So, I had this little experiment in my kitchen yesterday. I was making bread, like I usually do on weekends, and I messed up. I mixed everything – flour, water, salt – but I totally forgot the yeast! It was already late, and I was kinda annoyed at myself, so I just left the dough on the counter and went to bed.
This morning, I remembered the dough and thought, “What the heck, let’s see what happens if I add the yeast now.” I mean, the worst that could happen is I’d have to throw it away, right?
My Little Experiment
Here’s what I did:
- Woke up and regretted my life choices. Just kidding, but I did regret forgetting the yeast.
- Stared at the sad, lifeless dough. It was just sitting there, doing nothing.
- Decided to add the yeast. I sprinkled some instant yeast over the dough and started kneading.
- Kneaded the heck out of it. I wanted to make sure the yeast got mixed in really well. It took a bit longer than usual, but hey, I had nothing better to do.
- Put the dough in a bowl and covered it. Now, the waiting game began.
Surprisingly, after a couple of hours, the dough actually started to rise! It wasn’t as quick as when you add the yeast from the beginning, but it was definitely rising. I was pretty stoked, not gonna lie. It seems like even if you are stupid and forgot to add yeast at the beginning, you can still save the day and add it later.
After that:
- Punched down the dough. You know, the usual bread-making stuff.
- Shaped it into a loaf. It felt a bit denser than usual, but still workable.
- Let it rise again. This took a bit longer too, but it did rise.
- Baked it in the oven. Followed my usual baking time and temperature.
And guess what? It actually turned out okay! The bread was a bit denser than my usual loaves, and the crust was a little thicker. But it was still edible and tasted pretty good, considering the circumstances. So, yeah, you can add yeast later, but be prepared for a slightly different texture and a longer wait. It’s not ideal, but it’s not a complete disaster either. Just try your best not to forgot to add yeast at the beginning!
Lesson learned: don’t bake when you’re sleepy, and always double-check your ingredients! But if you do mess up, don’t panic. There might still be a way to salvage your dough, or just move on and do it all over again. I will definitely try it again next weekend, hopefully, I can get a better result with adding yeast later!
