In the Kitchen with Waffle Pantry

Baking with yeast is an age old tradition and easily one of the most rewarding things you can do in the kitchen.  Yeast can be formidable for newbies but it doesn’t need to be!

With the addition of two new offerings to the Waffle Pantry Shop, we’re excited to bring more quality ingredients to your baking arsenal. Lesaffre’s Gold and Red Label Instant Yeast is a wonderful introduction to baking with yeast or for the more experienced baker, an upgrade from the supermarket variety.

Let yeast work for you and savor the pillowy breads, waffles, donuts, and croissants you can now bake up in your home. For a full and genuine Liege waffle experience, yeast is essential to the dough-making process.

First, let’s cover the basics of yeast. Yeast is a microscopic single-celled fungus that reproduces by budding. Yeast is everywhere, in everyday products you use and even the air you breathe. It’s the catalyst in fermentation, which is essential in the making of bread and other baked goods. Yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, which creates the signature fluffy, air-filled look of dough as it expands.

Baking with yeast simply requires providing the optimal conditions for it to work its magic.  To activate yeast, add a bit of lukewarm water and allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes. Then, gently stir with a spoon until the yeast is dissolved and the liquid appears silky in texture. There’s no need to add boiling hot water or sugar to get the process started. In fact, yeast works best in a room with a temperature between 70° and 80°. Carefully follow directions when combining ingredients, such as milk, eggs, salt, or anything chilled, with yeast as these items may slow down fermentation. And always measure carefully—a spoonful of yeast goes a long way. Ready to learn more about yeast? We recommend Lesaffre’s Explore Yeast website.

The gratification of baking for family and friends is so rewarding. We hope you enjoy working with our yeast offerings and would love to hear from you. Tell us your favorite yeast recipes and tips!