Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
How do you store your yeast?
I recently bought a big bag of yeast from Costco. But I’m not sure of the best way to store it. Please help.
Thanks!
Dana@LoveLikeThisLife
I keep mine in a screw-top Rubbermaid container in my freezer. This probably isn’t truly necessary, since I go through a big bag of yeast pretty promptly, but I guess I err on the side of caution! The fridge would probably work just as well, though.
I measure the yeast out of the Rubbermaid container and add it directly to the recipe without letting it thaw or warm up and it’s never been a problem for me.
(side note: For those of you who’d like to buy yeast in bulk but don’t own a warehouse club memebership, go buy some online. Amazon sells the exact same thing I get at Costco: Red Star Baking Yeast
. It’s $10 instead of $3.50, but that’s still way, way, waaaay cheaper than buying it in the small packets or jars. And if you join Swagbucks, you can earn some Amazon gift cards to pay for your yeast.)
I understand that this may be a touchy subject, but have you given any thought to how you may react/deal with it if any of your children grow up and are religious in a different manner or aren’t religious at all?
-Rebecca
Yep, I sure have. I think that knowing and trusting God is the most important thing in life, and I pray every day that my children will come to saving faith in Jesus. Based on what the Bible says, I think that Mr. FG and I can be optimistic about the possibility of all four of our children becoming Christians, but there are no guarantees.
If one or more of our children rejects the Christian faith, we will still love them just as much as we would otherwise. Given Christianity’s exclusive claims, we certainly couldn’t support or condone beliefs that lie outside of the Christian faith (that’d be quite illogical), but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t still love our child.
So, there would be loving disagreement, and we’d certainly pray for God to soften that child’s heart, but there would be no shunning or rejection of the child.
I have always loved baking but recently started doing it for more practical and budget-cutting reasons thanks to your blog. I find honey (used in your everyday whole wheat bread, which is delicious by the way!) to be quite expensive and wondered where you buy yours. I also wondered if it’s ok to substitute sugar for the honey. Would you need to make adjustments to the liquids to compensate?
-Rebecca
You certainly can substitute sugar for the honey in the whole wheat bread recipe (I’ve done it oodles of times) and in most yeast bread recipes.
I don’t usually measure all of the flour I add to my yeast doughs (I go more by feel than by cups), so I can’t say for sure exactly how much difference the sugar vs. honey makes. I imagine that using sugar means you need a little bit less flour, but it’s not going to be a big change to the recipe.
Honey does act as a preservative in baked goods, so if you use sugar, you may notice that your bread doesn’t stay fresh quite as long. If this seems like a large problem to you, you could always freezer whatever bread won’t be used in day or two.
I often buy my honey in a large container from Coscto, but I’ve also bought it at Aldi.
______________________________
Readers, how do you store your bulk yeast? And do you sub sugar for honey in yeast breads?
Today’s 365 post: I don’t have cute feet. And I got a really late 365 post up yesterday, which means you probably missed it: Last Sunday
Joshua’s 365 post: He doesn’t have one up yet for today, but in case you missed yesterdays, it’s Safe Firearms.
Janknitz
Monday 31st of March 2014
With respect to bread rising so high, one thing to learn about bread is that the dough is done rising when it's done rising, not when the clock says X amount of time has passed. So it helps to learn the signs for when the bread is ready to be baked. Otherwise, if your kitchen tends to be warm, your bread may over-rise--and that can affect the final texture. I like to get a good "oven spring" and it helps when the dough hasn't over-risen on the counter first.
So how do you tell if the dough is ready? Poke your finger it in. If your finger leaves a depression that only slowly fills back in, it's ready. If it springs back immediately, it's not. When the dough is just right, you should get a nice "oven spring" to bring your loaf to a good size that is not too high and puffy.
With experience you'll learn to judge time--if the kitchen is very warm you check sooner, if the kitchen is cooler you wait a bit longer or put the dough in a warm place to rise.
IMHO, a slower, cooler rise is better--it lets the dough "ferment" a bit which enhances the flavor. For time management, if the dough has two rises, I always do the first overnight in the fridge--the flavor is really much better, and it doesn't tend to over rise that way.
Lisa
Wednesday 13th of April 2011
About Honey being Honey - I read somewhere recently that local honey helps you with allergies, because by eating it, you build up an immunity to the pollen inducing allergens in your area. Don't know if it's true, but another great reason to use it! ;)
Jennifer
Wednesday 13th of April 2011
Growing up, I had terrible allergies. My mom finally had me try a home-remedy of one part local honey and one part apple cider, twice a day. It was the only thing that worked for me, and I'm convinced it's the reason my allergies ceased. Now I give my son "honey-tea" (a teaspoon of honey in 2 ounces of warm tea) to ease his nighttime coughing due to allergies. It works just as well, if not better than, cough syrups.
Gareth Rae
Tuesday 12th of April 2011
I'm a Christian. I believe in God but have difficulty with the church and some of its doctrines which have distorted the original simple message (ie love God and love your neighbour as yourself). My children were brought up attending Sunday services, Sunday school, choir etc, but when they reached their teens they rejected the church as being boring and irrelevant. I can't force my beliefs on them, particularly those I stuggle with myself. Instead I've encouraged open debate and discussion. I want my children to think things through and come to their own decisions. All I can do is create an environment in which they can do so.
Diane
Tuesday 12th of April 2011
Thank you for your openness in this conversation. Yes, the "church" will let you down, the doctrines preached may seem boring, and are down right wrong many times. But there is one true source of having our questions answered. Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." Jesus said Peter was blessed, not only because he understood this, but that this knowledge was given to Peter by revelation. The Father, through the Spirit had revealed who Jesus was to Peter. God desires to reveal Himself to us, and He will do so as we ask Him honestly to do so. Go to the Bible; read it from cover to cover; ask the Lord to reveal Himself as you read. He will, if we come to Him with the honest questions of our hearts. God bless.
Paula
Tuesday 12th of April 2011
I really appreciate the comments and open discussion about raising children with Christian beliefs. What I find refreshing is the sense of openness and lack of judgment. I have often found these discussions tedious because they devolve into hard and fast standpoints, when what's really interesting and helpful are the points in between where none of us really know what the best thing to do is. When we all just do and say what we think, but remain open, a path will develop. For me, that's what faith means.
Sarah
Monday 11th of April 2011
My question is what do you think is the best way to cook with gas or electricity?
WilliamB
Wednesday 13th of April 2011
There is a strong concensus in every cooking community I've been a part of (including professional communities) that gas is the clear winner for ease and flexibility of cooking.
Or think of it this way: have you ever seen a restaurant kitchen voluntarily using electric stoves?
Gareth Rae
Tuesday 12th of April 2011
I prefer a gas hob because it gives me more control. Electric hot plates are slower to heat up and then to cool down. As to which is more economical, this will depend on the relative charges.