Different Types of Yeast and How to Use Them
One of the most common baking questions I am asked is what to do if a recipe requires instant yeast and you only have dry active ingredients. How different are they and does it matter which one you use?
I am very happy to report that no, it is not. All three types of commercial yeast – instant, active dry, and muffin – do the same thing and can be used interchangeably with minor modifications. You just need to know what type you have and what it depends on.
Instant and active dry yeast are very common and nearly identical. Both products are preserved by drying to give them the same fine pebbled texture. The prevailing wisdom is that you should mix instant yeast with dry ingredients, while active dry ingredients should dissolve or “blossom” in wet ingredients. It’s a hard rule of thumb that instant yeast is activated during the mixing process, while active dry yeast works best with little advantage. But you might be surprised to know that both methods are ideal for both types of yeast, as long as the liquid ingredients are at the correct temperature.
According to the instructions for use of Red Star Yeast , these are the maximum temperatures of the liquid ingredients for each method:
- Yeast added to dry ingredients: 120–130ºF – noticeably warm to the touch, but not hot.
- Yeast bloomed with wet ingredients: 110-115ºF – lukewarm.
Yeast is most active within these limits. It’s okay to get a little colder – it just takes the yeast longer to do its job, but higher temperatures kill the yeast.
This is more for comfort than anything else. Recipes don’t often include instructions for both types of yeast, so you may end up blooming with soluble yeast or adding active solids to your flour without even realizing it – and then get scared as soon as you do. Do not panic! As long as the liquid ingredients aren’t too hot and the yeast is alive, it doesn’t matter how you add them to the dough.
By the way, there is one scenario where blooming is always the right move, even for instant yeast. If you are completely unsure how old this jar of yeast is, bloom it first . Drizzle with a few pinches of warm water, stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If it doesn’t get frothy and bubbly, then it’s dead and you need to get a fresh can.
As a result, yeast yeast is left, which is also called “fresh” or “pressed”. It is not dry at all, and the high water content poses certain problems. First, it is unstable, so good luck finding it in stores. To achieve the same results, you need a lot more cake yeast than dry yeast – Red Star Yeast recommends a little less than three times that by weight – and that’s delicate. How tender is it? It is so fragile that liquids over 90-95ºF will kill it . But otherwise it can be used in the same way as dry yeast: chop it over the dry ingredients and go.
So which view is best to use? Most likely not yeast yeast – fun to tinker with from time to time, but too impractical for regular use. The choice between fast and active drying depends on personal preference. I use instant yeast because I bake a lot and are easy to find in large quantities. If you’re bakers from time to time, packets of active dry yeast are optional and work just as well.