Yeast problem

[Desmond]

Hi I am more of a curry maker but want to dabble in other things. Having successfully made banana cake I thought of Jam doughnuts. I have a sealed tin of Allisons Dry active yeast. The recipe calls for "7g sachet dried fast action yeast " is this the same?

Also I bought this a long time ago. It is still sealed and states on bottom of tin "BBE 01-2014"

Can I still use this as it has not been opened

TIA

Desmond

 

[CraigC]

Hi I am more of a curry maker but want to dabble in other things. Having successfully made banana cake I thought of Jam doughnuts. I have a sealed tin of Allisons Dry active yeast. The recipe calls for "7g sachet dried fast action yeast " is this the same?

Also I bought this a long time ago. It is still sealed and states on bottom of tin "BBE 01-2014"

Can I still use this as it has not been opened

TIA

Desmond

I don't think the yeast you have is rapid rise (fast action), as the recipe calls for.

Regarding your yeast, I would make sure it is still viable before using it. Some warm water (110 F), a little sugar and some of the yeast.

 

[CarolPa]

Yeast is not expensive. I would always go with fresh.

 

[Desmond]

Ok. Thanks for that. I was amused about it stating that it was active is there any other sort? as for fast is there a slow and were would you use it?

Thanks again.

 

[medtran49]

Ok. Thanks for that. I was amused about it stating that it was active is there any other sort? as for fast is there a slow and were would you use it?

Thanks again.

The grocery usually has 2 kinds of yeast, regular (which would be the slow) and rapid-rise or fast-acting yeast. The regular kind will just say yeast. The fast-acting or rapid-rise will be so noted on the package.

Google "difference between rapid rise and active dry yeast" and you will get tons of explanations and the reasons why/why not to use each one.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Google "difference between rapid rise and active dry yeast" and you will get tons of explanations and the reasons why/why not to use each one.

This is the explanation from Bread World (maintained by ACH, the parent company of Fleischmann's) and the one I would trust:

"RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are different strains than Active Dry Yeast. RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are grown with a higher level of nutrients and are dried to lower moisture content. The particle size of RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are finely granulated to allow complete hydration of the yeast cells during the mixing process. The Active Dry Yeast larger particle size should be dissolved in water to achieve complete hydration prior to adding to the mixer. In addition, RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast contain ascorbic acid resulting in increased loaf volumes."​

The bottom line is that active dry yeast should always be hydrated in water before use, while RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast can be mixed straight into the dough.

 

[medtran49]

No, the bottom line is that give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime. If you have kids, do you give them answers or tell them to find them by themselves? I'd point the way and/or give a hint but, although my daughter hated when I told her to look it up or figure it out for herself when she was a teen, now she's thankful.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Umm...Discuss Cooking is that resource...

 

[Steve Kroll]

No, the bottom line is that give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime. If you have kids, do you give them answers or tell them to find them by themselves? I'd point the way and/or give a hint but, although my daughter hated when I told her to look it up or figure it out for herself when she was a teen, now she's thankful.

I'm not sure what your point is or what you think you are arguing about. I'm merely pointing out what Fleischmann's, the product manufacturer and definitive authority, has to say on the subject.

To put it another way, when you want to learn how to fish, do you go to Google or do you go to a fisherman?

 

[taxlady]

Ok. Thanks for that. I was amused about it stating that it was active is there any other sort? as for fast is there a slow and were would you use it?

Thanks again.

Now you have me wondering. Why is it called active? I can't imagine wanting inactive yeast.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Probably a leftover term for the yeast when it was first marketed, assuring that it was an "active" form of yeast.

 

[taxlady]

Probably a leftover term for the yeast when it was first marketed, assuring that it was an "active" form of yeast.

You know, that's probably it. I can imagine people were quite skeptical of the dry yeast, when they were used to moist cakes of yeast.

 

[Addie]

Umm...Discuss Cooking is that resource...

+1 Well said!

 

[Andy M.]

Mom used little cubes of yeast wrapped in foil. I use the active dry yeast.

 

[Katie H]

This is the explanation from Bread World (maintained by ACH, the parent company of Fleischmann's) and the one I would trust:

"RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are different strains than Active Dry Yeast. RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are grown with a higher level of nutrients and are dried to lower moisture content. The particle size of RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast are finely granulated to allow complete hydration of the yeast cells during the mixing process. The Active Dry Yeast larger particle size should be dissolved in water to achieve complete hydration prior to adding to the mixer. In addition, RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast contain ascorbic acid resulting in increased loaf volumes."​

The bottom line is that active dry yeast should always be hydrated in water before use, while RapidRise and Bread Machine Yeast can be mixed straight into the dough.

I find this interesting information. I've been making all our household's bread products for most of my life and have only, except in the early days, used active dry yeast...for every application. Bread machine or not. Plus, I've never hydrated my yeast before using it, with the minor exception if I'm not sure how old my yeast is. That, too, usually isn't a problem because I use it up so quickly.

I buy yeast in one-pound vacuum-sealed packages. When I open one, the yeast goes immediately into a glass jar with a tightly-sealing lid and into the freezer. Annually, I estimate we use about 4 pounds of yeast. But that's a conservative estimate.

I mentioned the "early days," which is when I used the cake yeast, found in the refrigerated section of my markets. Now, it's nearly impossible to find it in my region and when I see it, it's outrageously expensive. About $1.50 per cake. I can buy a LOT of dry yeast for several of those cakes. Plus, I've noticed that the three-section packs of dry yeast are pretty pricey as well.

My brother, who is an awesome cook and baker, swears he can't make any yeast goods using dry yeast. Claims he can't get it to rise. I've walked him through all sorts of steps and he still insists the dry won't work for him. As a result, last Christmas I gave him a half dozen cakes of yeast as a present.

By now, I've memorized the equivalent of a packet of dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) so I can use my bulk yeast just as easily as a packet or a fraction of a packet if I'm reducing a recipe.

 

[bakechef]

Instant yeast that I get at the club store is awesome, I'm working on the second pound, I bought the two pounds about 5 years ago! Instant seems to give the most consistent results. I still often proof the yeast because it is so old. I have great acrylic, air tight container that I use and it is stored in the fridge.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Discuss Cooking mobile app

 

[Steve Kroll]

I find this interesting information. I've been making all our household's bread products for most of my life and have only, except in the early days, used active dry yeast...for every application. Bread machine or not. Plus, I've never hydrated my yeast before using it, with the minor exception if I'm not sure how old my yeast is. That, too, usually isn't a problem because I use it up so quickly.

Katie, the original poster asked about the differences. What I posted is from the manufacturer's web site and explains the difference, along with their recommendations.

Can there be exceptions? Of course. Especially if you are an experienced baker, as you apparently are.

I've also been baking bread for a long time. I started because good bread used to be hard to come by. I suspect that's why most of us bake-your-own types started. To this day, I can't eat the stuff you find in the bread aisle at the supermarket. It's only been in the last couple of years, since my daughter went off to college, that I now buy an occasional loaf from the store bakery. Two reasons for the change. First, we no longer seem to go through as much bread without a teenage eating machine in the house. And second, many stores now have their own bakeries and it's much easier to find good quality bread than it used to be. Maybe there's a third reason: I've grown a little less energetic with age.

I think most of us simply use what we're used to. My grandmother swore by cake yeast. She never used anything else. And for more than a dozen years, I used only active dry yeast in the packets and never had any problems.

Since about 2005 I've used primarily RapidRise yeast for homemade bread. I buy a big jar and keep it in the fridge. My go-to recipe only calls for 1/4 tsp. and makes two smaller loaves so the jar lasts quite a while. I just mix it into the dough, add my water, and run it through the food processor for about 30 seconds to "knead" it. Easy peasy.

In the end, pretty much any yeast will get the job done if you know how to use it (even feral yeast, provided you have the patience and a good culture). I even remember one time running out of "bread yeast" and using wine yeast to bake with. Guess what? The bread came out fine.

 

[Desmond]

Ok Thanks for that. Could use dry active yeast and hydrate it in warm water. I do this in home brew wine and beer.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I wish I could learn to bake!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My last sourdough culture (AudreyII) I allowed it to dry and I crumbled it, placing it in the freezer. I just wasn't using it fast enough, and rehydrating it as needed works great. Just takes an extra day or two of planning ahead.