Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

[SDP]

I am attempting to make the dough recipe from the Pizza Stone ebook from Forno Bravo. The recipe suggests that you use active dry yeast and add it to the flour and water mixture after the autolyse period. However, earlier in the book it says that ADY needs to proof in warm water before used. This doesn't seem to be accounted for in the recipe.

Are you supposed to take some of the 325g of water and warm that to proof the yeast?

Or do you in fact not need to proof the yeast in warm water before adding it to the mixture after autolyse?

Thanks

[SDP]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

If anyone would like to offer advice from their own experience I would appreciate some insights. If not I'll give instant/rapid rise yeast a try and report back how it works.

[SDP]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

I'm surprised that 91 people have viewed this post on a pizza making forum and yet nobody knows the answer to this simple question. Surely some of you guys have tried to make the Forno Bravo recipe. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[texassourdough]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

It will work whether you proof it or not, assuming it (the dried yeast) is reasonably active. Active dry yeast will work better (faster) if proofed. The better answer is to always use instant/rapid rise yeast for it can be mixed with flour, mixed late (as in after the autolyse) and it doesn't particularly care. However, it is somewhat more active than active yeast so you need a bit less. (But yeast % in pizza dough is not nearly as important as bread so just play with it until you find an amount that matches you habits/timing.

[SDP]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

Many thanks texassourdough!

I assume based on your name that perhaps you cook pizza with sourdough cultures as well. Do you use any instant yeast when you do that or do you purely use the culture?

[SDP]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

I guess a second question would be, if I were to proof the active dry yeast do I change the amount of water recommended in the recipe?

Would I add the proofed yeast in before or after the autolyse period?

[texassourdough]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

While a variety of recipes use commercial yeast to spike sourdough (and make the timing a bit more predicable I don't like it because IMO it compromises flavor. Gimmick: commercial yeast can't survive in the acidic world of sourdough SO you are making a "quick" sourdough that doesn't have full flavor development. My main sourdough starter is relatively mild tasting but still pretty acid by commercial yeast standards so...

Although my starter is relatively mild I still don't do sourdough pizza much because my starter (and most sourdoughs) don't particularly like cold temps so the retard that I consider important for pizza dough is not wonderful - my dough needs too much time at room temp to get going.

Since you are only talking about needing a tablespoon or two of water to proof the yeast it is not a big deal because hydration is not precise (the water content of flour can easily vary by 5% and more so an extra 1 or 2% water should not be a big deal). There is more variation to the flour than that!

[vanishingpoint]

Re: Yeast question from Forno Bravo recipe

I guess a second question would be, if I were to proof the active dry yeast do I change the amount of water recommended in the recipe?

Would I add the proofed yeast in before or after the autolyse period?

Ok, I just asked this very same question on another, older thread--did you ever get an answer?

I'm newbie here and while I find this place to be a wonderful resource full of knowledgeable folks and useful tips, I'm a bit frustrated by this pretty basic question...

There's ebooks and videos and so many threads on autolyse and yeast and dough and water and percentage--but no answer to the above question.....help