An Introduction to Yeast Dough: Yeast, Kneading and Proofing

Homemade bread, pide, poğaça, simit, pizza: they all rest on the same foundation of yeast, flour, water and salt. Yeast dough looks mysterious at first, but really it is about learning to work with a living partner. Keep the yeast happy and your dough will rise.

Types of yeast

• Fresh yeast: Sold in cubes in the chilled section; moist and pale beige. Keep it in the fridge, where it lasts a few weeks. Crumble and dissolve it in lukewarm water or milk before using.
• Instant dry yeast: The most common sachet yeast in Turkish shops. It can be mixed straight into the flour; no need to dissolve it first. Unopened sachets keep a long time at room temperature.
• Active dry yeast: Coarser granules. Dissolve it in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes until foamy before using.
• Sourdough: A world of its own, built from the natural fermentation of flour and water. Get comfortable with commercial yeast first, then move on.

Quick conversion: Roughly 1 g of instant dry yeast = 3 g of fresh yeast. So a 10 g sachet of instant yeast can be swapped for about 30 g of fresh.

Temperature: keeping yeast comfortable

Yeast likes warmth. The water or milk you add should be lukewarm, around 35-38 °C: pleasantly warm, not hot, on the inside of your wrist. Very hot liquid (55 °C and above) kills yeast; cold liquid only slows it down. When in doubt, go cooler.

Keep salt away from direct contact with yeast: mix the yeast into the flour first and add the salt afterwards. Salt is essential for flavour and structure, but direct contact slows the yeast.

Kneading: building a gluten network

As flour meets water and is kneaded, an elastic network called gluten forms. It traps the gas the yeast produces and makes the dough rise.

1. Mix the flour, yeast and any sugar, then add the lukewarm water gradually.
2. Once the dough comes together, add the salt and oil.
3. On the counter, push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back, give it a quarter turn and repeat.
4. Knead for 10-12 minutes by hand or 6-8 minutes with a mixer's dough hook.
5. The sticky, shaggy dough gradually turns smooth, silky and springy.

The dough sticks to your hands at first; do not rush to add flour. It gets less sticky as you knead. Too much flour is the most common cause of dry, dense bread.

The windowpane test

The most reliable way to check the kneading: pinch off a walnut-sized piece and slowly stretch it in four directions with your fingers. If it forms a membrane thin enough to let light through without tearing, the gluten is ready. If it tears straight away, knead a few minutes more and test again.

Proofing

First rise: Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with cling film or a damp cloth and leave it somewhere warm and draught-free. It is ready when it has doubled in size, usually 1-1.5 hours depending on your kitchen. Watch the dough, not the clock.

The poke test: Press a floured finger 1-2 cm into the dough. If the dent springs back slowly, it is ready; if it bounces back immediately, give it longer; if it does not fill at all and the dough sags, it has over-proofed.

Shaping and second rise: Gently press out the gas, shape the dough and let it rest another 30-45 minutes. Heat the oven meanwhile.

Handy tip: In a cold kitchen, run the oven at its lowest setting for 1-2 minutes, switch it off and proof the dough inside. Or let it rise slowly overnight in the fridge for an even deeper flavour.

Common mistakes

• Water too hot: The yeast dies and the dough never rises.
• Stale yeast: Check the date. If unsure, mix a little with lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar; if it has not foamed in 10 minutes, it is dead.
• Too much flour: Adding flour every time the dough sticks makes the bread tough.
• Too little kneading: Dough that cannot hold gas bakes up flat and dense.
• Over-proofing: Dough left too long smells sour and collapses in the oven.
• A cold oven: Yeast dough must go into a fully preheated oven.

For your first attempt

Make a simple dough with 500 g flour, 1 sachet (10 g) instant dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and about 320 ml lukewarm water. Turn it into a loaf, pide or pizza. Repeat the same recipe a few times and you will feel your hands getting to know the dough.