I quit using yeast thermometers and my bread got way better.

Everyone told me I had to get the water exactly 110 degrees, but after 6 months of inconsistent rises I stopped checking temps and just use warm tap water... has anyone else found that the fussy rules actually make things worse?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake1911mo ago

Wondered how long it would take for someone to say this out loud. Been baking for years and the thermometers just add stress, not better bread. Why are we all acting like yeast is some fragile little thing that can't handle a few degrees of variance? Your tap water is probably between 90 and 120 degrees depending on the season and your pipes, and yeast has been figuring that out for thousands of years before some blogger told us it had to be exactly 110. Do you think the whole "instant yeast is dead if water is too hot" thing is just marketing hype to sell thermometers?

the_fiona1mo ago

Agree completely. I used to be one of those people who stressed over water temperature and let me tell you, it did nothing for my bread except make me anxious. One time I forgot to check and just used lukewarm tap water and guess what? The bread turned out exactly the same. I even did a side by side test once with one batch using exactly 110 degree water and another using water straight from the tap and you couldn't tell the difference. Yeast is way tougher than we give it credit for. Plus all that precise measuring just takes the fun out of baking.