When I first came across this recipe for dosa batter made with yeast, I was so excited to try it. This yeast dosa recipe works perfectly even in cold weather. The soft and spongy texture of the dosa and aroma of the fermented yeast batter makes breakfast really interesting. Do try it at home.
Wash idli rice well in running water. Soak the idli rice (par-boiled rice), urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for a couple of hours.
Note: Click here to know more about idli rice.
After soaking, drain the water and grind the batter with a cup of water. Add in the yeast and the cooked rice along while grinding. Grind to a smooth paste.
Note: Soak the yeast in 2 tablespoon of water for 5 minutes  and add while grinding.
Take a big bowl and transfer the batter to the bowl. Allow it to ferment for 2-3 hours. The batter will rise. So make sure that the bowl is big enough to accommodate the batter to rise. Mix the batter well.
Again, allow the batter to ferment for 5-6 hours or overnite. I have a neat little trick to avoid the batter from overflowing. I cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and prick 3-4 small tiny holes on the top for the batter to breathe. This way, the batter does not overflow.
After the fermentation, add in the salt to the batter and mix well. The consistency of the batter should be slightly thinner than the regular dosa batter. Dilute the batter with water if the batter is too thick. Use caution while adding water making sure not to add too much water.
Heat a dosa griddle/pan until medium hot. Apply few drops of oil on the griddle. Ladle the batter and pour it onto the griddle. Do not spread the batter like you do normal dosa. Spread it ever so lightly if necessary. Lots of holes will start forming on the top of the dosa. Cover the griddle with a lid and let it cook for a minute on low medium flame. This dosa is usually cooked only on one side. Do not cook the dosa on high heat!
The dosas are ready when the top is completely cooked and the bubbles have settled.
Serve with Tomato Chutney , Vegetable Kurma or Fish Curry.

Bellappa Dosa, Yeast Dosa, Dosa Batter with Yeast
Bellappa Dosa. How to make dosa batter with yeast. Soft spongy dosa batter made with yeast.
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 12-15 dosas 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup idli rice (par-boiled rice) (240 ml)
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash idli rice well in running water. Soak the idli rice (par-boiled rice), urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for a couple of hours.
- After soaking, drain the water and grind the batter with a cup of water. Add in the yeast and the cooked rice along while grinding. grind to a smooth paste.
- Take a big bowl and transfer the batter to the bowl. Allow it to ferment for 2-3 hours. Mix well and allow it to ferment again for 5-6 hours.
- After the fermentation, add in the salt to the batter and mix well.
- Heat a dosa griddle/pan until medium hot. Apply few drops of oil on the griddle. Ladle the batter and pour it onto the griddle. Cover the griddle with a lid and let it cook for a minute on low medium flame.
- Serve hot!
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Karnataka
hi, recently i started following your blogs, its really nice and interesting, i liked the way you try different cuisines, and i have query, can we try this dosa making with brown rice will it turn with same result.
Thank you. I think it should work. I have never tried it with brown rice though.
I wanted to make something just with ragi. If I soak ragi overnight then grind and add yeast to it is it going to ferment ?
Can bellappa dosa be made without using yeast.
You will need yeast for making this recipe.
Can bellappa disable be made without using yeast
Hi.. i am from coimbatore and i am a bog fan of ur recipes. I have a doubt.. i fermented this batter with a pinch of yeast .. and the taste was very good.. but the batter kept raising even after i refrigerated the batter.. why does it happen and how to avoid the raising of batter?
The batter will foam up due to yeast. It should subside after 6-7 hours.
hi,
I’m back but with a doubt!
I tried these dosa’s and it came out very well (very pleased), but i had added 1/4tsp of sugar to the yeast,
prooved it and then added it to the batter – my question is-
why did you add the yeast directly to the batter and not otherwise?
is it supposed to be done that way with no sugar added? if so, then how much sugar?
one more thing, can this recipe be doubled or thrippled comfortably?
pl reply – thnks once again!!
Hi Maria,
I did not prove the yeast due to the long fermentation.
The yeast will start to ferment slowly and thats desirable.
Yes you can double the recipe
Thanks.
hi,
the 3 items to be soaked togther? for how long? pl reply- thanks
one more thing – like you did for the idillis, pl give a demo on how to
make plain regular dosa and the ingredients required with soaking time.
grateful for your timely help – god bless!
The ingredients needs to be soaked for couple of hours.
Will do a demo soon!
thankyou – much appreciate it!
Is it OK to it normal dosa rice (not par boiled)
The dosa wont be fluffy!
Hi kannamma…can you please suggest a good brand of yeast which would be available in India?
Hi Deep, Any brand of yeast will work. Make sure of the expiry date.
I loved the concept of cling wrap for preventing the overflow due to fermentation. My batter keeps overflowing even in fridge everytime and I have a tough time cleaning up. I live in CT USA and inspite of the cold weather, winter or summer, my batter will overflow in the fridge too. I keep my batter only for 4 hours outside and keep in the fridge and still it continues to overflow. Just for this reason, I hate grinding idli batter. This time, I tried this cling wrap and God!! It saved so much time for me. Batter stayed just on top trying to come out, but it couldn’t…
Glad there was no mess. believe me, I have had my share of dosa batter overflowing too!
I loved the recipe of Bellappa Dosa. Can you advice me the procedure if I use instant yeast? Thanks in advance!
The procedure is the same.