SC - Serial cannibals: really OT

[Philip & Susan Troy]

>Salt is added to bread dough for several reasons, among them being
>flavor, some control over the speed of the yeast's action, and and an
>increase in the extensibility of the gluten strands. Leavened breads
>made without salt tend to be heavier than those made with it, which is
>only partly due to an effect on the yeast, but largely due to a
>structural change in the dough itself.
>
>This would probably be even more dramatic when used in conjunction with
>extra-fine whole wheat flour, which, for the most part, is used for
>pastry rather than bread, and is designed accordingly.
>
>Adamantius 
>______________________________________
>Phil & Susan Troy
>troy at asan.com

That is something I didn't know, and I thank you for the information.
It may explain why I had excellent results when using the whole wheat
pastry flour.

I learned some things about using yeast in solution over the weekend.
Since I normally use dry active yeast, I am unfamiliar with the
characteristics of keeping and using yeast in solution.  The following
is from a message I sent earlier and describes a test I ran this
weekend.

I learned a little more about yeast as a liquid over the weekend after I
read about "cleaning" ale barm.  Ale barm which is skimmed from the
active fermentation at the top of the ale pot is poured into a gallon of
fresh, clean water, stirred and left to sit overnight.  This is to
remove some of the taste of the bittering agents (like hops) in the ale.
No actively fermenting, the yeast settles to the bottom.  The water is
decanted, except for the pint or so containing the yeast.  Since I
normal use dry active yeast, and I am unfamiliar with the
characteristics of yeast being kept in solution, I decided to
experiment.

As a test, I decanted 1/2 cup of the yeast solution and added it to 1/2
cup lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar.  I then stirred the yeast
solution and decanted 1/2 cup into a 1/2 cup lukewarm water with a pinch
of sugar.  I covered the two test batches and let them stand in the
kitchen for several hours.  Then I stirred each solution and decanted 1
ounce of the solution into a 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and mixed in 1
cup of flour to make two starters.  The remainder yeast solutions were
returned to the yeast jar.

After four hours, the stirred solution starter was about three times the
size of the other.  The starters were then used to make bread.  They
were added to dough mixtures of 2 cups of flour sifted with 1 tablespoon
of salt, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and 2 eggs.  Two additional
cups of flour were kneaded into each mixture.  They were allowed to rise
for two hours, then punched down kneaded slightly, formed into four one
pound loaves, placed in greased baking tins and allowed to rise for two
hours.  They were baked at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.

The stirred yeast produced 2 one pound country loaves with superb taste
and density.  The unstirred yeast produced loaves with half the rise, a
doughy texture and a taste which could be kindly described as terrible.

This morning I looked at the yeast jar.  There were three defined
layers.  A clear translucent layer at the top, solids at the bottom, and
a yellow translucent layer in between.  So apparently without active
fermentation, the yeast concentrates toward the bottom of the solution
and you get the best mix of yeast by stirring before decanting. 

This also means that the difference in rise between my second and third
batches of manchet may be due to a difference in agitation as I decanted
the yeast solution. 
 
Bear 
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