PrintWhat's your fastest yeast bread recipe?
Unfortunately, I frequently don't think to make up some yeast bread or rolls until I'm down to only a couple of hours before dinner. I know I used to have some good recipes for rolls and single-rise yeast breads, but I don't seem to be able to find them. Either I got rid of the cookbooks, or I'm just not exercising enough patience in reading through the ones I've got handy. I'm hoping somebody out there can provide something. BTW, I don't usually have any instant or rapid-rise yeast on hand, so I'm looking for something that will work with regular active yeast... thanks SEers!
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14 Comments:
Rapid rise yeast is readily available on the grocery store and can be used anywhere regular yeast is. Keep it on hand instead.
kjgibson at 11:00PM on 02/19/08
loco, i have a wonderful roll recipe that takes about two hours from start to finish, i can post it if you like. warning: it calls for 18 tablespoons of butter. i usually make it on thanksgiving.
cybercita at 11:42PM on 02/19/08
You can pretty much make any bread recipe with one rise, it just isn't going to have the same flavor. To adjust for that, you can start with the water, yeast, sugar, and just a cup of the water and let that go until its bubbly -- maybe 10-20 minutes, depending on how tight you are for time, then add the rest of the stuff, and just do a single rise after.
If you want to speed up the rise, you can add a little extra sugar. A wetter dough will rise faster than a denser dough, all things being equal.
When I make breadsticks, I usually just do one rise and they do really well, so if you aren't stuck on having an actual loaf, you can do breadsticks. I use a regular bread recipe for breadsticks.
My go-to recipe starts with 2 1/2 c of bread flour, 1 cup of water, 1 t salt, 1 T sugar, a bit of oil, and the equivalent of a pkg of yeast (I buy in bulk), And then I modify from there, depending on what result I'm looking for, or what flavors I want to add.
Or, if you're in a real hurry, you could give up on yeast and just do a quickbread. Do a search for "beer bread" and you'll find all sorts of recipes.
dbcurrie at 11:57PM on 02/19/08
This is adapted from 'American Sandwich Bread' 'The Best Recipe' (1999), the original taking about two hours, mine taking a bit less (I use cake yeast which is the easiest to find in Denmark; the original uses rapid-rise yeast):
1.33 C. water (yep, 4 third-cups)
0.25 t. to 2 T. sugar (a broad range, but the former is just enough to proof yeast, the latter if you like your bread a bit sweet)
20g cake yeast or 2.5 t active dry yeast
500g/3.5 C. flour
1 to 2 t. salt
Preheat the oven to 200F/90C (shut it off when it reaches the correct temperature).
You don't have to proof the yeast (if you're not, skip on to the next paragraph), but to do so, sprinkle the sugar over the bottom of the bowl, heat the water until it is very warm (but not so warm that you cannot keep your finger in it), pour the water into a bowl then pour or crumble in the yeast. If the yeast is still active, you should start to see small clusters popping up to the surface in about a minute.
Next, whisk together the rest of the ingredients, dump them into the water, and stir until blended.
Alternatively, simply whisk together all the dry ingredients (including the yeast), add the water, mix until well blended, and pop the covered bowl into the warm oven for 40 minutes.
(If you aren't too pressed for time, knead it (but trust me, it will be fine even if you don't). I use my hands, but a food processor or a mixer with a dough hook is fine. You're going for smooth and satiny. DO NOT ADD FLOUR, even if the the dough sticks to your hands, or you'll end up with a really heavy loaf.
If you knead the dough by hand, do it in a bowl, not on the counter. Then you can sit on the sofa and relax, while containing the mess, saving a great deal of cleanup time later. You can then put all your energy into actual kneading, rather then into compensating for the bad ergonomics of working on a bad counter height.)
After 40 minutes (30 if you're in a horrible rush or insanely impatient), take the warm dough out of the oven. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a bench scraper, work the dough (you can use the scraper for this, if the dough seems sticky, but again, DO NOT ADD FLOUR) about half a minute, then scoop it into the prepared loaf pan. If it's been kneaded, it can usually be rolled into a cylinder, giving it some internal structure, but this isn't critical.
Allow to rise until double/half an hour, and then bake in a preheated 180C/350F 45 minutes.
If you have a thermometer, the inside of the bread should be 90C/195F
I proof the yeast since cake yeast tends to have a shorter shelf-life and be more vulnerable to maltreatment (here, it comes in cute little blocks which are very attractive to children, who often collect several while their parents are shopping (unbeknownst to their parents), and which are pried from them, which much screaming, at the register, where they then sit, unrefrigerated, until someone thinks of putting it back). Dry yeast in foil packets is usually safer, you really only need to proof it if it's past the sell-by date.
The recipe is very accommodating: I usually use spelt flour, because I have a problem with wheat, but a couple of weeks ago I had already started when I realised that I only had a little bit of ANY kind of flour, so I used what I had left of the spelt, the remains of some rye flour, and a bit of rice flour to bring the amount up to the proper weight; it was fine.
If it's not kneaded, it can be a bit more dense; since we mostly use it for sandwiches, this works out alright. If you can manage it, do knead it, and you'll have loftier texture, and stronger structure. If you haven't the time, it's still good bread.
mongoose at 4:00AM on 02/20/08
You might also make the dough the day before you want the bread, let it rise overnight in a cool place, then do a final rising and the baking while youre preparing dinner.
mongoose at 4:02AM on 02/20/08
Here is a recipe that I have made for literally decades. It is so easy and it turns out perfectly every time.
Quick Dinner Rolls
1 c warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 T sugar
2 1/4 c ap flour
1 t salt
1 egg
2 T soft shortening ( you could try unsalted butter, how could it hurt?)
In bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir sugar, half of flour and salt into yeast. Beat with spoon until smooth. Add egg and shortening. Beat in rest of flour until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl and cover with cloth to rise in warm place until double, about 30 min.
Grease 12 large muffin cups. Stir down raised dough. Fill cups 1/2 full. At this point, you can sprinkle the dough with seeds, onion or what have you, if you so desire. Again, let rise in warm place until dough reaches tops of muffin cups, 20-30 min. Heat oven to 400 and bake 15-20 min.
Obviously you can play around with the recipe with add-ins and toppers to your heart's content. I have also brushed them with melted garlic-herb butter as they come out of the oven and they are killer good.
frederika at 11:34AM on 02/20/08
Thanks for the recipes! They all sound wonderful. I'll try all of them out over the next few weeks, and let you know how it goes. Of course, today I'm already thinking about bread, so I won't need a quick version!
I know I've done single-rise with any old recipe many times. It works fine, even though there definitely is less yeast flavor, and a coarser texture. Which is OK if I'm making bread at the last minute anyway! Beggars can't be choosers!
Anyway, I did find this clipping that I took from some magazine or other (probably Sunset or some such). It looks like I've had it at least 20 years, but I don't think I've ever used it. The article says that one way to speed up any bread recipe is to simply double the amount of yeast, as this recipe does. Here's an abbreviated version for anyone who's interested:
Fast Yeast White Bread
(technique can be applied to other standard yeast-bread recipes)
3 to 3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast (4-1/2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a food processor with dough or metal blade OR the large bowl of electric mixer with a dough hook OR large bowl if making bread by hand.
Heat milk and butter together until they reach 130 degrees.
Mix in a food processor, stand mixer or by hand, as follows:
If using a food processor, whirl the flour mixture just to blend. With the motor running, pour the warm liquid through the feed tube. Shut the processor off when dough forms a ball and pulls from container side, 30 to 45 seconds. If dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time and mix in short bursts. Do not knead.
If using a stand mixer, pour the warm liquid into flour mixture. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are wet. Then beat at high speed until dough pulls from sides of bowl and forms a ball, about 5 minutes. If dough sticks, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough pulls free. Do not knead.
If working by hand, pour warm liquid into flour mixture; beat with heavy spoon until dough is stretchy, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape dough onto lightly floured board to knead.
Kneading. If working dough by hand, knead on a very lightly floured surface until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Avoid working any more additional flour than absolutely necessary. Otherwise, skip this step.
Resting. Cover the dough in the bowl or on a board with plastic wrap and let stand undisturbed 10 to 15 minutes. (Resting can be omitted, but the loaf will be a little moister.) Uncover the dough and flatten it with the heels of your hands to press out as many air bubbles as possible (if using a dough hook, beat out air).
Shaping. On a lightly floured surface, lightly knead dough, omitting quarter-turns, into a smooth, even roll about 10 inches long; pinch ends and fold under roll to form a loaf about 7-1/2 inches or 8-1/2 inches long, depending on size of pan (see next step).
Rising. Put loaf, smooth side up, in a greased 4x8-inch or 5x9-inch loaf pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place away from drafts until loaf just about doubles in size.
Baking. Uncover loaf and bake in a 425-degree oven until well browned on top, about 30 minutes. Turn loaf out onto a rack to cool. Slice and serve, or wrap airtight and store at room temperature up to overnight. Makes 1 loaf, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds.
LoCo at 12:23PM on 02/20/08
Time is really a huge flavor-infuser when it comes to bread. If you can't let something rise a long time, I suggest you introduce another flavor component like chopped sun dried tomatoes, grated cheese, roasted garlic, herbs or chopped olives.
When I lived in Colorado, everything rose at lightning speed (I lived at 7K feet). I was forced to raise everything in the fridge if I wanted any flavor at all. Even at sea level, I tend to raise things overnight in the fridge if I can manage it.
chiff0nade at 1:55PM on 02/20/08
Here's a Whole Wheat Bread recipe that yields 4 pounds of dough that responds well to only one rising. Been making it for over 40 years and just took two 9x5 loaves out of the oven. Skip the first rising and form the loaves to fit the pans. Whole process takes a little over an hour from start to finish. If it makes too much dough, make some rolls the size of tennis balls, press flat and you'll have some hamburger rolls.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Bread-Pete's WW
Recipe By :Pete, Sarasota FL
Serving Size : 44 Preparation Time :0:20
Categories : Bread
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups whole wheat flour -- sifted
5 Cups bread flour -- sifted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon yeast -- rounded Tbl.
2 ounces honey
1 2/3 cups water
2/3 cup milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter
combine honey, milk, water, and butter and heat to 105 deg in microwave
in large mixer bowl combine WW flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast
stir liquids to melt the butter and add, all at once, to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl
With the dough hook installed, mix dough. Add more flour by the tablespoon until the dough comes together, clears the bowl, and begins to roll up the dough hook
Mix for 5 minutes with dough hook and remove to counter surface
Knead by hand until only slightly sticky adding a little bench flour as necessary. Bench flour is the little bit of flour sprinkled on your counter or bread board that helps you to work with it.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap, let rise in a warm place for 30 min. Remove and form loaves, 2 lbs each, place in oiled loaf pans (see notes), return to warm place and let rise 30 min or until at least 1 inch above the pan top. Bake @ 400 deg for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on rack. Wrap and freeze until ready to use.
Yield:
"2 9 x 5" loaves"
Start to Finish Time:
"2:00"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 93 Calories; 2g Fat (14.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3mg Cholesterol; 76mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
NOTES : Makes about 4 pounds of bread dough and I bake it in two 9 x 5 bread pans.
To warm an oven to rising temps, turn on oven for 60 seconds and turn off. Temp should be about right.
form the dough to make a rectangle about 10 x 12 and roll up like a cigar. Pinch the seam shut and fold over the ends and pinch those seams. Roll on the countertop to make a uniform roll and place in an oiled breadpan seam side up. Shake the roll to oil the bottom, turn the pan over, catch the dough and reinsert it in the pan, seam side down.
petefl at 2:14PM on 02/20/08
italian cooking and living's basic foccacia recipe. you can make it in the food processor.
beth1 at 3:26PM on 02/20/08
beth, can you post your recipe? I've tried focaccia a couple of times, but haven't had the best of luck with it...
LoCo at 3:35PM on 02/20/08
@beth - Yes, please! I've made focaccia a few times and the results were quite good, but it had more of a "crust". My husband is in love with the focaccia at Biaggi's restaurant, which is a softer texture. He can almost fill up on the bread before the entree comes, it is soooo good. I've make mine to dough stage in the bread machine. Do you think it would work in there?
frederika at 9:22PM on 02/20/08
ok, here it is. this makes 2 about 12 inch round. i usually half the recipe.
For the dough:
2 teaspoons instant yeast
21/4 pounds unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
For the topping:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Make the dough: Combine the yeast, flour, and salt in a food processor. With the motor running, add 11/2 cups of warm (110°) water. Add the olive oil with the motor running, and then add enough warm water to make a soft dough that does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Process 45 seconds. Place in an oiled bowl; wrap; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (Or let it rise in the refrigerator for 24 hours; return to room temperature before proceeding.)
Cut the dough in two. Place in 2 oiled 11" x 17" baking sheets. Push with your fingers until it extends to the sides of the sheets (you may need to wait 5 minutes for the dough to stretch easily).
Make the topping: Mix the olive oil with 1/4 cup of room-temperature water and the salt. Pour over the focaccias. Dimple with your fingers; let rise at room temperature for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475°.
as posted on Italian Cooking and Living web site.
beth1 at 10:33PM on 02/20/08
Mongoose, what part of Denmark are you in? Hubby and I were just recalling our last trip there, and talking about taking my kids. We spent about two weeks of a month-long trip to Scandinavia and Russia in Denmark, with just over a week in Skaagen during mid-summer. We loved it there!
LoCo at 8:55PM on 02/22/08