Yeast

Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast help leaven bread for an airy, light texture. Here’s what you need to know about these packaged yeasts!

Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast help leaven bread for an airy, light texture.

What Is Yeast

Yeast is a single-celled fungus (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used in baking, brewing, and biotechnology applications. It naturally ferments sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, making it crucial for leavening bread and cakes and crafting alcoholic beverages like beer and wine.

Fleischmann’s and Red Star are the two big brands in the U.S.

It differs from baking powder, a chemical product composed of bicarbonate of soda, potassium hydrogen tartrate, and cornstarch.

Difference Between Active Dry and Instant Yeast

The most important thing to remember is:

Active dry yeast must be dissolved in water before use, while you can mix instant yeast into dry ingredients.

Active Dry Yeast

Active Dry Yeast is the most common type of dry yeast. It’s granular with a similar consistency to cornmeal. It’s a living organism that’s dormant until dissolved in a small amount of lukewarm warm water (about 110°F/43°C). You then add it to the rest of the ingredients, which causes the dough to rise.

It is typically sold in individual packets or small jars. If using the latter, refrigerate it after opening it so the yeast stays fresh and active.

Instant Yeast (Rapid- or Quick-Rise)

This is what I use in my recipes. Instant yeast is a type of dry yeast that dissolves and activates faster. It has been milled into smaller particles, so it doesn’t need to be dissolved into water. In addition, the dough rises more quickly due to the addition of enzymes and other additives.

You can skip the first rise and shape the loaves right after kneading. It’s excellent for quick baking projects and saves time by cutting multiple rises.

How To Use

Unlike active dry yeast, instant yeast doesn’t have to be proofed first. You can mix it straight into the dry ingredients for the same result.

Where To Buy

You can find yeast sold in individual packages or in jars at your local supermarket and natural food stores.

How To Store

Store opened jars of yeast in the refrigerator or freezer. You can keep individual packages in a dry place, like a pantry.

Substitute Active Dry Yeast for Instant Yeast

I use Instant Yeast. However, you may wonder if you can use Active Dry Yeast as a substitute.

Active dry yeast and instant yeast can generally be used interchangeably, one-for-one.

Since active dry yeast takes more time to rise, if a recipe calls for instant yeast and you use active dry yeast instead, you may want to add an extra 10 to 15 minutes for the rise time.

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