Why Does Yeast Need Sugar or Starch?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why does yeast need sugar or starch?

The Big Idea

Yeast needs sugar or starch because yeast are tiny living things that eat it! They eat sugars and release carbon dioxide gas and flavor. The gas bubbles make dough rise.

Yeast Wakes

Step one: yeast wakes up. Dry yeast is dormant, which means asleep, until warm water arrives. Yeast is a single-celled fungus, like a mushroom's tiny cousin, and a spoonful holds billions of them.

Yeast Eats

Step two: yeast eats sugar. Yeast eats sugar for energy, and flour has starch that enzymes slowly turn into sugar. So starch in the flour slowly becomes yeast food too!

Gas Makes Bubbles

Step three: yeast burps gas. As it eats, yeast makes carbon dioxide gas and a little flavor. The gas bubbles get trapped in the stretchy dough and push it up, up, up.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! Yeast are tiny living fungi. They feast on sugar or starch, just like you enjoy a snack. They give off carbon dioxide bubbles. The bubbles puff up the dough.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Yeast also helps make flavor in bread. Too hot water can kill yeast, so use warm water only. Yeast is alive, and baking kills it, so the baked bread is safe to eat. A grown-up helps with warm water, and nobody tastes the foamy yeast mixture.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up, mix warm, not hot, water with sugar and yeast. Watch the foam grow over the next few minutes. Do not taste it. What do you think is making the foam?

Outro

Yeast are tiny hungry bakers. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!