Yeast dough made from scratch has been made for thousands of years. There are small statues from Ancient Egypt showing servants kneading dough. You will either love or hate kneading the dough. Russians have made yeast dough recipes for centuries, baking things in their unique Russian ovens.
I tend to be more impatient when making a yeast dough recipe, and sometimes use a bread machine. It's easy to throw in all the ingredients, press a button, and 90 minutes your dough is done! However, this recipe below is too big for a bread machine. But for other yeast dough recipes on my site, you can use this one if you don't have a bread machine.
Master Dough Recipe
This is my Master Yeast Dough recipe that can be universally used for savory recipes. What do you use yeast dough for? It's not that dough recipes are Russian, but this is the recipe I use when making Russian dough recipes.
Most commonly I use it when we make Russian Piroshki (baked or fried), savory Meat Pirog Pies or Cabbage Pies, and my favorite, Salmon Coulibiac (Kulebyaka). You could also use it for pizza, ham and cheese scrolls, for anything you really need.
There are many different types of yeast dough recipes, some use mayonnaise (no thanks), others use sour cream, kefir or even buttermilk. This recipe uses lukewarm milk. It's an easy and classic recipe that's been used for ages. That's why I think this is good for savory recipes. Because I also have a Sweet Yeast dough recipe that you need to check out.
Active Yeast or Instant Yeast?
Active Yeast or Instant Yeast are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Active Yeast needs to be activated by mixing with a warm liquid and a pinch of sugar. This is the traditional way yeast was used by our mothers and grandmothers.
Active also isn't as potent as Instant Yeast. I used Instant Yeast in this recipe, prepared the same way by activating it with milk. I like the tradition of it all, and ensure the yeast is alive before I add it to the flour. If using Active Yeast for this recipe, just add an extra ½ teaspoon of yeast to compensate for the strength (as per recipe).
Why Didn't My Yeast Dough Rise?
- Ensure the Yeast is alive. If it didn't bubble and rise during initial activation, the yeast is likely dead.
- Too hot or too cold. If the liquid you add is too hot, then it will kill the yeast, too cold, and the dough will not rise.
- Air exposure of old yeast in the cupboard. Yeast doesn't live indefinitely, so check expiration date.
A classic yeast dough that's versatile and can be use for any savory type of recipe. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup lukewarm warm milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 4 cups flour
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Pour yeast, sugar, salt, and ½ of the lukewarm milk in a bowl. Whisk together and mix in 2 tablespoons of flour. Allow to sit for 15 minutes until it starts to bubble and foam, seeing the yeast is activated.
- In a larger bowl, add the flour, egg, remaining milk and melted butter. Pour in the yeast mix and combine all together until it forms a dough ball. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place back into an oiled bowl, cover loosely with cling wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm place until it rises, about 1 ½ hours. Punch down dough to remove air, gently knead again before using.
Video
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
Larissa
Hi Peter... We share a Russian background and I love your recipes! I wanted to mention that the KitchenAid mixer is a great way to make piroshky dough as well - for those of us who can't knead dough anymore (handicapped) but don't have a bread maker. Our family fiddled with babushka's recipe until we got it right for the KitchenAid and that's all anybody's used since 😁 it's a great labor saver! Thanks again for all your heritage recipes that might otherwise be lost!
Peter Kolesnichenko
Yes, super handy when you can't knead by hand! Thanks so much for sharing! 👍🏻