How to perfect yeast cake: Quick rising secrets
Yeast cake is an integral part of our cuisine. Making yeast cake can be time-consuming, but there are ways to prepare it more quickly. Discover how to prepare the dough and speed up its rising.
Yeast cake is one of those classic bakes that often graces our tables. It is used to create fluffy buns, babkas, challahs, and fruit cakes. While preparing this type of dough isn't difficult, it does require time. So, how can you make the yeast dough rise faster? You'll find the tip below.
Yeast cake recipe
What ingredients are needed for yeast dough?
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 25 grams fresh yeast
- 1 egg
- 50 grams butter
- A pinch of salt
How to prepare yeast dough? Once you've gathered all the ingredients, it's time to combine them into a uniform mass. Start by crumbling the yeast into the warm milk and adding the sugar. Set the mixture aside for a moment to let it "work"—the bubbles indicate yeast activity.
Place the sifted flour in a large bowl, adding the salt and the prepared yeast starter. Knead the dough patiently by hand or using a mixer on low speed, gradually adding the melted butter. Kneading should continue for a few minutes until the mass becomes smooth and elastic.
When the dough is ready, transfer it to an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean cloth. Then leave it in a warm place. The yeast dough can rise for 1 to 3 hours.
How to speed up the rising of yeast dough?
If you don't want to wait long for the dough to rise, or if the room temperature is low, making it difficult for the dough to rise, you can use a simple trick. This way, the dough will quickly increase in volume. What to do? Preheat the oven to 45 degrees Celsius and turn it off. Place the bowl with the dough in the warm oven, remembering to cover the bowl to prevent the dough from drying out.
Another method is to use warm water. How to do this? Put the kneaded yeast dough in a bag and seal it tightly. Remember not to wrap the dough too tightly, as its volume will increase during rising. Place the wrapped dough in a bowl or pot filled with warm, but not hot, water—no more than 35 degrees Celsius. After about 40 minutes, the dough should rise nicely. Using this method, be sure to tie the bag or foil well to prevent water from entering.
What to keep in mind when preparing yeast dough?
When preparing yeast dough, several common mistakes can negatively affect the final result. Firstly, the temperature of the milk must be appropriate—too cold will slow fermentation, and too hot can kill the yeast. It's also important to use fresh yeast and to knead the dough thoroughly to develop the gluten structure, ensuring its proper elasticity. A short rising time results in dense and heavy bakes, while inaccurate measuring of flour can cause the dough to become hard and dry, or too soft. Following these guidelines will help you achieve light and fluffy yeast dough.
