Why does my yeast go bad b/f expiration date?

[chueh]

I have had this dry yeast in a glass jar. I was baking a lot of pizzas before summer came. I don't bake at all in summer, due to the heat. I started baking about two weeks ago the first time in the fall, the dough for the break did not rise much, and it felt funny after it rose. I thought that I did not make the dough well. Yesterday I made my pizza. The dough did not rise well, and again it felt funny and gluey just like the one two weeks ago.

The funny thing is that I only did not constantly use the yeast for 3 months or less, and the yeast is not even expired yet. I have always kept it in the frige. Thus, I don't understand why the yeast did what it did.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Maybe the yeast forgot to check their teeny little calendars.

Seriously, expiration dates only apply to products that haven't been opened. Once you break the seal, all bets are off.

 

[justplainbill]

Cold dry storage works pretty well for us. Older yeast should also work if you increase fermentation time.

 

[bakechef]

I keep mine airtight in the fridge. Mine was 2 years past expiration and worked great (instant yeast). I just opened another bag from the same purchase, 2 years out of date, and it works fine, it was vacuum sealed like those bricks of coffee. I buy the big packs at the warehouse club, 2 pounds for under $5, heck if you throw half of it away it's still a bargain!

 

[pacanis]

Airtight container in the feezer here (also instant yeast). It has worked on the rare occassion I use it for breads just fine. Maybe it was something else that killed your rising??? Too much salt???

 

[salt and pepper]

Keep mine in the fridge, no problems so far.

 

[Bigjim68]

I freeze yeast in a baggie. It keeps for years and remains granulated.

 

[Dawgluver]

Huh. Will put mine in the freezer.

 

[Steve Kroll]

You can refrigerate or freeze it and that may buy you some time. But then again, it may not. It's not completely predictable. I've had some yeast last past two years. I've had other yeast that's gone bad within a few months. Once you open it and it's exposed to air, it begins to degrade.

The best advice is found right on the container itself.

 

[RPCookin]

I keep mine airtight in the fridge. Mine was 2 years past expiration and worked great (instant yeast). I just opened another bag from the same purchase, 2 years out of date, and it works fine, it was vacuum sealed like those bricks of coffee. I buy the big packs at the warehouse club, 2 pounds for under $5, heck if you throw half of it away it's still a bargain!

No warehouse clubs here, but I still buy bulk. $4.25 for about a pound, put it in an airtight canister and keep it in the fridge. It made it through the summer here no problem and is still working fine. I made grilled pizza last week and got a super rise. I can't imagine buying the little packets with as much baking as I do down here.

 

[Bigjim68]

You can refrigerate or freeze it and that may buy you some time. But then again, it may not. It's not completely predictable. I've had some yeast last past two years. I've had other yeast that's gone bad within a few months. Once you open it and it's exposed to air, it begins to degrade.

The best advice is found right on the container itself.

I dunno Steve. I have been buying the 2 pound brick at Costco and freezing for a long time, and I have yet to have a problem. The one I am working on now is at least a year old. Price at Costco is somewhere around 3 bucks, a substantial saving over those little packages.

 

[Addie]

Whether it be the instant or the regular, I always proof my yeast first. And no salt until the dough is almost done being kneaded. I have beautiful rises. The first thing I do when I am going to make dough is put the oven light on. It heats up the oven to a perfect temp for an excellent rise. Then I start to gather my ingredients together.

 

[bakechef]

I still proof mine too Addie, I've never been able to bring myself to adding instant yeast in with the flour, doesn't seem right to me. I also wait to add my salt until I've put in about half of the flour.

I have a "proof" function on my range, it works really great for rising bread, the fans cycle on and off and cut the rising time in half. If the oven is in use, I can just set the dough on the stovetop (flat top range) and the warmth from the oven warms the glass top.

 

[Addie]

I still proof mine too Addie, I've never been able to bring myself to adding instant yeast in with the flour, doesn't seem right to me. I also wait to add my salt until I've put in about half of the flour.

I have a "proof" function on my range, it works really great for rising bread, the fans cycle on and off and cut the rising time in half. If the oven is in use, I can just set the dough on the stovetop (flat top range) and the warmth from the oven warms the glass top.

I don't trust the instant yeast. I need to see those bubbles eating up the sugar feed and smell it. I am all for change. But there are somethings our grandmothers knew best about. And proofing the yeast is one of them.

 

[bakechef]

I don't trust the instant yeast. I need to see those bubbles eating up the sugar feed and smell it. I am all for change. But there are somethings our grandmothers knew best about. And proofing the yeast is one of them.

Especially when I'm using old yeast!

 

[Steve Kroll]

I dunno Steve. I have been buying the 2 pound brick at Costco and freezing for a long time, and I have yet to have a problem. The one I am working on now is at least a year old. Price at Costco is somewhere around 3 bucks, a substantial saving over those little packages.

Jim, I don't doubt that one bit. Most freeze-dried yeast will last one to two years if air contact is minimized.

Now I'm no professional baker (like bakechef), but I do make a lot of bread. What I've found is that yeast doesn't go bad all at once, but rather loses its potency over time. So whereas you may have only had to use 5 grams at one time, it now takes 10 or 15 grams to get the same result. It's kind of unpredictable that way. And I think that's what happened to the OP's jar of yeast.

I try to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on shelf life. When I open a jar of yeast, I write the date on the top with a sharpie. If it goes past the "use within" date, I toss it and buy another jar of fresh yeast. In the grand scheme of things it's pretty inexpensive stuff.

 

[taxlady]

Jim, I don't doubt that one bit. Most freeze-dried yeast will last one to two years if air contact is minimized.

Now I'm no professional baker (like bakechef), but I do make a lot of bread. What I've found is that yeast doesn't go bad all at once, but rather loses its potency over time. So whereas you may have only had to use 5 grams at one time, it now takes 10 or 15 grams to get the same result. It's kind of unpredictable that way. And I think that's what happened to the OP's jar of yeast.

I try to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on shelf life. When I open a jar of yeast, I write the date on the top with a sharpie. If it goes past the "use within" date, I toss it and buy another jar of fresh yeast. In the grand scheme of things it's pretty inexpensive stuff.

Excellent point.

It's like the folks who queue in a long line to gas up because the price went down $.05/litre. Even if one put 70 litres in their tank (~18.5 US gallons), one would save a whopping $3.50. Most people are putting far less. I don't see how it's worth the time and agro.

 

[Katie H]

I, too, use the bricks of yeast. Each brick is one pound and I normally use from 2 to 3 pounds per year. I keep the yeast, once opened, in a glass canning jar with a tight-fitting lid in the freezer. The unopened bricks are stored in the freezer, too.

I've never had any problem with any of my yeast. Perhaps it's because I use it so quickly, there's no problem storing it beyond the expiration date.

 

[CWS4322]

I go through a lot of yeast. I too buy it in bulk. I've never had yeast go bad...but, now that it has been pointed out, I think I'll put it in the freezer (provided there is room...).

 

[RPCookin]

Whether it be the instant or the regular, I always proof my yeast first. And no salt until the dough is almost done being kneaded. I have beautiful rises. The first thing I do when I am going to make dough is put the oven light on. It heats up the oven to a perfect temp for an excellent rise. Then I start to gather my ingredients together.

I still proof mine too Addie, I've never been able to bring myself to adding instant yeast in with the flour, doesn't seem right to me. I also wait to add my salt until I've put in about half of the flour.

I have a "proof" function on my range, it works really great for rising bread, the fans cycle on and off and cut the rising time in half. If the oven is in use, I can just set the dough on the stovetop (flat top range) and the warmth from the oven warms the glass top.

Our range in Colorado had a proofing setting which worked like a charm. Down here on the island, finding a warm place for the rise isn't an issue.

I use instant yeast, but I still proof it unless I'm using the bread machine (I have a loaf of raisin bread in the machine as I write this).

I get excellent rises with my normal (non-machine) baking, and it doesn't seem to matter when the salt goes in. I've read comments by expert bakers stating both methods, so I no longer worry about it.