Fixing Mistakes | Paul Hollywood (2024)

FAQs

What type of yeast does Paul Hollywood use? ›

The idea of yeast may seem scary to first-time bakers. However, instant yeast is easy to buy, store and use. I always use 'fast-action' or 'easy-blend' yeast.

Letting the dough ferment for longer develops better flavour and texture. The built-up old carbon dioxide impairs fermentation. You may have noticed that after degassing the dough it starts fermenting more rapidly. If the dough is not knocked back the fermentation rate slows down as time goes by.

Alexandra Hollywood

Paul Hollywood / Wife (m. 1998–2019)

Knocking back

This is a technical term for punching or pressing down on the dough after the bread's first rise. This process bursts the tiny air bubbles that have formed in the dough and then forces them to reform again in the final shape you want, which results in a smoother texture.

Fresh yeast, sometimes called cake yeast or compressed yeast, is a block of fresh yeast cells that contains about 70% moisture and is commonly used by baking professionals. It's pale beige in color, soft and crumbly with a texture similar to a soft pencil eraser, and has a stronger yeast smell than dry yeast.

The difference between instant yeast and active dry yeast is the rate of action. The instant yeast is a faster-acting yeast while the rate of action of the active dry yeast is more moderate.

Some recipes have you “punch down” the dough one or two times. Some recipes do not have this step at all. If your recipe asks to do it, do it! From my experience making regular yeast breads, I punch down once after first rise and then once again before forming into loaves.

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

That means your bread won't rise properly and you'll be left with a flat loaf. Hard to handle: If dough isn't kneaded or kneaded enough, it can remain sticky and difficult to work with, which can mean it's hard to shape.

Paul John Hollywood MBE (born 1 March 1966) is an English celebrity chef and television personality, widely known as a judge on The Great British Bake Off since 2010. Hollywood began his career at his father's bakery as a teenager and went on to serve as head baker at a number of British and international hotels.

Is Paul Hollywood colorblind? ›

It's surprising Paul can tell, given that it was only revealed in this series that he's actually colourblind.

Josh Hollywood

Paul Hollywood / Son

Other stories[2] tell us that soldiers during the American Civil War demanded that part of their pay was a loaf of bread, which lends itself to the theory of how the term “dough” or “bread” came into use when referring to salary or money.

Dough: Another food-related term, "dough" is slang for money, perhaps used to make bread or pastries. It first appeared in the early 1800s.

Red Star yeast is my number one recommendation for Active Dry Yeast. It's reliable and readily available in just about any supermarket.

When it comes to baking bread at home, most recipes call for active dry yeast. This type of yeast comes out of the package looking like small, tan granules roughly the size of poppy seeds. In this state, the yeast has a long shelf life so long as it's kept in a cool, dry place.