Knead To Know DOUGH DR. TOM LEHMANN Talking Yeast The Dough Doctor discusses when and how to add yeast to your mix WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ADD YEAST TO THE DOUGH? A: This will depend upon the type of yeast you're using. If you're using active dry yeast (ADY) you will need to activate it prior to addition to the dough. This is done by placing the yeast in a bowl with warm (100 to 105 F) water. The amount of water used to activate the yeast should be at least five times the weight of ADY being activated. Place the water in the bowl first, then sprinkle the ADY over the water and whisk well to achieve a yeast suspension. Allow the yeast suspension to set for 10 minutes, then quickly whisk once again and pour into the dough water. After the ADY has been activated it doesn't hurt the yeast if it's mixed into the cold water. From this point on you can add the remainder of ingredients to the bowl in your usual manner. If you are adding instant dry yeast (IDY) you can just add it in the dry form out of the bag. In this case the preferred way to add IDY is to add it directly to the flour. As you begin mixing, the agitator will effectively disperse the yeast throughout the flour and allow for proper hydration/activation as it contacts the water during the mixing stage. If you are using a mixer with very short mixing times, such as a vertical cutter mixer, you will need to hydrate/activate the IDY in the same manner as when using ADY. But in this case the 2 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M AY 2 0 1 9http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM