Great British Baking Show ™

You can buy SAF-Instant Red Yeast here. Red yeast is best for savory breads, while SAF-Instant Gold Yeast is ideal for sweet breads. You can buy SAF-Instant Gold Yeast here.

What impact does yeast have on the taste of bread?

The development of the aromas and flavours of the bread takes place throughout the baking process, especially during the fermentation and cooking stages and to a lesser extent during the mixing process.

Yeast enables specific aromatic notes to develop (more than 540 identified aromatic molecules) according to the baking conditions (ingredients and process). It therefore gives the bread its own aromatic characteristics. Yeasts also play an important role in the colour and texture of the bread’s crust.

What is the difference between active dry yeast and instant dry yeast?

Active dry yeast comes in the form of small granules or spherules. This yeast is characterized by good stability and keeps well in regions where climatic conditions are difficult. It must be first diluted in a little lukewarm water or milk.

Instant dry yeast like Saf-instant® is made up of tiny vermicelli that can easily be incorporated into the dough. To maintain their effectiveness, instant dry yeasts are packaged in a vacuum or in a protective atmosphere. They must be kept dry at room temperature.

How to store yeast?

Baker’s yeast is a living product and sensitive to high temperatures. For it to remain fully effective, it must be stored in optimal conditions. It is important to avoid contact with air.

Dry yeast, vacuum packed or in a protective atmosphere like Saf-instant, should be stored in a dry and temperate place. It will thus keep all its effectiveness. You can tape the packaging to avoid contact with air. Cold storage can help to keep the yeast effective for longer time.

It is possible to freeze dry yeast. Instant dry yeast thaws very quickly and keeps all its fluidity. It can therefore be added directly to your flour.

In Series 15 of The Great British Baking Show ™, Christiaan made a stunning raspberry and licorice (liquorice) jam. For this jam, it's important to use a soft licorice so that it melts down and releases its flavor into the jam. If you want to leave some of the 'chew' then don't cut it up too small. 

Our recipe for this raspberry and licorice jam is here. 

Namelaka, which means “smooth” in Japanese, is a velvety, fairly firm derivative of ganache.The silky smooth texture is a mixture of pastry cream, mousse, and ganache.

Not all yeasts are equal. First, they go under so many different names - fast-action yeast; dried yeast;  rapid-action yeast; instant yeast; active yeast ...

SAF-instant yeast is activated much more quickly than most 'active dried yeast', and is much more stable and tolerant.

With its easy dispersion and its rapid and homogeneous assimilation into the dough, Saf-instant yeast allows an optimal fermentation.

This is the yeast that professional bakers use, and tests show that it is quicker, more reliable and all round better than the alternatives.

There are different SAF-Instant Yeasts for different bread products. If your bread product is sweet, then use Saf-Instant GOLD Instant Yeast. For savory breads, use Saf-Instant RED Instant Yeast.

Five spice (5-spice) powder is used really heavily in almost all branches of Chinese cuisine and reflects the five elements - fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. These elements are mirrored in 5

tastes (sweet, sour, salty, savory and bitter). There is a wider spice mix (13 spice) which is less frequently seen but equally magnificent.

There is some small variation in the exact five spices but most often we see fennel, cinnamon, star anise, Szechuan pepper and cloves. A fabulous version of this spice is available here.

To confit garlic cloves, they are peeled and poached in olive oil. The garlic is gently cooked so that it softens and develops a mellow sweetness, while still retaining its garlicky flavor.

Gochujang is a Korean fermented chilli paste.

The process of "tempering" involves slowly heating and then cooling chocolate letting the fat molecules crystallise evenly, giving you a smooth, shiny finish. When tempered properly, chocolate should 'snap' when broken, while untempered (or badly tempered) chocolate will be dull and not break cleanly. 

What is the best chocolate for tempering?

Always use chocolate that state a higher cocoa content. Look for 'buttons' rather than bars, because they melt more easily. If you can only find bars, finely chop the chocolate with a serrated knife, or in a blender, as this will melt more evenly.

How to temper chocolate

1. Put most of the chocolate in a bowl, keeping up to 25% for use later in the process. Half-fill a saucepan with hot water, and put the bowl over it, making sure that the bowl does not touch the bottom of the saucepan. Slowly heat the water, ensuring it does not boil. Alternatively, use a microwave on the defrost setting or at 500W maximum. Stir all the time, using a flexible spatula so that the chocolate melts smoothly.

2. Check the temperature with a thermometer. When it reaches 131F - 136F (55C-58C) for bittersweet/dark, or 113F - 122F (45C-50C) for milk or white, remove the chocolate from the water bath.

3. Set aside a third of the melted chocolate in a bowl in a warm place. Add the unmelted chocolate into the remaining two-thirds of the melted chocolate, stirring constantly (this will help cool the chocolate quickly). Dark chocolate should reach a temperature of 82F - 84F (28C-29C); milk chocolate should reach 80F - 82F (27C-28C); and white or ruby chocolate should reach 79F - 81F (26C-27C).

4. Then add the melted chocolate that you have set aside to increase the temperature. Dark chocolate should reach 88F - 90F (31C-32C); milk chocolate should reach 84F - 86F (29C-30C); a white or coloured chocolate should reach 82F - 84F (28C-29C). Stir all the time. 

5. When the chocolate is at the correct temperature, leave it in a cool place to set.

Tip: If the chocolate has reached the right temperature and there are still pieces of unmelted chocolate, remove them before increasing the temperature.