Yeasts/Fiber

[ruthcooks]

Thank you for joining us. I was first introduced to your work by having a copy of "Sacramental Magic" included free in a book mail order. After I read it I thought, "These people are nuts for giving this book away! I'd pay for it any day."

There are two matters which have been puzzling me.

First, sometimes I see a recipe for a bread I'd like to try, but it calls for Rapid Rise Yeast. I just can't bring myself to buy that, knowing as I do that long rising improves/develops flavors, it just seems like a bad idea. When and why would this yeast be necessary? And, if it's not necessary, how do I go about substituting regular dry yeast granules? Are there any breads which absolutely call for a different kind of yeast such as cake yeast or can I always use dry yeast granules?

Second, being a diabetic I have to watch my carbs. The low carb breads using soy flour and other flours simply don't taste good to me. I'm wondering if there is a way to add enough seeds, nuts, bran, etc. to a white/whole wheat loaf to make the fiber count lower the effective carbs.

[Peter Reinhart]

Hi,

Thanks for your support of my early books. They're hard to find and I'm working on trying to bring out a revised, updated version of my first two.

As for your questions, yes, you can boost the fiber and protein and thus lower the carb ratio, but I can't give you the tradeoffs without a nutritional software program. The main thing is work exclusively with whole grains, use stevia or sucralose instead of sugar or honey, seeds and seed flours are always good additions, and play around with combinations to get great flavor. If your flour base is 60% wholewheat it should support other grains and seed flours for decent structure. You can also add a small amount of vital wheat gluten to raise the protein and allow the loaf to rise higher, but only about 2% of the total flour weight (otherwise it gets rubbery and a little peppery tasting).

Rapid rise is just a brand name for a type of instant yeast. This doesn't really mean faster unless you use the same amount as you would active dry yeast. Use 25% less. Any yeast is pretty much substitutable for another if you adjust the amount. One ounce of fresh yeast = 40-50% active dry yeast = 33-35% instant yeast. BTW, the real reason it's called instant yeast is because it dissolves instantly in the flour when you add water to flour, so it can be added in as a dry ingredient instead of dissolving it in warm water as you would active dry. I use it all the time and really like it for home baking.

I hope this helps.