Bread may be one of the world’s oldest staple foods, and while there are many simple bread recipes out there, there are also plenty of complex bread recipes which can be adapted in a whole host of different ways.
From, the spices and seasonings you use, to the type of oil used and the amount of time you let the dough rest, all of these things can drastically change the taste, shape, and texture of the bread.
When it comes to baking bread however, what people often don’t realize is the fact that different types of yeast can produce drastically different results. This is what we’re going to be focussing on today.
There are many different types of yeast, and just as wine yeast can produce very different results to cider yeast, pizza yeast produces very different results to regular yeast. But, can pizza yeast really be used for bread? Well, let’s find out, shall we?
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First off, what is yeast?
As gross as it may sound, yeast is actually a fungus which is only visible when viewed under a microscope.
Yeast is therefor a living organism and in order for it to grow, yeast cells must digest food to produce energy, just like us.
When baking bread for example, the yeast will feed on and ferment the naturally occurring sugars found in the flour and produce Carbon Dioxide. As the dough becomes elastic and stretchy, especially when the dough is kneaded to break down the gluten protein fibres, the CO2 in the dough cannot escape.
As the gas tries to escape but can’t, it causes the dough to rise and expand, which is why doughs wih yeast tend to at least double in size as the mixture is left to prove.
What is pizza yeast, and can it be used for making bread?
Guess what pizza yeast is perfect for making? Yep, of course it is ideal for making pizza doughs, but does that mean that it has to be used exclusively for making pizza? Absolutely not.
Yes, if you read the packaging, it’ll tell you that the yeast is not suitable for making bread, but don’t worry, because that’s not the case at all.
Pizza yeast can be used instead of regular dried yeast when baking bread and it will still provide pretty impressive results and a decent rise. Of course, proper bread yeast will likely give you the best results when baking bread, but if pizza yeast is all you have, or if you simply want to experiment, pizza yeast will still more than do the job.
How is pizza yeast different to regular yeast?
As yeast is a living organism, it comes in a number of different varieties which produce different results, depending on what you’re making.
Despite pizza dough being similar to bread dough, it’s obviously still very different and this is due in part to the yeast that is used. While pizza yeast and regular baking yeast are very similar, the main difference is in how the yeast makes the dough feel.
Within pizza yeast, you’ll find dough relaxers which are designed to make the dough softer, stretchier, and easier to work with because the dough obviously has to be rolled and stretched without snapping back like a regular dough would.
The yeast itself is actually the same, it’s just that with pizza yeast it contains additional additives and ingredients to help the dough to relax.
Can you use regular yeast to make pizza?
So, we’ve looked at how you can use pizza yeast to make bread, but can regular yeast be used to make pizza? Again, the answer is yes.
Yes, pizza yeast contains additives and dough conditioners to help make the dough to relax and become stretchy but you can still use regular yeast to make a pizza dough, it will just require a little extra work to shape it.
When using regular yeast for making pizza dough, simply leave the dough ten – twelve minutes to let the gluten proteins relax. This will leave the dough softer and make it easier to work with.
