So I've started to gather the equipment for my experiment....AND I've lost my glasses...fml

EDIT: Glasses have been found YAYYYY
Anyway, I've got the stuff ready, just need to start doing it really...
xD

OMGAH This is due tomorrow x_x

Plan
The experiment idea is to observe the effects that yeast has upon bread, in terms of size, texture, shape, taste etc. This will be a fair experiment, as it will be repeated, with several samples and controlled variables. The observations will be tabulated, and the experiment repeated with other variables. From the research I have undertaken, it has been expressed how yeast dies within a few hours of activation, and that there are several types of yeast.

Equipment necessary for the experiment should not be difficult to acquire, as all that is required to make a simple loaf of bread is flour, yeast, water, salt and yeast (obtained from this site: . An oven is also required, but everyone has one anyway.... This makes the experiment fairly inexpensive, as well as easy to perform at home, as these are everyday items. However, in order to adquately make some observations, a thermometer will also be needed, but this can easily be purchased at local shops.

As for the time limit, baking bread varies from 25 minutes to an hour and a half. As I will only be using small samples to make bread, this limit is lowered to about 5-10 minutes. The preparation time for bread, on the other hand, can range from 25-40 minutes (if resting time is included), and this makes a 50 minutes the maximum time for conducting this experiment.

In terms of variables, the most obvious independent variable is the amount of yeast placed inside the dough samples. However, other variables include:
Whether the bread is kneaded or not
Amount of flour put in bread
Amount of time the bread is kneaded
If the bread is left to 'rest', and how long
If anything other than the essential ingredients is also added to the bread (e.g. sugar, honey etc)
Heat at which the bread is cooked
Amount of water put in dough
Type of yeast used
Type of flour used
I may try out these variables in this experiment if there is enough time to.

The main dependent variable for this experiment would be the physical apperance of the bread. In other words, its size, shape colour, and so on.
Other dependent variables would also be the taste and amount of air inside the bread.

The controlled variables in this experiment are:
- Same type of flour and yeast is used for the given samples
- All the samples are in the oven for the same amount of time
- The same amount of water is used in each sample
- All the dough samples are the same size and weight at the beginning of the experiment
- Temperature of the dough samples before it is placed in the oven
- "Rest" time for all samples is the same

Hopefully I'll be abple to think of more later on.

Because most of the ideas I've been typing up have been from my head, I decided it was about time I did some research on the actual topic. And what I discovered shocked me. Dramaqueen

So, being a true St. Georgian, I googled "How does yeast make bread rise" and I came across this site:
This site said that "There are several different types of yeast Well it's quite clear that this shook me, considering I hadn't thought about there being several types of yeast. However, this site only discussed one type of yeast, as well as how the yeast only responds to warm water. When the yeast is exposed to the sugars in the dough, it begins to devour them. This makes the yeast gassy, and it emits little bubbles of carbon-dioxide, making the bread rise.

One very important thing the site mentions is "Eventually the yeast will die within a few hours, especially if the dough is allowed to grow cold or exposed to too much air." This gives my variable of how long the dough rests a time limit. I think the time limit will range from 0-10 minutes, just to be on the safe side.

Another site I found that talks about yeast, and its effects on bread was: and it expresses how kneading the dough and adding yeast develop gluten, which gives bread its structure, strength and texture. Another thing to observe in the results.

Therefore, because of the issue of everal different types of yeast, I am thinking of only using one type of yeast. However, if I do not exceed the time limit, I will probably also try this experiment with different kinds of yeast. For now, I think I'll stick with the Saccharomyces cerivisiae, because it is sold in packets as cubes, with cells aiting to be activated by warm water.

Apparently, the definition of "Project designs" is actually the number of experiments that you had considered doing before your chosen SRP!!!

Well, seeing as I'm bedridden, now's a good time as any to spill my heart out ^-^

When we first got our SRP task, I didn't really know what to do...'something to do with food' I thought. But nothing would pop in. So Rafia shoed me the yeast experiment. I thought it would be too hard, and so I cast it aside.

Many people thought it would be "fun" if I did a pad/tampon absorbancy test, in which the aim would be to investigate which liquid (i.e. blood, water, vinegar etc) could be held in the pad for the longest amount of time. Due to obvious complications (i.e. where the hell am I supposed to find 2L of blood?!) the thought was put to rest. I also don't like the idea of experimenting on pads, as 1. my parents are too cheap to actually buy me a dozen packets of pads and 2. my parents would think I'd gone berserk and most likely disowned me...

The other idea I formed was when we looked at the posters from last years SRPs. I really like the "Reactions people have when a coin is on the ground" experiment, but unfortunately, so did 10 other individuals in our class. True, I could have improved and altered the experiment, but I felt like it would be plagiarism

In the end, considering my lack of originality options,I ended up
modifying the yeast experiment so that it could be conducted by me, and other students.

So there you have it, my SRP lifestory in a nutshell. Not that anyone will be bothered to read it xD

My head feels so stuffy....

Well, I have no idea what Project edsigns means....
but I'm assuming that it is the different ways I intend to go about this experiment...
Well, the initial idea came from this experiment:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/MicroBio_p009.shtml?fave=no&isb=cmlkOjYwNTIwMDAsc2lkOjEscDox&from=TSW

However, the process seemed too complicated for me, and I didn't have some of the equipment needed to conduct the experiment, so I altered it a bit. ^-^

The main aim of this experiment is to observe how the amount of yeast in bread can affect its size, shape etc etc. In order to do that, I'll be making small smaples of bread, with different amounts of yeast, and baking them for a set amount of time. After that, I'll tabulate the results ^-^

Mind you, this is all just a draft, the whole shebang will be typed up in an hour or two.... ^-^

OMGGGG Lost all info!!!!

I'll try and think them all up again..(cos the ideas were from my head Ms Zhang)

Dependent Variables:
- Size of the bread after it is baked
- Amount of air in the samples
- Taste of bread
- Colour and shape of bread
- Crispness of bread

How many do we actually need? Cos I have no idea...

Independent Variables:
Amount of yeast put into bread
Amount of time bread is in oven
Whether the bread is kneaded or not
Amount of flour put in bread
Amount of time the bread is kneaded
If the bread is left to 'rest'
If anything is inside the bread (e.g. sugar or something idk....)
Heat at which the bread is cooked
Amount of water put in dough

That's all I can think up for nao....
Nighty nite :)

I'm thinking of doing the effects of yeast on bread....sound good?

I have no idea what to do....any ideas guys ^-^