Mike Avery states that he read in Beard on Bread that proofing of
yeast was not necessary. since this did not gibe with my memories of
baking with his recipes, I actually got up and took the book off the
shelf. (lol) to the contrary, Beard proofs his yeast for each
recipe-(I looked!)
I quote (2004 edition, Alfred A. Knopf):
"For yeast to become activated - that is, to release the gas that
causes dough to rise - it must have something to feed on." (p.8)
"First, proof the yeast, which means testing it to make sure it is
still active. To do this, pour the contents of the package into 1/2
cup of the warm water (about 100 F to 115 F), add the sugar, stir
well, and set aside. After a few minutes the fermentation of the
yeast will become apparant as the mixture swells and small bubbles
apppear here and there on the surface." (p.23)
Gee, sounds like proofing to me!
joyce erlitz
non, je ne regrette rien