Yeast and Molasses

[NulloModo]

Heya,

I have a couple recipes I am intersted in trying, but they call for very small amounts of molasses as a flavoring agent, and i can't allow any sugar to remain in the finished version.

Since apparently all of the flavor in Blackstrap Molasses comes from the impurities, I was wondering that if perhaps I proofed the molasses with the yeast for a bit, instead of adding a little white sugar as yeast food, if the yeast would be able to eat the molasses to do their yeasty beasty thing. Also, would I be correct in assuming that although the sugar component of the molasses would be gone, that the flavor would remain?

Thanks.

[Susan G]

The smokey flavor of molasses would remain, as well as the coloring, but I think it's going to be difficult to calculate how long to proof the yeast so no sugar remains.............add the flour too early and it's sweetend, stop it too late and your yeast has died from malnourishment.

Perhaps a pastry chef can help with this calc.?

[NulloModo]

Well, honestly, if a super-minute amount remains it is fine, I have been using a packet of white sugar to a teaspoon or so of yeast so far with five to ten minutes proofing time, and that seems to have worked well.

[Woods]

Well, honestly, if a super-minute amount remains it is fine, I have been using a packet of white sugar to a teaspoon or so of yeast so far with five to ten minutes proofing time, and that seems to have worked well.

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you don't need to proof the yeast with sugar unless you have very old yeast and are uncertain that its any good. Just dissolve the yeast in water if its fresh or dry active or use instant yeast and mix it with the flour.

[NulloModo]

Well, honestly, if a super-minute amount remains it is fine, I have been using a packet of white sugar to a teaspoon or so of yeast so far with five to ten minutes proofing time, and that seems to have worked well.

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you don't need to proof the yeast with sugar unless you have very old yeast and are uncertain that its any good. Just dissolve the yeast in water if its fresh or dry active or use instant yeast and mix it with the flour.

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Ah, but the rest of the recipe doesn't call for any real flour or sugar, so, the yeast needs something to feed upon. Yeast apparently can't digest pure protein or fiber.

[scott123]

Molasses contains a good deal of sucrose, along with a small amount of glucose and fructose. All three of these are suitable yeast foods.

The one clinker in this equation is that molasses is more acidic than white sugar. Yeast is not all that happy in acidic environments. I don't know if it's acidic enough to make for unhappy yeast, but it might be.

Nullo, now that you know for certain that your yeast is fresh and you've incorporated the right kneading process, you might want to try an attempt without the initial yeast proof/packet of sugar. It's quite possible that the kneading was the ticket to success. If you do get good results without the proof/sugar, then I'd just add the molasses with everything else.