Yeast in Santo Domingo??

AlterEgo · Feb 21, 2017

Has anyone ever bought blocks of yeast in Santo Domingo? All I can find in San Cristobal at La Sirena are the little bottles. What I'm looking for is packaging like a coffee brick. I make bread every day, and have used over half of what I brought.

I know it's sold on north coast, I bought a bunch in Playero last year, but no plans to go north. I'm hoping someone can direct me in Santo Domingo, so I don't go on a wild goose chase. I thought I'd start at Carrefour.........

What about Pricesmart?

malko · Feb 21, 2017

Iam guessing yeast is " levure" as opposed to baking powder. ( dont laugh, both can be used for bread

)

Carrefour carries the " small bags ", the english name eludes me

sachet in french

Typically 1 " small bag " of yeast is enough for 250g of flour ( or 500g depending on the brand/contenance ).
They come in small packages that hold 5 or 6 " small bags ".

Its carrefour's own brand and it is ok yeast.... especially compared to the dr brands. Inexpensive too.

That said I bring over another brand from europe ( la boulangere ), and then use half ( of those ) and half of carrefour's for a batch of dough.

P.S. last time I went they didnt have any ( or maybe only a unit or 2 )

But happily I had stocked up on the trip before

AlterEgo · Feb 21, 2017

malko said:
Iam guessing yeast is " levure" as opposed to baking powder. ( dont laugh, both can be used for bread )

Carrefour carries the " small bags ", the english name eludes me sachet in french
Typically 1 " small bag " of yeast is enough for 250g of flour ( or 500g depending on the brand/contenance ).
They come in small packages that hold 5 or 6 " small bags ".

Its carrefour's own brand and it is ok yeast.... especially compared to the dr brands. Inexpensive too.

That said I bring over another brand from europe ( la boulangere ), and then use half ( of those ) and half of carrefour's for a batch of dough.

P.S. last time I went they didnt have any ( or maybe only a unit or 2 )
But happily I had stocked up on the trip before

It's levadura here, tiny balls. Rapid Rising Yeast. Yes, different from baking powder or baking soda. I use a lot of it, which is why I need the vacuum packed brick.

I'll look for the sachets too, thanks malko

JD Jones · Feb 21, 2017

The only yeast I've seen here is the little envelopes in Jumbo. I haven't looked very hard though. I'll try to remember to see if there's more types available this weekend.

Maybe buy some from Amazon as a last resort? Tell me which you want and I'll send for it.

dv8 · Feb 21, 2017

the little bottles contain the same type of product: dry rapid rise yeast. there is also a "brick" of fresh yeast, can be found in fridges.

my advice is to buy the levadura seca in a plastic bottle/jar and give it a go. you may need to adjust the quantity.

alternatively, switch to no knead bread that uses fraction of yeast (about 1/4 of a teaspoon).

PeterInBrat · Feb 21, 2017

When I bought it in Sosua many years back, it was in the frozen section in blocks, maybe 40 pesos?

AlterEgo · Feb 21, 2017

dv8 said:
the little bottles contain the same type of product: dry rapid rise yeast. there is also a "brick" of fresh yeast, can be found in fridges.

my advice is to buy the levadura seca in a plastic bottle/jar and give it a go. you may need to adjust the quantity.

alternatively, switch to no knead bread that uses fraction of yeast (about 1/4 of a teaspoon).

Which store in SD has the brick yeast in fridge??

I bought a bread machine that has a very fast setting, one hour start to finish for a delicious bread with a perfect crust. The problem is it uses 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of yeast. That's why the little bottles are useless. I have to use the fast cycle because our electricity is terrible and the machine doesn't bake on the inverter. It's always on for an hour, but to use one of the 3.5 hour settings is Russian roulette

AlterEgo · Feb 21, 2017

JDJones said:
The only yeast I've seen here is the little envelopes in Jumbo. I haven't looked very hard though. I'll try to remember to see if there's more types available this weekend.

Maybe buy some from Amazon as a last resort? Tell me which you want and I'll send for it.

Thanks JD. Last resort, I think, would be to beg one of my Sosua friends to send it down.

Anyone coming to Santo Domingo for cedula or something?????? Playero had a choice of about 4 brands, on shelf against the wall in rear area of store.

dv8 · Feb 21, 2017

i do not know which supermarket in SD has fresh yeast in bricks, i shop in puerto plata. look in fridges next time you are in SD, levadura fresca de levapan. the same company makes levadura seca in those small pots.

your problem is really not yeast but the way you make bread. listen to me and listen to me good: do not bake bread in bread maker, no bueno. use bread maker to knead the dough. regular dough program, including rise, is about one and a half hour. you can ignore that option. just put ingredients in the machine with 3 teaspoons of yeast only. put the machine into dough program. takes about 15 minutes to knead. switch off or unplug the machine, you don't need it connected to power anymore. you can leave the dough inside for an hour or put it for an hour in a slightly oiled bowl, covered with a cloth. after that hour you take the dough out, shape it into a loaf and place in baking form/tray (greased). leave for about 45 minutes, bake.

takes longer, i understand. but uses lest yeast and the bread will taste better, trust me.

the alternative is is no knead, zero effort bread: 3 cups of flour, pinch of salt, half a spoon of dry yeast, 1 and 1/2 cup of warmish water. mix everything with a spatula, just so that the dough forms, it should be quite firm. cover with a plastic bag, leave on the kitchen counter overnight.
the following day pour the dough onto lightly floured surface. it will be sticky, no worries there. with flour hands fold the dough few times, it will start to visibly come together. form a soft ball, place it on floured cloth, fold the cloth to cover it loosely. about one hour later turn on the oven, place glass or ceramic baking dish inside (i use pyrex round dish). heat for 30 minutes to 200 degrees celsius or so. carefully remove the dish from the oven. uncover the dough and flip it inside the dish. it should sizzle a bit. cover and place in the oven. bake for about 30 minutes, uncover, bake for 15 minutes more.

yeah, i can imagine you will say all this is more effort but trust. it's worth it.

lately i dropped bread machine completely. i use kitchen aid standing mixer for my breads. finish kneading by hand. i also moved from yeast breads to sourdoughs. made my own starter form rye flour and use that. i believe good bread takes a bit of effort.

AlterEgo · Feb 21, 2017

dv8 said:
i do not know which supermarket in SD has fresh yeast in bricks, i shop in puerto plata. look in fridges next time you are in SD, levadura fresca de levapan. the same company makes levadura seca in those small pots.

your problem is really not yeast but the way you make bread. listen to me and listen to me good: do not bake bread in bread maker, no bueno. use bread maker to knead the dough. regular dough program, including rise, is about one and a half hour. you can ignore that option. just put ingredients in the machine with 3 teaspoons of yeast only. put the machine into dough program. takes about 15 minutes to knead. switch off or unplug the machine, you don't need it connected to power anymore. you can leave the dough inside for an hour or put it for an hour in a slightly oiled bowl, covered with a cloth. after that hour you take the dough out, shape it into a loaf and place in baking form/tray (greased). leave for about 45 minutes, bake.

takes longer, i understand. but uses lest yeast and the bread will taste better, trust me.

the alternative is is no knead, zero effort bread: 3 cups of flour, pinch of salt, half a spoon of dry yeast, 1 and 1/2 cup of warmish water. mix everything with a spatula, just so that the dough forms, it should be quite firm. cover with a plastic bag, leave on the kitchen counter overnight.
the following day pour the dough onto lightly floured surface. it will be sticky, no worries there. with flour hands fold the dough few times, it will start to visibly come together. form a soft ball, place it on floured cloth, fold the cloth to cover it loosely. about one hour later turn on the oven, place glass or ceramic baking dish inside (i use pyrex round dish). heat for 30 minutes to 200 degrees celsius or so. carefully remove the dish from the oven. uncover the dough and flip it inside the dish. it should sizzle a bit. cover and place in the oven. bake for about 30 minutes, uncover, bake for 15 minutes more.

yeah, i can imagine you will say all this is more effort but trust. it's worth it.

lately i dropped bread machine completely. i use kitchen aid standing mixer for my breads. finish kneading by hand. i also moved from yeast breads to sourdoughs. made my own starter form rye flour and use that. i believe good bread takes a bit of effort.

We go through a 2 pound loaf of bread every day, I'm looking for the fastest and easiest. I do have a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook tho, so that's a possibility. I don't like lighting the oven, especially once it really warms up. With the nicer, cool temps, I've been roasting chicken, etc, and baking a bit too, but these nice days are numbered

dv8 · Feb 21, 2017

also, on related note. those vacuum packed yeast packages sold on the north coast are not that big. about twice the size of the small pots/jars you were talking about. it makes more sense for you to buy whatever is locally available in larger quantities rather than have someone buy it for you in sosua and then send it with the metro. it's essentially the same product. and maybe a local supermarket will give you a discount if you buy a box of them? or will bring the vacuum packed ones (levapan makes those as well)?

happy baking! if you need any recipes just ask, i've been baking mad for months. tomorrow i plan sweat bread with white cheese and blackcurrant filling. and vanilla layer cake soaked in peach liqueur with dulce de leche and mascarpone filling.

edited to add:
if you do not like using large gas oven, how about those small electric toaster ovens or whatever they are called? they do not generate that much heat. or bake few breads a day once a week and freeze the surplus. just as good warmed up. i bake every day and the heat is not an issue, we have open plan kitchen tho. not a bother at all.

reilleyp · Feb 21, 2017

AlterEgo said:
Thanks JD. Last resort, I think, would be to beg one of my Sosua friends to send it down.

Anyone coming to Santo Domingo for cedula or something?????? Playero had a choice of about 4 brands, on shelf against the wall in rear area of store.

I am flying into SDQ on March 23rd from the States. If you can find it online and ship it to me, I can meet you at the airport.

dv8 · Feb 21, 2017

i also thought of a good alternative. go to any larger panaderia/reposteria in san cristobal and ask, if they will sell you levadura or provide you with contact details of their provider. they must be using the stuff by kilos.

PeterInBrat · Feb 22, 2017

AlterEgo said:
We go through a 2 pound loaf of bread every day, I'm looking for the fastest and easiest. I do have a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook tho, so that's a possibility. I don't like lighting the oven, especially once it really warms up. With the nicer, cool temps, I've been roasting chicken, etc, and baking a bit too, but these nice days are numbered

If you do a poolish method of bread making you won't need to buy so much yeast. Half water, half flour by volume with some starter yeast. Start the night before and keep in the fridge in a container twice the batter volume. Use half to make bread the next day by adding more flour, then replace the flour and water into your starter. I used to make 20-30 loaves a day for a summer camp with this method. A good rule of thumb is one cup water for each pound of bread you want. So for two pounds of bread each day, start with four ups each water and flour, then add two cups each for the next day and ferment in a six to eight cup container in the fridge.

Meemselle · Feb 22, 2017

When I learned how to make bread when I was 9, all we used was the fresh yeast, the little squares. Now I wouldn't use it if you paid me. It spoils fast, you have to proof it, etc.

I make bread almost every week for the Sabbath, and when I first came, I brought my fency French yeast, and the bread just wasn't coming out right and it never, ever fails me. So I wrote to the Bakers' Catalog help desk, and they suggested using the local yeast, and voila.

dv8 · Feb 22, 2017

i'm thinking of switching to fresh yeast. i also wanted to buy it to make nutritional yeast powder. so next time.

my sweat breads are ready to go to the oven, next in line is pan de agua (my first time making this and i already hate the dough). tomorrow croissants which have two days in the making already.

i need to up my exercise by at least one more hour a day or else i will get sooooo fat.

Abuela · Feb 22, 2017

Since moving here,I keep yeast in freezer and let portion needed come to room temperature and seems to yield more consistent results. How do you store yeast?

AlterEgo · Feb 22, 2017

Abuela said:
Since moving here,I keep yeast in freezer and let portion needed come to room temperature and seems to yield more consistent results. How do you store yeast?

I keep it in a glass container in the refrigerator, because I use it quickly, otherwise the freezer is recommended.

dv8 · Feb 22, 2017

AlterEgo said:
I keep it in a glass container in the refrigerator, because I use it quickly, otherwise the freezer is recommended.

same here. i store mine in a fridge, in a glass jar with a plastic lid. when baking i just mix it with flour, no need to bring it to room temperature since flour itself (and other ingredients) is at room temperature and i use about 1 or 2 teaspoons of yeast at a time.

biggest issue with fresh yeast in DR is that it comes in one size, 500 gr brick. it's a lot, even taking into the account that one uses twice as much of fresh yeast as dry rapid one. on average two small loafs or one big one would use 25 gr so the brick would last me 20 leafs. and i bake more sourdough now which call for less yeast and quite a lot of cakes which call for baking powder/soda.

Meemselle · Feb 22, 2017

Abuela said:
Since moving here,I keep yeast in freezer and let portion needed come to room temperature and seems to yield more consistent results. How do you store yeast?

I keep it in a Mason jar in the fridge. If I buy more than one package, I put one in the freezer.

Yeast in Santo Domingo??

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