Compressed Yeast Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sponge
Dissolve the yeast in 1 pint of lukewarm water.
Stir in enough flour to make a thick batter.
Cover the bowl with a thick cloth.
Set it in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough
Stir in the salt dissolved in a little warm water.
Add the remaining flour.
Add enough warm water to make a stiff dough.
Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
Shape and bake
Divide the dough into loaves.
Knead each loaf again.
Place the loaves in buttered baking tins.
Cover the loaves with a cloth.
Let them rise until doubled in size.
Bake the loaves as you would any bread.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the gluten network that gives the bread its structure and chew.
- Compressed yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide gas that makes the dough rise and become airy.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour so gluten forms and activates the yeast.
- Salt
- Controls yeast activity and strengthens the dough's flavor and texture.
The step that matters
Knead the stiff dough. Kneading develops the gluten network that traps the yeast's gas. Too little kneading leaves a weak, dense loaf that cannot rise well.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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