Monday, March 3, 2014

Can you use Red Star Platinum Yeast in a bread machine?

Someone asked me that question, and I said, hmmm ... I don't know.

One of the problems I've run into with bread machine loaves is that sometimes they can over-rise and then collapse. It happened to me on multiple occasions.

The Red Star Platinum yeast gives bread a better rise, but would it be too much?

On the other hand, the Platinum yeast also gives the bread nice structure. So the bread can rise higher without collapsing.

I figured I'd give it a try. At the worst, I figured I'd have bread crumb fodder.

Basic Bread Machine Loaf

1 teaspoon Red Star Platinum yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup room temperature water

Throw everything into the bread maker in the order specified by the machine's manufacturer. Push buttons as needed.

I didn't have time for the full 4-hour cycle, which I prefer, so I went for the quick setting, which is 1 hour 55 minutes.

Remove pan from bread maker, remove bread from pan. Let cool.

I had a nicely domed top on the loaf, but I dropped it on its head and it flattened a bit. Oops.

But - the experiment worked. The Platinum yeast gave a nice rise. Ta da! So the final answer is, yes, the Platinum yeast works just fine in a bread machine.
Yum