In the recipe below, what is 'nutritional yeast'? and, can I simply cut recipe in half without changes? oh and, I buy the yeast in the brown jar, how would I use it when it says below; 2 packages or 2 Tbsp dry active yeast?
Cornell Whole Wheat Bread
But of all the recipes included in the collection, MOTHER's favorite is the one for Cornell Whole Wheat Bread. To make it, mix together 41/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of full-fat soy flour, 3/4 cup of nonfat dry milk, 3 tbsp of wheat germ, 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp of sesame seeds, 3 tbsp of Mexican pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or nuts, 1/4 cup of raisins, and 2 packages or 2 tbsp of dry active yeast.
When that's done, set aside the mixture, and in a large bowl — combine 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of dark molasses, 2 cups of warm water (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit) , and 1 egg. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the liquid, beating as long as possible with an eggbeater or an electric mixer. When the batter becomes too thick for that, continue beating, by hand, for at least five minutes ... until the dough is firm and elastic. Turn it onto a floured board. Then, using more flour if necessary, knead and shape the dough into a smooth ball, and place it in a greased bowl. Let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until it's doubled in size ... then punch it down, turn it over, and let it rise another 20 minutes.
At that point, divide the dough in half and let it rest, for 10 minutes, while you grease two 41/2"-inch by 8-inch loaf tins. Shape two loaves ... let them rise for 30 minutes ... and then bake them at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Finally, brush their tops with melted butter ...remove the bread from the pans ...and let it cool.
"Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment." according to Wikipedia. My wife uses it in many recipes and says that imparts a distinctive flavor.
I've never used nutritional yeast in bread but I can see where it would add flavour. I use it mainly as a flavour topping on popcorn, actually!
As for the dry yeast, if it says to use two tablespoons, use two tablespoons of the stuff in the brown jar. That's quite a lot of yeast and is intended to produce a fairly quick rise. In simple bread this would lead to a fairly fluffy and flavourless loaf, but will all the additions in this recipe it shouldn't be a problem. Sounds quite yummy, actually. :)
Oh, and you should be able to halve the recipe without problems as well. To halve the egg, beat it first then measure half of it into your dough.