Hi Judith, our High-Altitude Baking Guide offers these tips for yeast breads: Decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by 25%, and make water/flour adjustments as necessary to get a dough with the correct texture. Make sure your bowl has plenty of room for the dough to rise in. Since rising times are much shorter at higher altitudes, you have a number of options to help its flavor.
Give the dough one extra rise by punching it down twice before forming it.
Try covering the dough and placing it in the refrigerator for its first rise, to slow the action of the yeast give the dough more time to develop.
If you have sourdough starter on hand, use it to replace a portion of the liquid in the recipe (25% is a good place to start). If you don't have any sourdough starter, make a quick sponge by mixing the yeast, liquid, and 1 to 2 cups of the flour called for in the recipe. Cover and let the sponge work for a few hours in the refrigerator to develop it before proceeding.
Since high-hydration doughs ferment faster, they can be particularly challenging at higher elevations, but using your refrigerator strategically should be helpful. Keep in mind that, even in the refrigerator, the dough may not hold up for an extended time.
October 2, 2023 at 11:20am
In reply to Are there any variations… by judith (not verified)
Hi Judith, our High-Altitude Baking Guide offers these tips for yeast breads: Decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by 25%, and make water/flour adjustments as necessary to get a dough with the correct texture. Make sure your bowl has plenty of room for the dough to rise in. Since rising times are much shorter at higher altitudes, you have a number of options to help its flavor.
Give the dough one extra rise by punching it down twice before forming it.
Try covering the dough and placing it in the refrigerator for its first rise, to slow the action of the yeast give the dough more time to develop.
If you have sourdough starter on hand, use it to replace a portion of the liquid in the recipe (25% is a good place to start). If you don't have any sourdough starter, make a quick sponge by mixing the yeast, liquid, and 1 to 2 cups of the flour called for in the recipe. Cover and let the sponge work for a few hours in the refrigerator to develop it before proceeding.
Since high-hydration doughs ferment faster, they can be particularly challenging at higher elevations, but using your refrigerator strategically should be helpful. Keep in mind that, even in the refrigerator, the dough may not hold up for an extended time.