best bread recipe and yeast?

[bazookajoe]

Originally Posted by md4958

try using active dry yeast and letting it bloom in warm (not too hot) water for about 15 minutes.

then, for the best flavor let your dough rise slowly in the refridgerator over night. Punch it down in the morning, roll your loaf and then let it bench proof until it has doubled in size.

You can also keep punching down and letting re-rise in the fridge for a few days. IMO the longer you let the dough rise the better flavor youll get.

Also, in your recipe always add a little sugar for the yeast to consume. And remember salt RETARDS yeast growth, so if you have too much you will not get a good rise...

If you have access to fresh (cake) yeast you can skip the blooming step, softening the yeast in warm water and just crumbling it into the dough before kneading. With fresh yeast the dough will need to rise twice.