Why Fresh Yeast Is So Important in Baking

Because fresh yeast has a limited shelf life and is hard to find in stores, it’s usually a one-and-done purchase for a specific recipe. This makes it an ideal subject for our Ask the Baker’s Hotline!

Small, beige-colored cakes of fresh compressed yeast are found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. These yeasts must be activated before use in a bit of lukewarm water.

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Yeast is a crucial ingredient in bread and the key to many other baked goods. But if you’ve never made yeast before, it can seem unsafe. But fear not; Aldi has the supplies you need to get started.

Whether you’re looking for dry or instant yeast, there are a few things to remember. You’ll want to ensure that the company you’re buying from offers a wide range of ingredients and is fast in shipping your order after it’s placed. This is because fresh yeast has a very short shelf life, so you’ll need to use it quickly after receiving it.

You can buy yeast online, and there are some great options. However, it’s important to note that the best place to purchase yeast is at a local store, where you can be sure it will be fresh. Also, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s always better to check out other brands.

Yeast is dormant when dry but comes to life when mixed with warm water. Yeast needs warmth to grow, but it must be protected from drafts and overheating, which can kill or cause it to overprove. Once you’ve found the perfect yeast, please place it in a bowl and put it in a location free of drafts. This will allow the yeast to thrive and produce deliciously light and fluffy bread.

Cake yeast

Unlike those made with baking soda or powder, Yeast cakes have a unique texture that is less crumbly and denser than their non-yeast counterparts. This is because yeast works differently and requires a different ratio of ingredients to achieve its leavening effect. This also means a yeast cake will have less sugar and fat than a non-yeast cake. It is worth mentioning that yeast cakes can take longer than those made with baking soda or powder because of the time required to prove the dough.

The best place to purchase fresh yeast is in the dairy section of your grocery store, but this can be difficult as it is highly perishable and will only be kept for a few weeks. Most home bakers prefer the more regular active dry yeast, which can be purchased in large bags and kept in the freezer for years.

Fresh yeast should have a creamy, putty color with no dark patches and a pleasant, yeasty smell. It should easily break apart and be able to be rehydrated in liquid before it can be used in the recipe; this is known as proofing. The yeast is proofed by dissolving it in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar and leaving it to rehydrate for 10 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.

Dry yeast

Yeast is a tiny organism that can turn a bowl of flour, water, and salt into a gorgeous loaf of bread or these Glazed Yeast Donuts. It also produces carbon dioxide, which helps reduce the dough’s pH levels, leading to a better texture and more flavorful baked goods.

While fresh yeast lends a lovely flavor to baked goods, it’s not something bakers typically keep in large quantities since it has a short shelf life. That led to the next wave of yeast innovation: dried yeast.

Dried active yeast is available in envelopes, jars, or bulk and may be labeled as regular or quick rising (quick rise means it will take half the time to begin rising). Like fresh yeast, it needs to be “proofed” before adding to dry ingredients; proofing is done by mixing the granules with lukewarm water. The dissolved yeast should sit for five to ten minutes, then bubble and grow.

When purchasing active dry yeast, check the expiration date. Yeast frozen in this way can last up to two years. It’s best to use it within two weeks of opening. If you’d like to store it longer, freezing will pause its activity; however, defrost it at room temperature before using it.

Live yeast

When yeast is alive, it’s also known as fresh or active yeast. It’s a living organism that needs to multiply, grow, and thrive in the right environment. This includes the correct amount of moisture, food (sugar or starch), and warm, nurturing conditions.

This is why bakers carefully ensure the temperature and humidity are just right. Bakers also use fresh yeast in bread that requires a longer rising time, as it’s more resilient to environmental changes.

Fresh yeast is sold in packets or jars. It’s much more perishable than dry active or instant yeast, as the live cells remain alive. It requires proofing to wake it from its dormant, packaged state and prepare it for baking.

As the bakery industry evolved, advances in microbiology led to improved culturing techniques. By the 1940s, industrialization had made fresh cake yeast widely available in grocery stores and restaurants across the globe.

Fresh yeast is still the favored leavening agent for many professional bakers as it imparts a richer flavor than dried. But it’s often a one-and-done purchase for home bakers, as the short shelf life makes it expensive and impractical to keep on hand. Dried active and instant yeasts are more affordable for home bakers and stay fresh for months or even years in the freezer. This is why these types of yeast are the more popular choice for most people.

Wet yeast

Yeast is used in baking to produce carbonation, leaven bread, and make alcohol. It also has dough volume and helps the ingredients bind together. This is done by trapping gas bubbles in an elastic web created by the proteins in flour and water. The yeast’s saccharine sugar also makes it a delicious sweetener.

Fresh yeast has the highest moisture content of all commercial forms, so it is more perishable and must be refrigerated until needed. It comes in blocks of cake or compressed yeast that resemble crumbly cream-colored modeling clay and is primarily sold to professionals. It has a short shelf life and must be proofed before use, which takes about 10 minutes in warm water. This time-consuming process can be difficult in bakeries with busy production schedules.

Dry active yeast is a more convenient form of yeast that can be purchased at most grocery stores. It is similar to instant yeast but requires a longer activation process. It is recommended that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use, but if you do not have the instructions, you can convert it to a 1:1 ratio by using twice as much yeast by weight as the recipe calls for.

When ready to bake, the dried yeast must be rehydrated or “proofed.” This is done by mixing the granules with warm water and a pinch of sugar. The yeast should become frothy and bubbly after about 10 minutes.

Instant yeast

Unlike fresh yeast, which must be dissolved in water or another liquid to be active, instant yeast can be mixed directly into dry ingredients. This saves time because there’s no need to proof the yeast first. However, following a recipe precisely when substituting instant yeast for fresh is important. You’ll also need to consider the different amounts of flour, sugar, salt, and other liquids used in each recipe.

In general, instant yeast has three times as much leavening power as active dry yeast, so it can be substituted for it in any recipe that calls for fresh yeast. You can use a conversion table to figure out how much instant yeast you need to replace the amount of fresh yeast in a given recipe. For example, 7 grams of instant yeast equals one teaspoon of fresh yeast.

Yeast is sold in sealed individual packets or jars and stored at room temperature. However, it has a short shelf life and can expire before you use it, especially if the seller doesn’t properly seal or refrigerate the package. In addition, fresh yeast has a high moisture content and needs to be proofed before being incorporated into dough ingredients. However, dried yeast has a much longer shelf life and doesn’t require proofing. It is available in jars or sealed packets that are best kept in the fridge once opened.