Active Dry Yeast

ACTIVE DRY YEAST

Tiny dehydrated granules of yeast that are in a dormant phase until they are exposed to water. This product was developed by the Fleischmann's Yeast lab in Peekskill, New York for use by the armed forces during World War II. It is currently available from Fleischmann's in a 3-strip and a 4-ounce jar.

ALCOHOL One of the two major by-products of yeast fermentation, the other being carbon dioxide. Most alcohol in bread dissipates during baking but there are a few molecules of residual alcohol in a loaf of bread.

ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

In the US: a blend of soft and hard wheat flours with a medium amount of gluten, suitable for most baking purposes including conventional hand-made yeast breads. We do not recommend this flour for use in bread machines because it may yield inconsistent results.In Canada: a hard wheat flour suitable for baking bread by hand and in the bread machine.

AMARANTH A seed that can be crushed or ground to flour and added to breads. Amaranth does not have significant amounts of gluten and no more than 1/2 cup per loaf should be added.

AUTOLYSE (pronounced ah-toh-leez) Yeasted recipes - A short rest called an autolyse comes right after mixing the flour, yeast, oil, and water. It cuts down on your kneading time and allow the dough to bake into a lighter bread with a more open crumb. Here's how an autolyse  works.• It allows the flour time to fully absorb the water, so the dough is less sticky when you knead it; • It helps the gluten to both bond and break down, resulting in a dough that's quicker to knead and easier to shape; • It gives the yeast time to rehydrate fully so you don't end up with yeast bits in the dough. You'll notice in the recipe that the salt goes in after theautolyse. This is because salt causes gluten to contract and toughen, preventing the gluten from absorbing as much water and thus fully benefiting from the autolyse.

 BABA A rich rum or kirsch-soaked yeast cake with currants or raisins, traditionally baked in a cylindrical mold.BABKA A Polish sweet bread, traditionally made with rum, almonds, raisins and orange peel.BAGEL A traditional, doughnut-shaped roll with a characteristic dense texture achieved by a short rise, followed by

boiling and then baking the product. Bagels have become quite popular and are now made with a wide variety of savory and sweet ingredients, and used as bread for sandwiches or topped with plain or flavored cream cheeses, lox, etc.

BAGUETTE A long, thin, cylindrical loaf of French bread. The baguette has a crisp, brown crust with a chewy interior and is traditionally made from only flour, salt, water and yeast.

BAKE To cook food in an oven with dry heat.BAKER'S YEAST Yeast used for raising bread, typically from the taxonomic group Saccharomyces cerevisiae.BANNETON A woven basket in which bread is allowed to rise before baking. It may be cloth lined or bare, but either way, it is

dusted with flour prior to use. The rising dough conforms to its shape and is then tipped out before baking. A banneton is thought to provide good air circulation and even temperatures during the rising.

BANNOCK A traditional Scottish cake, sometimes made with yeast, and often baked on a griddle.BAP A soft yeast roll with a floury finish, popular in Scotland as a breakfast roll.BARM BRACK An Irish bread, sometimes made with yeast, that is buttered and served with tea. Barm Brack typically contains

candied fruit peel and raisins or currants.BÂTARDE A traditional loaf of white bread, slightly larger than a baguette.BATH BUN A sugar-coated bun originating in Bath, England, usually studded with candied fruit, currants or golden raisins.BATON A white loaf of bread somewhat smaller than a baguette.BATONNET A white loaf of bread somewhat smaller than a baguette.BATTER BREAD A yeasted bread that is not kneaded but stirred vigorously. The very thick but pourable batter produces a

coarser crumb than a kneaded bread.BENCH SCRAPERS

A kitchen tool useful for scraping dough off a kneading surface.

BIALY A Jewish-American yeast roll that is dense and chewy, topped with sautéed onions. It is related to the bagel.BIGA An Italian version of homemade starter, made with flour and water and often a small amount of commercial

yeast. This starter has a dough consistency and must be broken up before use.BLEACHED FLOUR

Flour processed with a "bleaching agent." Fresh ground wheat flour does not result in consistently good products. Over time, flour ages and whitens and within several months it produces a better product. To hasten the improvement process, modern flour mills bleach and age flour chemically through the addition of tiny amounts of a bleaching agent.

BLOOM Bloom refers to the way the top of bread opens up during baking along the cuts made in the top crust. The cutting creates "ears" (flaps of dough that rise up from the loaf and crisp up).

BOULE A round loaf or ball of dough.BREAD FLOUR A special flour, higher in gluten, that can be used for making yeast breads by hand; recommended for use in a

bread machine.BREAD MACHINE YEAST

A Fleischmann's Yeast product especially developed for use in the types of doughs most commonly made in bread machines. It is an instant yeast. Available in the U.S. and Canada in 4-ounce jars.

BREAK AND SHRED

The portion of the loaf between the top and the sides that shreds somewhat during baking. Ideally it should be even around the loaf.

BREWER'S YEAST

An inactive yeast product that is a by-product of beer making and is specially processed to be a nutritional supplement for humans.

BRIOCHE A soft, light bread from France. Rich in eggs and butter, it is often baked in small or large fluted pans but can be used to enclose other foods such as sausage or cheese.

BROWN AND SERVE

A method used in preparing breads where the dough is shaped, risen and baked at a low temperature until it is cooked all the way through. It is then cooled, wrapped and refrigerated until close to serving time. Then it is baked again at a high temperature for a short time until brown.

BUCKWHEAT A seed of a small plant, ground into light or dark flour. Although both are whole buckwheat, the light flour has less fiber and a milder flavor. Kasha is roasted, hulled buckwheat kernels. Since buckwheat flour can be difficult to find, kasha can be processed in a food processor for about 3 minutes to create an acceptable substitute.

BUNDT PAN A special tube cake pan with fluted sides. Must be well greased to prevent sticking. CARBON DIOXIDE

Along with alcohol, one of the two main by-products of yeast fermentation. It is trapped in the dough by the gluten fibers thereby raising the bread.

CHALLAH A traditional Jewish egg bread served for the Sabbath and Holy Days; most often it is braided.CHEF A piece of dough cut from a previous batch of bread which is used to make a levain or starter for the next bread.

The chef is stored as a dough and may dry up on the outside but the inside will remain soft and ready to use.COMPRESSED YEAST

Fresh (not dried) yeast that is extruded and cut into a cake form. It must be refrigerated at all times and has a relatively short shelf life of 4-6 weeks.

CONVECTION OVEN

This oven has a fan built into it that circulates the air and cooks the food more evenly than conventional ovens. It does not require preheating and uses conventional cookware.

COOLRISE DOUGH

A kneaded and shaped dough that is formulated especially to rise in the refrigerator over night.

COUCHE A large piece of linen or canvas used to wrap dough for rising. It is seasoned by dusting it with flour. It need not be washed but can be hung out to dry and later the dough crumbs should be scraped off.

COULIBIAC A French dish of salmon, rice, hard cooked eggs, mushrooms, shallots and dill, encased in a dough (usually a brioche) and baked.

CROISSANT A French classic roll, crescent shaped and made from buttered layers of yeast dough much like a puff pastry.CRUMB Term referring to the interior texture, gluten network, tenderness and general feel of a bread. Desirable crumb

size and texture varies depending on the product. Kneaded breads are generally fine and even, although when using sourdough starters the product may contain large bubbles. Batter breads generally contain a coarse crumb.

CRUMPET A British yeasted product made from a batter poured into a ring mold on a stove top and cooked until is brown on the bottom and riddled with small holes on the top.

 DARK RYE FLOUR

A coarse rye flour ground from the whole rye grain. It bakes into a dark loaf and is best suited to rustic black breads and dark pumpernickels.

DOUBLED IN SIZE

The point to which most doughs are allowed to rise. When a dough has doubled, it is full of air pockets and the gluten has become strong and elastic. The fermentation has generated heat and moisture and has allowed flavors to develop. To test if a dough has doubled in size, use the "finger-tip test."

 EGG WASH Egg yolk and/or white mixed with a small amount of water or milk and brushed over a bread prior to baking. An

egg wash gives color and gloss to the product.EGGS Eggs in yeast breads provide added leavening, color, soft texture and richness.ELECTION CAKE Rich yeast cake developed in the 18th century to celebrate election day. It contains nuts, candied fruit and

sherry-soaked raisins.EMULSIFIER A chemical that has the ability to bind together two incompatible things, for example water and oil. Eggs contain

the emulsifier lecithin. Fleischmann's Yeast is processed using the emulsifier sorbitan monostearate.ENGLISH MUFFIN A yeasted roll made by cooking a soft, shaped dough usually in a circular form on a griddle.ENRICHED FLOURS

Flour with added niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and iron to compensate for some of the nutrients lost during the milling process. Effective January 1997, the addition of folic acid will also be required.

 FASNACHT A yeast raised, potato pastry that is deep-fried like a doughnut.FATS Fats add richness, tenderness, calories and flavor to breads. They can generally be substituted equally when

the amount is less than 2 tablespoons per loaf of bread.FERMENTATION In bread baking, the process by which yeast converts sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide is

trapped in the bread by the gluten fibers thereby raising the bread.FICELLE A long, very thin loaf of French bread about 1/2 the size of a baguette.FINGER-TIP TEST A method used to test if a dough that has risen has "doubled in size." The tips of two fingers are pressed lightly

and quickly 1/2 inch into the risen dough. If the dents stay, the dough has doubled in size.FLAT TOP A loaf of bread with a dome that does not hold up so the dough flattens during baking. Usually caused by too

much yeast, too little flour or excess rising time.FOCACCIA An Italian flat bread, thick and not usually kneaded, traditionally brushed or drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled

with salt. Modern bakers make a variety of additions to this traditional snack bread.FOOD PROCESSOR

A kitchen appliance designed to chop, dice, puree and slice a wide variety of foods. Larger models can also be used to knead bread dough.

FREEZER DOUGHS

Doughs specially formulated to be frozen for later use.

FRENCH BREAD Traditional French bread is a crusty loaf of white bread with a chewy exterior. The bread is usually made from flour, salt, yeast and water. It is made in many different shapes.

 GENUS A taxonomic category that ranks below family and above species. The genus of our yeast is Saccharomyces.

(This means sugar eater.)GLUTEN A protein found in wheat and other cereal flours that forms the structure of the bread and holds the carbon

dioxide produced by yeast. Gluten is developed when flour is hydrated and kneaded.GRAIN MILLS Machine designed to grind wheat and other grains to make flour. HARD WHEAT Wheat, generally grown in northern climates, that is especially suited to bread making because of a high level of

the wheat protein, gluten.HOT CROSS BUN A traditional yeast-raised bun usually containing raisins, currants or chopped dried fruit, made for Good Friday. It

is slashed with a cross and confectioners sugar icing is put over the cross after baking. INSTANT YEAST Instant yeast is a specially processed form of Active Dry Yeast that can be mixed into a dough dry (rather than

dissolved) and reduces rising time up to 50 percent. It was developed in the 1980s.ITALIAN BREAD A simple bread similar to French bread but typically shorter and plumper. It is typically made from four, salt,

water and yeast.  KAMUT A variety of high protein wheat that has been used in bread baking, pasta and cereals. It is considered one of

the original strains of wheat used in ancient times for bread making.KASHA See buckwheat.KHACHAPURI A Russian bread similar to a calzone, it is filled with cheese and baked until the dough is done and the cheese is

melted.KNEAD The action used to manipulate bread dough that forms the gluten network in dough. To knead dough flatten into

a disk shape, fold it toward you, using the heels of your hands, push dough away with a rolling motion, turn dough on quarter turn and vigorously repeat the fold, push, turn steps.

KOLACKY A sweet bun claimed by Poles and Czechs. It is filled with poppy seeds, nuts, mashed fruit or jam.KUCHEN Fruit or cheese-filled, yeast-raised cake that originated in Germany. LA CLOCHE A cooking chamber designed to imitate ancient cooking ovens.LAME A tool used to slit the tops of loaves. It is designed to cut the bread tops at an angle rather than straight into the

loaf.LEAVENER A substance used to make baked products lighter by helping them rise. Yeast, baking powder and baking soda

are the most common leaveners used by the home baker.LEVAIN A bread starter consisting of flour and water with wild yeasts. It can be made a few days in advance of baking or

be made from the chef by softening and mixing it in water.LIGHT RYE FLOUR

Rye flour ground from the rye endosperm. It does not include the bran or germ of the grain.

LIQUID The ingredient in bread used to dissolve and re-activate dry yeast and/or mix with flour to form the gluten

network. MEDIUM RYE FLOUR

Rye flour ground from the endosperm of the rye grain. It has part of the germ and bran removed prior to milling.

MILLET A tiny yellow seed that lends texture and flavor to breads. Millet flour is nutritious but low in gluten.MONKEY BREAD Bread that was formed into small balls and dipped into butter sometimes rolled in a spicy or flavorful topping,

then baked in a tube pan.MORTAR AND PESTLE

A kitchen tool that consists of a bowl (mortar) and a bat-like tool (pestle) that is used to grind spices, herbs and other foods.

MUFFIN A small cake-like bread (generally, but not always, a quick bread) made with a variety of flours, fruits and nuts and baked in a muffin pan. A muffin pan has a number of cup shaped depressions to hold individual portions of batter.

 NAAN An East Indian flat bread, baked in a tandoor oven and leavened with wild yeast.NAN See NaanNITROGEN PACKED

Modern yeast is often packed in a nitrogen-filled bag to avoid the effect that oxygen has on the product.

 OVEN SPRING The last, quick rise a bread goes through when a risen dough is first placed in a hot oven.OVERPROOF Bread that has been risen too much. It may not hold its dome top or shape and may develop "off" flavors. PEEL A large wooden tool used to transfer dough to and from a baking stone.PITA Round Middle Eastern flat bread, leavened with yeast, is split horizontally and filled with various sandwich

filings.PIZZA A round savory tart made with a crisp yeast dough, which in the past was covered with tomato sauce,

mozzarella cheese and a variety of other ingredients. Now, it can be covered with a variety of savory ingredients that may include sauces, meats, vegetables and cheeses.

PIZZA STONE A slab of stone used to simulate the baking qualities of brick ovens.POLENTA Coarsely ground, whole corn meal. It should be refrigerated to preserve freshness.POOLISH A mixture of flour, water and yeast used as a sponge in French bread baking.PRETZEL A yeasted dough that is typically rolled into a long rope and often knotted. They can be crisp or soft and chewy.PROOF In bread production this term refers to the rising step in bread that is generally done in a climate-controlled

"proof box."PROOFING YEAST

To dissolve yeast in warm liquid (we recommend 1/4 cup water) with a little sugar (we recommend 1 teaspoon sugar) and set it aside for 5 - 10 minutes until it develops foam on top.

PUEBLO BREAD This bread, which originated in Native American communities, is made with unbleached flour, salt, water, yeast and lard or shortening (sometimes sugar or eggs) and baked in an adobe oven. A hot fire is started in the oven and allowed to burn out. The bread is baked in the hot ashes.

PULLMAN PAN A pullman pan is a loaf pan with a lid that slides across the top to seal the dough inside. The dimensions are usually 13x4x4 inches. The bread is generally compact since it is trapped within the pan. It makes good slicing bread for sandwiches.

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

A heavy dark bread made with a high proportion of rye to wheat flour and frequently with molasses to add color and flavor to the loaf.

PUMPERNICKEL FLOUR

A coarse rye flour ground from the whole rye grain. It bakes into a dark loaf and is best suited to rustic black breads and dark pumpernickels.

 QUICK BREAD Any bread product leavened with a chemical leavener (baking soda and an acid, such as buttermilk, or baking

powder) rather than yeast. This category includes muffins, biscuits, popovers, pancakes and the like.QUICK-RISE YEAST

An "instant" yeast produced by Fleischmann's in Canada and sold in Canada. It is ideal for dry mix methods of baking but can be used in any method.

 RAPIDMIX YEAST A yeast produced by Fleischmann's Yeast and sold in Canada. It is similar to Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

sold in the United States; however, it is somewhat more finely granulated so that it can be mixed directly with dry ingredient.

RAPIDRISE YEAST

An "instant" yeast produced by Fleischmann's Yeast and sold in the United States in the convenient 3-strip packages for consumers. This yeast is well-suited to the quick, one-rise mix method of making yeast breads.

REFRIGERATOR DOUGH

A dough that is not kneaded and is similar to a batter bread except it is risen in the refrigerator. During this time, the flour absorbs the liquid to form a batter/dough. The refrigerator dough makes a soft textured, light bread.

REST A short period (10-20 minutes) after kneading and before shaping when dough is allowed to relax to make shaping easier. This rest time is typically found in bread making methods that involve only one rise.

RISE A stage in the process of making yeast breads where the dough is set in a warm, draft-free place for a period of time (usually an hour or so) while the yeast ferments some of the sugars in the dough, forming carbon dioxide. This causes the bread to grow. A rising period usually lasts until the dough doubles in size.

RYE FLOUR Flour milled from a hearty cereal grass containing less gluten than wheat flour It comes in dark, medium and light versions (see these headings)

 SALT Sodium chloride crystals, a primary ingredient of many foods, serves as a flavor enhancer and in yeast doughs

and also enhances the ability of the gluten to form a fine textured dough.SALT RISING BREAD

A bread that was traditional before modern yeast made with a fermented mixture of cornmeal, salt, sugar, flour and water. It is smooth textured and has a tangy flavor and aroma.

SAVARIN A large rum-soaked yeast cake baked in a ring mold and filled with pastry cream, creme chantilly or fresh fruit.SAVARIN PANS A special ring mold used for making a savarin.SCALD Heat liquid to just below the boiling point. Un-pasteurized milk needs to be scalded prior to baking with yeast.SCORING To make shallow cuts in the surface of the bread that allows it to bloom during baking.SLASHING Cutting the top of a loaf to allow for expansion of the bread while in the oven. This allows the loaf to bloom as it

goes through oven spring at the beginning of baking. It also allows the crust to have more crisp folds of dough and lends aesthetic appeal to the loaf by the design of the cuts.

SLOW RISE A method for bread baking that uses several slow rises at room temperature. Fans of this method say it allows for the most flavor development in the bread.

SOFT WHEAT A general term for varieties of wheat that contain relatively small amounts of gluten.SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE

An emulsifier used in yeast manufacturing to aid in the drying process. Sorbitan monostearate protects the yeast from excess drying and also aids in the rehydration of the yeast cells. It is considered safe and actually can aid the body in fat absorption.

SOURDOUGH A bread with a slightly sour flavor created by using a sourdough starter as all or some of the leavener.SOURDOUGH STARTER

A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour, water and oftentimes, yeast that is allowed to sit in a warm place to allow the yeast to ferment and a sour flavor to develop. Once fermented, the starter can be used in bread

recipes to provide a characteristic sour flavor. In past times, this was the primary way yeast was preserved from one baking day to the next. San Franciso is famous for its sourdough.

SPECIES A group of taxonomic classification consisting of organisms that can breed together.SPELT An ancient wheat variety, native to Southern Europe. It can be used in equal quantities to replace wheat flour in

recipes.SPONGE A thick mixture of flour, yeast and liquids that is made as the first fermenting step in some yeast bread recipes.STRAIGHT DOUGH

A single step method of mixing a dough in which all the ingredients are mixed into a single batch and mixed to develop dough.

STRAIN A sub group of a species in taxonomic classification that has a common ancestor with distinctive characteristics but is not different enough from other organisms to be a separate species.

SWEETENERS Any food that adds a sweet flavor to foods. This group includes natural sweeteners such as sugars, corn syrups, honey, molasses and the like, as well as the artificial sweeteners. Yeasts ferment natural sweeteners to raise bread. Artificial sweeteners cannot be fermented by yeast.

 TEFF FLOUR Teff is the smallest of grains and therefore has a high ratio of bran and germ. Teff flour has been used in

Ethiopia for centuries and has recently been grown in Idaho for the American market.THWACK The hollow sound of a perfectly baked loaf just out of the oven.TRADITIONAL ACTIVE DRY YEAST

Active dry yeast produced by Fleischmann's in Canada. This yeast should be dissolved before using for best results.

 UNBLEACHED FLOUR

White flour without bleaching or aging agents added to hasten the aging process. This flour whitens as it ages.

UNDERPROOF Under risen.UNLEAVENED Bread or dough product containing no yeast or chemical leavener. VACUUM PACKED

Oxygen damages yeast. Fleischmann's Yeast's 1-pound size package of instant yeast is packed as a solid block, air-free and air-tight in a heavy foil package to minimize the yeast's exposure to oxygen.

 WAFFLE A light, crisp batter bread that can be yeast or chemically leavened and made in a waffle iron.WEBBING The texture or holes in rustic types of bread. Generally bigger and more irregular webbing is considered best.WHITE RYE Another name for Light RyeWHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

Wheat flour milled using the entire wheat berry. Unless labeled otherwise, this flour typically works like an all-purpose flour.

WINDOW PANING

This is a test to determine whether or not gluten has developed. Stretch a small piece of dough until it is very thin, thin enough to hold together and light can pass through.

WRINKLER A bread whose top does not hold firm because of overproofing, too much yeast or a soft dough. YEAST In baking, "yeast" refers to a single-celled fungi in the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae which ferments

sugars. The by-products of this fermentation are principally carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide raises breads.

YEAST BREAD Any bread whose primary leavening action results from the fermentation of sugar by yeast.