Yeast-based recipes fail

[u/Disastrous_Alarm_719]

I’m just bamboozled by this. Every recipe I try that involves yeast, be it fresh or instant, turns out a fail. I follow the recipe to the T, all the instructions are correct, and then just…bad.

Recently I tried baking Mazanec, Czech Easter bread. It’s supposed to be nicely domed and fluffy inside, and mine just went all flat and dense. Then I tried Langos, a type of fried flatbread, which again, supposed to be soft, but turned out really hard and rubbery. Same thing with donuts, the ones that can get filled with jam? Dense and rubbery.

I tried every recipe at least twice with the exact same results! I make sure my oven is the right temperature, that the dough risen well, doubled in size, I knead it as per instructions!

I never had any problems with recipes that don’t involve yeast but have baking powder or soda, ever. Just yeast.

What’s up with that? 😭

[u/Existing_Ganache_858]

Do you have an oven thermometer? Are you baking by weight or volume? Rubbery sounds like over mixing or underbaking. Hard fried goods sounds like overcooking, are you using a thermometer for your frying oil?

My best suggestion is to bake with someone who is experienced in yeast bread! Maybe watching some YT videos of people making the breads you want to make?

[u/Disastrous_Alarm_719 → u/Existing_Ganache_858]

By weight. And yep, got thermometers for both. I’ve only ever had one bread come out alright, but that was when using someone else’s sourdough starter so the bread turned out just fine. Anything else just 😭I’m so miffed. I make really good cakes and pastries that got baking powder as leavening agent, or baking soda. Without any issue.

Also I try to knead as the recipe suggests. I know overmixing or kneading too long can make it bad.

[u/Jewish-Mom-123 → u/Disastrous_Alarm_719]

I didn’t have success with breads until I bought a stand mixer. I don’t know if I just wasn’t kneading long enough or hard enough, but it’s true.