directly on the rack for another 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 200-205F.
- Let cool completely on rack.
- Slice and enjoy.
Notes
About the zip top bags--that was the easiest way for me to keep the loaves separate since I made 4 different ones. You can just use a bowl, covered, for rising if you're only making 1 loaf. In that case, be sure to spray or oil the exposed surface so it doesn't dry out.
Since this dough is so slack and sticky, make sure to oil (or spray Pam on) your hands to keep it from sticking (to you or the counter) or to help you resist the urge to add more flour.
Baking times are approximate and will depend on the initial temperature of your dough and how accurate your oven thermostat is. Keep an eye on the bread and be sure to take its internal temperature frequently towards the end of baking.
To Freeze
If you do not intend to eat or share the whole loaf within a day, slice it and then freeze in a heavy duty zip top bag. Then you can remove slices as needed.
The bread will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. To thaw, take out the pieces you need and allow them to come to room temperature. You can also toast the bread from frozen or microwave it for just a few seconds to thaw it out more quickly.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 158Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 214mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 4g
The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.
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Enjoy experimenting with baking with brewers yeast, and have a lovely day!
MJ Schrader says
So cool!! I love reading your posts normally, but as a home brewer to read how you used the different brew yeasts YUM!!! Thank you! ~ MJ Schrader
onlinepastrychef says
I didn’t know that you brew–did I? My husband is the home brewer in the family. The bread is great–you should seriously try using brewing yeast in bread! 🙂
Camille says
So cool! This totally lends credence to the B&B (Brewery and Bakery) idea that Nick and I have been nursing for a while now. So interesting to see how the different yeasts work – I can’t wait to do my own experiments with brewer’s yeast!
onlinepastrychef says
Camille, if you and Nick make the B&B happen, I am coming to the opening! Now that I’ve done some experimenting, I think the possibilities might actually be limitless. You must start playing immediately! 🙂
Brewers Yeast says
Love the recipe you got here. It is very easy to follow. Very simple and yet have great results.
Hilah Johnson says
Thanks for this! I’d always assumed brewer’s and baker’s yeast were not exchangeable. Now you got me all excited to go to the homebrew shop!
onlinepastrychef says
It opened a whole new world of possibilities, bread-wise, @google-afd6a762b92a3db25cb94570e301aa5f:disqus ! Enjoy and experiment away! I’m thinking playing w/a champagne yeast and using some champagne *in* the dough would be fun!
Ryan says
Some beers are bottle-conditioned- meaning live yeast and extra sugar are pitched into the bottle to start another fermentation. Since the yeast is still alive, I wonder if you couldn’t just substitute a bottle conditioned beer for the water AND yeast in your recipe, and if a proper rise could be achieved that way. Yeast tends to settle in the bottle, so I’d probably give it a good shake before attempting this.
onlinepastrychef says
That’s an interesting idea. My only concern about that would be that once the beer is carbonated via the bottle conditioning, most of the yeast would be killed off by the alcohol in the beer. On the other hand, I don’t see why you couldn’t give it a shot to see what would happen. Some of the yeasties might just be dormant and throwing them in with a bunch of new food would wake them up.
Maybe try an experiment where you drain off all the beer and then pour the sediment out into a cup with a bit of warm water and a pinch or two of sugar and let it sit awhile to see if the yeast will start eating. If so, full steam ahead! If you try it, let me know, @3108fcc1a480dcff2c76ad5b3f49257a:disqus . I’d be interested in hearing your results!
Becky says
Fantastic! I was just wanting to try out brewer’s yeast for bread and am so glad I found your thread. I, too, live near American Brewmaster and will go out there today. I bake a lot with various wild yeast cultures from around the world and have been considering trying to introduce a brewer’s strain into one of those cultures to see if some kind of symbiosis might be possible among the naturally occurring yeast/bacilli and a 2nd yeast. Perhaps because brewer’s yeasts aren’t supercharged like baker’s yeast they might not out-compete. Can’t wait to try! Thanks for the inspiration.
onlinepastrychef says
Hey, that sounds like a fantastic idea! If you do create some sort of hybrid Franken-yeast, please let me know. I’d love to hear about your results!
Jean Clark says
Can this bread be made using gluten free flour and still be good?
onlinepastrychef says
Honestly, Jean, I have no real idea. I don’t do substitution baking, so I’ve never tried to make a gluten free version. There are many experts who could help you, though. Janice Mansfield comes to mind: http://janicemansfield.com/ I do know that you can’t just substitute one gluten free flour for the AP that I used. Since you won’t have gluten for structure, that has to come from gums, such as xanthan gum. I do hope Janice will be able to help. At the very least, I’m sure she has some lovely gf bread recipes on her site. 🙂
Ken says
I’m a brewer and I currently have a batch of cider brewing using the wild yeasts from the skin of the apples. I might try and replicate one of your loaves using my dregs when this cider gets finished, and see how different from a sourdough it is.
Jennifer Field says
I love this idea, Ken! Please let me know how it goes!
Sara Schlesinger says
My husband has just started brewing beer, he first gave me leftover yeast and now he’s giving me spent grains. Do you think I could work some of the spent grains into the recipe? I had to dry them because I couldn’t come up with a recipe fast enough to use them wet.
Jennifer Field says
I think you can, but I might try soaking them first with a portion of the liquid. When dried they are so scratchy that I’d be afraid they’d cut too much of the gluten. A nice soak in warm water or even mild beer should help with that. =)
Jennifer Field says
PS: spent grains freeze really well, so next time just freeze them wet and thaw when you’re ready to bake!
Michael K. says
I searched ‘net for this kind of experiments, and was glad there’s others interested in using beer yeast in baking. Just for this week, I tried to expand volume of yeast gathered from the bottom of the commercial beer bottle. It seemed to succeed, and I created sourdough from about a litre of yeast and flour mixture. Bread rised well during baking, and had a delicious crust. I think I’ll repeat what I learned and maybe publish what the process yielded.
Jennifer Field says
Wow–love that you used “collected” yeast from the bottle. I’d love to see photos of your results if you feel like sharing. You can email to onlinepastrychef at yahoo dot com or post them to the “Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online” facebook page. Thanks so much for stopping in, Michael!
Brewer says
Just a note to say that Nottingham yeast is an ale yeast, not lager. It will do better if you don’t chill it!
Jennifer Field says
Hi and thanks for checking in. I know that Nottingham is an ale yeast, but I treated all four pieces of dough exactly the same way. Refrigeration usually retards the rise, and I noted that the lager yeast stayed much more active in the fridge than did the other three yeasts. Even were I to use only Nottingham yeast to make bread, I most likely would still give it a nice overnight in the fridge to develop flavor and chew, especially since it will “wake up” again once I take it out and it warms up. I guess a logical experiment using only Nottingham would be to divide the dough in two, making one loaf on a day without any refrigeration and giving the other an overnight chill and then see if there is any difference in the two loaves. Hmmm… =) Thanks again for stopping by!
joe says
Hello
What can I bake with left over sourdough?
Tks and God bless.
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Joe! I don’t bake with sourdough, but if you are looking for recipes for what to do with the leftover starter when you feed it, that’s called “sourdough discard,” and I know many people use it in quick breads, pancakes, etc. Here are a couple of posts to start with: there are 3 recipes here for waffles, pancakes, and quick bread: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/my-top-3-leftover-sourdough-starter-recipes/ and this post has a cracker recipe https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2019/03/sourdough-crackers-with-olive-oil-herbs.html Hope that helps!
Joanna says
Hi Jenni, I came here for the same reason as Nancy! I managed to get Nottingham yeast for my parents to bake their bread and I was so happy to find your post. Am I reading right that you only used 1/4 teaspoon of yeast for almost 500 g flour? It seems that 1/4 tsp of yeast is less than 1 g, and the whole packet is 11g, so 11 breads from the whole packet, is that right? I was thinking more like half a lacket for 500g flour so only 2 breads from 1 packet… I appreciate if you could help me understand your proportions.
Jennifer Field says
Yes, you read it correctly, Joanna. But of course you can use more. I wanted a super long, slow rise, and using that tiny amount of yeast did it for me. If you want to speed the process along, use a teaspoon or 1 1/2 and have a more “normal” rising schedule of maybe 2-3 hours for the first, then shape and let proof again for an hour or so. You don’t have to do the retard in the fridge either. These days, you want bread fast, so just go for it with a bit extra yeast in the mix.. I hope you enjoy it.
If you do want to make the yeast last, you can absolutely use the tiny amount I used. But just know it’ll take it quite a while to really get going.
Take care, and I hope this helped. 🙂
joe says
Tks Jenni
joe grech says
Tks Jenni God bless
Jennifer Field says
Enjoy the bread, Joe. Stay well. xo
Matt says
Thank you!! All I have is yeast similar to this and need to make bread!! The title is correct 😉 Very much appreciate the time you took to make this. Very, very helpful!
Jennifer Field says
Have fun baking with whatever brewers yeast you have on hand. I wrote this post forever ago, and you’re right. The title is pretty apt right now. Stay well, Matt, and thanks for commenting.
Nancy S says
Hi Jenni, The title of this post is quite appropriate. It’s March 2020, and the apocalypse is here. Amazon had no more baking yeast, so I wondered if there was a way to make bread with brewers’ yeast. And this was the top of the list (and only) article I could find. Very prescient. The detail you included is great.
One question. Do you think Honey could be used in place of Malt Extract? Thanks for your help!
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Nancy. I’m glad I wrote this post so it’s here to help you out. And yes, you can absolutely use honey. Stay well, and enjoy the bread. ❤️
John says
I’m in the same boat Nancy haha 🙂
Jennifer Field says
I think a lot of folks are right about now, John! Stay well, and enjoy the bread!
Alina says
Hi Jenni, when do you add the water it doesn’t say in the recipe.
Jennifer Field says
Oh man, Alina, I’m sorry–good catch. I’ll fix it. Mix the dry together and then add the water on top! Hope you enjoy the bread. Be well.
LavenderLoveLifeUK says
This post is God sent!
I have flour and can’t find bread yeast anywhere but brewers yeast. It took me forever to find this recipe on Google. I had to rearrange my words many times. I am so pleased that I found it. I already order the brewers yeast and I am looking forward to play with it. Thank you so much xx Stay safe xx
Jennifer Field says
I’m so glad you found it! Know that you can up the amount of yeast to make the bread in one day (maybe 1-1 1/2 teaspoons), but you can also use the tiny amount I used and make more bread, just spreading the rise out over a few days so the yeast can multiply. Enjoy it, and you stay safe too. xo
Joanna says
Thank you Jennifer! I will let my parents know. In the meantime, my parents sent me photo of their beautiful “beer” breads. They used 1 packet for 1kg of flour, took them 4 hours to rise their bread. I will tell them they can experiment with much smaller amount of yeast. Also want to share with you, their recipe is a “lazy” but very delicious bread. No kneading, no proofing. Just put your flour (plus nuts and seeds optional), salt, sugar, water (enough to make a wet dough) and yeast (for instant just add directly to the bowl, for beer yeast, hydrate them following the method on the yeast packet). Then just mix gently with a wooden spoon untill combined, transfer to a bread tin, rise, place in a very hot oven (240C), reduce heat to 220C, bake for 40 minutes. This is their method. Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement about the beer yeast!
Jennifer Field says
Oh, wonderful! I’m so glad it worked out, and it’s great to know that there are other methods that work, too. As it happens, I have bread yeast right now, but I may have to get some more brewers yeast to experiment with pan pizza dough. That would hit the spot! You guys take care, and tell your parents thanks for sharing their method with me!
Gladis says
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the great recipe. Just to clarify, if you increase the yeast for a single proof, would you let it rise in an oiled bowl on the counter? I’m assuming the ziplock is mostly to keep it from gaining other tastes from the fridge foods 🙂
Thanks!
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Gladis, yes. I just put everyone in Zip Lock bags because I didn’t have enough room in the fridge for 4 bowls. If you increase the yeast to make in 1 day, a counter rise is just fine. You can even make a cozy place in your microwave. Boil a mug of water, move it to one side and then put your covered bowl in the microwave next to the water and shut it up. Nice and cozy for bread rising! Enjoy, and stay safe!
Esya says
Hi! Thank you for the great recipe!
It’s my first try backing with yeast and I only could find brewers one ( apocalypses indeed).
How much the dough should rise? I didn’t notice much of increase in size… The dough is very elastic and nice to the tough though…
Followed your instructions to the letter ( except did the bowl and not bag)
Thank you!
Esya
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Esya! The title of that post is pretty prophetic, right?! If you did the long, apocalyptic rising schedule and you’re ready for the last rise before baking, you’re not necessarily looking for doubling in size. Bake once the loaves are “puffy.” I wish I could be more specific, but it depends on the temp of your kitchen. Let me know how it goes!
aaron linder says
Hey! This post is AWESOME. I’m a homebrewer of almost 20 yrs. I was wondering if I could take the yeast slurry from the bottom of my carboy after a fermentation and use it to bake bread. I wonder how much slurry I would use? Crazy possibilities.
Jennifer Field says
I have read about people using sediment as a “starter.” It definitely opens up all sorts of delicious possibilities. I don’t know how much to advise you to start with, not having done it myself. My only experience has been with dry yeast. But my husband who is also a homebrewer thinks it’s a great idea. No way 100% of the yeast dies during fermentation, especially if you’re brewing low ABV. Plus, bottle conditioning gets you carbonation, and that wouldn’t happen if there were no yeasties left alive. I would hazard a guess to start with maybe 1/4 cup of slurry and see how it behaves. You may be in for a long, slow fermentation, but that will just build flavor. Thanks so much for commenting, and have fun experimenting! Stay safe!
Vanessa LeBlanc says
My hubby bought Everland Debitters Brewers yeast. He read that it is the same as regular yeast. From what I have been reading it wouldn’t work for bread.
I would love some feedback if you know the right answer
Jennifer Field says
I am not familiar with that type of yeast, but while different strains of yeast have been selected for doing better or worse for bread, beer, etc, all yeast eat simple and expel both alcohol and CO2. So it should work, as far as that goes. Is it dry or liquid? My vote is it certainly can’t hurt to use 1/4-1/2 teaspoons in a bread recipe, give it long, slow rises, and see what happens. Good luck!
Lisa says
I made this bread with a few tweaks (and happily I have scales that have both metric & imperial measures!) and it was probably the best bread I’ve ever eaten! Totally amazing!
Jennifer Field says
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’d love to hear your tweaks and what kind of yeast you used! 🙂
Michelle says
I have KAL brewer’s yeast powder. The label states that it is “unfortified- 100% natural, unsweetened. From 100% brewing process. This is the only yeast that I could find! Do you
think that it would work? I’m so spoiled using the regular day activitie yeast pouches.
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Michelle. No, I’m sorry, but that’s an inactive form of yeast and is sold as a dietary supplement. I wish I could tell you it will work, but it won’t. 🙁 Have you checked with a homebrew store? You can order online at https://www.northernbrewer.com/collections/dry-yeast
Christina Stonehouse says
Hi Jenni. Just wondering if you ended up trying the Mangrove jack’s West Coast Ale yeast and, if so, how did it compare to the others?
Question: did the doughs rise in the fridge, especially the ones made with brewer’s yeast? I am just wondering because I am a home brewer and in my experience most ale yeast go to sleep below 16C; Nottingham is an exception and will still ferment at 10C, as will lager yeast. But fridges are usually around 4C. I wouldn’t think there would be much fermentation happening at 4C.
BTW, if Nottingham yeast is fermented at 22-23C it makes a lot of banana flavoured esters, which could be interesting in a bread.
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Christina! I never did try that yeast, I’m afraid. In the fridge, all 4 doughs fermented, although slowly. The retard in the fridge helps to develop the flavor even though the dough doesn’t really rise appreciably. It would definitely be interesting to control the temperature of the ferment more closely to see what different flavor compounds develop.
Erik P says
Thankyou so much. I’m living in Malawi and bread isn’t very popular, especially at local level. Stuff we buy from a shop is very cheap industrially produced. I only have brewers yeast as I make pineapple beer, and this recipe seems perfect. Great explanation of everything!
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Erik! Please let me know how your bread turns out. Brewing yeast can often bring unexpected flavors and make the bread more I teresting than a standardized bread yeast.
Karen says
Can I use Brewer’s Yeast to make bread in a bread maker machine? Do I need to add the yeast to the water first before adding the flour? Usual instructions are to add water (and egg if using) to the pan, add the flour, oil, salt, sugar, yeast and turn the machine on. A basic bread takes about 3 odd hours, including baking time.
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Karen. Since beer yeast is not optimized for bread baking, it is entirely possible, probable even, that it will not give you the same amount of rise in the confines of a bread machine program. You can make and knead the bread in the machine, but then I’d take it out, give it a long rise on the counter, then shape it, give it a second rise, and bake in the oven. I can’t tell you how long it will take because there are so many different types of beer yeast. But if you consider this kind of baking experimental and go into it knowing it will take as long as it takes, you’ll always learn something and end up with a loaf to be proud of.
Karen says
Thanks Jennifer! I’ll try it out when I have the time to let it rise… probably turn the machine off after the first or second knead and let the dough rise in the pan and turn the machine back on the next day. My oven’s ‘broken’ at the moment so I need to rely on the bread machine.
Jennifer Field says
I’ve never used a bread machine, so that sounds like a good plan! Let me know how it goes!
Richard Rettenmaier says
You don’t need to knead the dough at all just mix, the long fermentation will do the rest! Just pull and fold a couple times!
Jennifer Field says
Yes, thanks for that modification. I know that now, but I didn’t back when I wrote this post. I should add another section to explain that. Have you tried the bread? My favorite in the head to head taste rest was the one made with Nottingham ale yeast.
Joy Carlson says
Hi Jenni. I am an experienced home cook and baker and am looking forward to trying my hand at brewer’s yeast bread. However, not all of us have the budget for fancy gadgets and equipment. I’m fine with weights and measures so I doubt I’ll be spending my fixed income on scale. But since I don’t have a mixer with a dough hook (and prefer the therapy of hand kneading my bread instead of someone’s head) how long should I knead the dough before setting it to rise?
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Joy. Since I’ve never kneaded this by hand, I can’t give you a solid amount of time, but I would think around 10 minutes. You can also do a few stretches and folds, letting the dough rest for 20 minutes or so between each round of stretching/folding. Do maybe 4-5 rounds, 20 minutes apart. Or go the solid 10 minutes, evaluate the feel of the dough, do the windowpane test, and then just go from there. A stand mixer is definitely a luxury and is never an absolute necessity for making a great loaf of bread. Enjoy!