The 3.5 Types of Baker's Yeast: A COMPLETE GUIDE

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0:00 Intro
0:57 Yeast
1:38 Fresh Yeast
5:35 Dry Fasy Action Yeast
8:04 Dried Active Yeast
10:31 Time Saver Yeast
11:53 To Summarize

[@annsfrench]

I was in a discount store and found a 1 lb brick of instant yeast for sale. I bought it and, since I wasn’t really baking all that often at the time, I placed it in the freezer so it would keep longer. I keep a small jar of it in the fridge for everyday use. I’ve had it for over a year and it still works just as well as it did when I bought it. 😊

[@DaveOBrien]

This is the way. I normally buy 500g of yeast and it mostly lives in the freezer, with a small amount decanted into a little Allinsons can for daily use. (That lives in the fridge.)

[@chrism9004]

You mean fresh yeast?

[@akompanas]

I demand a double blind experiment for telling bread with fresh vs dry yeast apart!

[@GARDENER42]

I concur, as Jack's going to be absolutely honest in his appraisal. Make it two types of bread, say a standard white loaf & wholemeal rolls.

[@Othehughmanatee]

This would be a great video!!

[@clarewillison9379]

You write the method, I’m desperate to see how you devise it so the baker will fail to guess whether they’re handling fresh or dried yeast!!!

[@GARDENER42]

@@clarewillison9379 It's a taste test...

[@clarewillison9379]

@@GARDENER42 but double blind means the experimenter (baker) doesn’t know which ingredient (variable) they’re putting in the different batches that the taster (participant) gets.

[@WholeBibleBelieverWoman]

In the U.S. "Dry Easy Action Yeast" is called "Instant Yeast" and "Quick Rise Yeast" (and probably another name or two). "Dried Active Yeast" is sold as "Active Dry Yeast." Both are sold either in premeasured little packets as you have shown OR in small brown glass jars that last much longer, are kept in the regular part of the refrigerator, and much less expensive than buying the little packets. Funny difference there, haha. I have never -- and I'm 70 years old -- run into fresh yeast at any store (but then I did not start baking bread or buying yeast until I was 65 or so). Now there is another one on the market by one brand called "Platinum Yeast" that is another dry yeast and its got "dough enhancers," etc. I tried it once and didn't care for it. There is also "organic" dry yeast but it is so expensive I have not tried it.

[@robertcessaro6201]

Would you comment on these two never-mentioned items? 1. using vitamin C or a tablespoon of citrus juice per loaf of bread. My Italian grandmother did this. Since then I've learned it acts as a dough conditioner; strengthening the gluten and leading to somewhat greater and quicker rise.

[@seanpalmer8472]

Also, according to the bakers at King Arthur Flour, fast action yeast (aka "instant yeast" across the pond) keeps for much longer than active dry. One of them left (i.e. forgot about) a package of instant yeast in the bottom of her chest freezer for several years, pulled it out and found it still worked just as expected. Their experience with old active dry yeast was much more hit or miss. Personally, I only use yeast when I'm in a hurry and my sourdough starter won't be fast enough (i.e. I didn't time the feeding right and it's not super active when I need to bake with it). In those instances, I usually use half of the yeast that the recipe calls for and let my starter do the rest and it generally comes out fine.

[@anthonykaiser974]

I saw the same thing happen here in the US. Never saw fresh yeast until COVID. Then we started seeing it, until 2022. Now you have to order it online.

[@helenedesmarais8697]

I finally found some fresh yeast where I live ( Montréal, Canada). The only place was from a bulk restaurant super-grocery. I chunked it up in small sous-vide packets and froze them. When mixed in the dough, it smells like beer but no taste of it. Had some for 3 yrs now, still good. I always check 15 min for signs of activity before using it. Same goes for dry.

[@Gdwmartin]

FLEISCHMANN’S® ACTIVE DRY Traditional Yeast is what we use here in Newfoundland. 21 grams of the stuff (3 sachettes) is bloomed in warm sweetened water (about half a cup of water with a couple of tsp of sugar). works to with 3.18 KG of flour. Makes 6-7 loaves of traditional 3 bun loaves. Think of batch bread but with 3 buns joined together. The way you feel about dry yeast is how i feel about the packets of Levain you can buy to make "Sourdough/Sourfaux"

[@Bougie92]

Yes, levain! Use it quite often. I can buy it in any supermarket here in France.

[@cachef1]

Thanks Jack. Couldn’t agree more. When I worked as pastry chef in Key West we always used fresh yeast that came to me in a big block. I’m addition to pastry, specialty breads were always my favorites. Where I am living now I haven’t seen fresh yeast. I do use the “instant yeast” however I still let it eat it’s way through water with a bit of sugar. I want to see it living, I want to see it bubble away. It’s part of what I love both in smell and seeing it living. Again, thanks.

[@ullazitabinder2091]

In Denmark you buy fresh yeast in every supermarket, no matter how small. Not everyone has the dried yeast😊 99% of the Danes prefer the fresh yeast. And I agree, the smell is gorgeous! When I was a kid I did taste it raw... Not so delicioous😂😂

[@cachef1]

Thank you for the heads up. When the opportunity arrises I will refrain from taking a taste. On another note I’m almost jealous of you living in a country that still takes is proud of its food 🤗.

[@gigi3242]

Thanks Jack, always helpful.

[@Dollcan]

Great information. Thanks ❤

[@c-historia]

this guide is magnificent! wow

[@MSTCND]

Thank you, Jack.

[@9rania]

so educating , very clear . thank you

[@Calatriste54]

Intriguing, Jack. Inspired to expand my breadmaking..

[@sa00287]

Thanks, very useful!

[@ginette2100]

Ahhhhh. 😊 you're back on teaching instructive videos ❤

[@theamazinggibs6460]

Love the vids man and I love eating yeast raw straight from the source!

[@Sevy77]

I get my fresh yeast from Morrisons bakery section £0.40 per 100g and definitely think you can taste the difference.

[@angelikamessenger1237]

My Mum was a Patissier and always used fresh yeast and that smell and texture is amazing I love it too ! :)

[@Thepaintedtiger]

You inspired me to search for fresh yeast (which I was sure was not a thing here in small-town Midwest USA), and it looks like our Jewel grocery carries it! Who knew? Once we hit baking weather, I'll be sure to grab one and give it a whirl. Thanks for the push to try something new!

[@ykdickybill]

Excellent 👍

[@HAB828]

I’ve seen KZbin videos on how to make your own fresh yeast at home. Jack, I think you should look into this as a future video and let us know how it performs in a bread recipe.

[@grumpybulldog19]

Yeast or sourdough starter?

[@helenedesmarais8697]

Isn't that a sourdough starter? Musn't be that different.

[@HAB828]

I’m not referring to sourdough starter, but actual fresh yeast cakes.

[@brendaspencer3890]

My local Morrison no longer stocks fresh yeast - sadly. But Bonne Bouffe on line does, more expensively than Morrisons, but I am grateful that they do. Great video and I share your favouritism for fresh yeast. The little blue and white cubes looked just like Bonne Bouffe yeast.

[@gailgulliver8970]

Thank you Jack I use the ball yeast and have never added it to water before adding to flour ect and it’s all cooked ok ..but will add to water now I know .x

[@asterixky]

In all my recipes, I always use 1.2% of yeast to flour ratio and always dissolve it in warm water before mixing it with the flour.

[@michaelprozonic]

it is just bonkers here in the USA. Of course we have fresh yeast which is often puzzling to find or out of stock. Then we have instant yeast (the stuff that doesn’t need rehydration), and active yeast (the granules that require hydration). We have Rapid Rise , which in our case has the same weight in the packet but it is supposed to rise 50% faster anyway. I also saw a video that claimed it is only good for a single rise. Then we have one marketed for bread machines and one specifically for pizza dough (also a rapid rise). I believe that the bread machine variety is just regular instant yeast since it doesn’t need rehydration.

[@tonyhughes1958able]

Just to say I went into my local Morrisons today and asked for some fresh yeast at the bakery counter. I asked for 100g and when it was to me it was priced at 20p and the baker said tell them it's 4 lots so 80p. When I got it home I weighed it and it was well over double that at nearly 250g. I decided to use some right away and made up a batch of dough with 400g unbleached white bread flour (I sift my whole wheat flour to make my own) 280g water, 8g salt and 8g of the Fresh yeast. The resulting dough made 6 dinner rolls which are delicious. I will be using Fresh yeast for more baking in the future, particularly when I want to bake quickly and sourdough is not an option. PS I used my no knead method as I do when making sourdough and it worked very well.

[@GBERTS]

nice! thanks

[@tomgauntlestrange]

i've used that brand of easy bake yeast after it has been stored in the fridge for well over 12 months and it puffed up perfectly. If you new to baking i recommend it as it reliable and works every time without fail.

[@lancelotslover3713]

I've never seen fresh yeast in the USA, but I haven't specifically looked for it. I'm going to try to find some just for fun, to see if I think there's a difference. Usually I use Fleishmann's Instant dry yeast.

[@Othehughmanatee]

I’ve never seen it either and for some reason I thought it was just a UK thing. I just did a quick Google and it looks like my local Whole Foods sells it in the midwestern US.

[@asterixky]

Fresh yeast is an European thing, as fresh yeast is used very frequently. In France you can get your fresh yeast at the "boulangerie".

[@cristinaionita2351]

In UK romanian and polish shops sell fresh yeast😉

[@chef-magoo]

Jack, I think I have to agree with you on the fresh yeast. I once used it when I was essentially the boulangerie in a restaurant, and I think the sensory input is significantly different from that of instant or active, don’t remember enough to note the flavor. Do you know, can fresh yeast actually be frozen and still survive?

[@clarewillison9379]

The dried yeast definitely lasts longer kept in the fridge: you probably don’t have it hanging around long enough to notice it aging/degrading but I used to get to the last inch and find loaves only rose on one side (bread machine) or not as high as usual (and denser). Next loaf using a new tin would be back to full height and light and fluffy. Still love fresh best, reminds me of the loaves my mum made.

[@grumpybulldog19]

I don't like fresh yeast aroma, so I use Fleischman instant yeast into the flour, I buy 200g bag (here in Brazil) and keep it in a light proof jar in the fridge.

[@paulgibbs6616]

Hi Jack, I've been chatting with Sainsbury's on Twitter over the last couple of years and unfortunately they have no plans to reintroduce selling fresh yeast from the bakery counter. love the smell and the flavour it gives the final loaf.

[@martinnyberg9295]

11:20 Over here in Sweden 🇸🇪 the yeast manufacturer tells us to use a 50 g cube of fresh or a 14 g packet of their dried stuff for a dough of 500 mL of liquid, and have done so for at least 6 or 7 decades. I suppose they want to sell more of it. 😏

[@suebattersby5452]

Have you tried any of the Le Saffre or Fermipan dried yeasts ? I use Fermipan and get good results.

[@djevilm]

Hi Jack, new here from Sweden. Love your content. I will buy your from Amazon and wonder does is come it signed from you? I have also a couple of questions for you about yeast and baking, where do I have best chance for answerse? I mean if you have a fan page or a member join site or something like that? Until than, have a good week. Cheers from a beginner

[@cassieoz1702]

The only dry yeast i have access to is small granules (not powder) but it's routinely just added to the dry ingredients. No problems at all

[@user-gf4lb1nm9i]

NICE

[@charlesbruggmann7909]

What’s happened to sourdough September?

[@Johnjoe321]

Hi Jack, all the Polish shops sell 100g blocks of yeast.

[@pino_de_vogel]

I use fast action and if you store it in a glass jar you can litteraly use it for YEARS. I have done a experiment and it lasted well over 3 years. I baked a bread every 3 months with it and it still worked. Really helps ad it lets you buy bulk which is way way cheaper. 5 saches here is 1.79 euro where for 2,89 i can buy 200 grams which makes it 6 times cheaper. And i really dislike the ball version it really does not work as nice and the dissolving is a disaster at times depending on brand.

[@OrlaQuirk]

I freeze my yeast and it lasts ages. I fill a small jar with yeast and store that in the refrigerator; the rest goes back in the freezer. It's hard to find stores that carry the pound packages of dried yeast, though.

[@greybeard27]

Anyone who has brewed beer should appreciate how important yeast is and I'm not surprised the fresh yeast imparts it's own character to the bread. In brewing you match the yeast to the style of beer and they can produce wide variances of flavour, I've always wondered why this doesn't happen with bread yeast.

[@frankfurter7260]

“Anyone who has brewed beer should appreciate how important yeast is and I'm not surprised the fresh yeast imparts its own character to the bread.” Wrong. Yeast is yeast. The “character” of the beer is not dependent AT ALL on whether you use fresh or dry yeast.

[@TheBikeChallenge]

Where do you find fresh yeast in London?

[@jvallas]

Have you tried Red Star Platinum yeast? It's supposedly faster acting (like your "1/2" yeast, I imagine) and has dough enhancers included. I only tried it once and don't actually remember what the results were, but I wondered if you or anyone reading the comments has an opinion. Edit: did you read the ingredients on the fast acting one? Is it possible those other 4 grams are dough enhancer, too?

[@chrisivens3413]

I believe the imposter includes vitamin c which makes the yeast go in to overdrive. It doesn’t help the flavour which is why many of those bread recipes that include vitamin c also have milk powder to retard it slightly and bring back some flavour. I accidentally got a packet of the imposter the other day because the tins were out of stock. I’ll use it but I’ll perhaps use it in the winter when the rooms are naturally colder and the proofing slower.

[@billpotter3383]

Don't forget that you can deep freeze fresh yeast and bring it out a couple of hours before use. The fresh yeast here is sold for 1kg of flour so I cut the cubes in two and wrap them in cling-film before freezing. Then I can take one piece for my 500g flour loaf.

[@Bougie92]

Oh, good to know that you can freeze fresh yeast.

[@jklphoto]

Every. Single. Thursday. ❤

[@andrewmarriott9331]

can you tell me do you adjust the hydration % when making your bread dough, if you use different types of flower i.e. Bread, Plain, SR. As I've played around with all three and found the SR feels a lot wetter than the Bread. or is this just because the lack of gluten development with the SR flour?

[@GARDENER42]

I wish I could find fresh yeast here in West Cumbria but it's not even in the local Morrisons.

[@catherinedavidson7145]

I've noticed the "packet" yeast has things like wheat flour, ascorbic acid and so on added. I love Fermipan - but not easy to get hold of.

[@suejames3208]

It lasts for ages in the fridge. I'm in England and buy it on Ebay. I store it in an old large guerkin jar and the 500g pack fits in it.

[@sherrymiller804]

Hi Jack, I need help with my sourdough starter. Would you please consider doing a video on fresh milled grain sourdough? I want to use Kamut/Khorasan milled wheat berries. I’ve tried making a starter with just this and bubbles up nicely for 2 days following your method 25g/25g but on day 2 it smells terrible spoiled and then dies with the 3rd feeding. HELP PLEASE!

[@charlesbruggmann7909]

You could try establishing your starter the usual way: wholegrain wheat or rye. Then ‘convert’ it to Kamut using 1/5/5 ratio. The amount of wheat left in the starter after 2 feedings will be negligible.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Use whole grain Rye. Rye is supposed to be the oldest grain from all of antiquity in terms of human use, and it’s quite nutritious and low gluten. it doesn’t taste at all like American rye bread, because American rye bread generally tastes like caraway seeds; Rue really tastes like pumpernickel, only weaker.

[@magikdust2095]

I keep my dry yeast in the freezer, right from the time I buy it. It makes it last a lot longer than having it in the cupboard, and I don't bake enough bread to use it up in time if I just leave it in the cupboard. One kind of yeast I've seen recently is a dry yeast meant for sweet breads... SAF Gold... it says it's specifically for sweet breads and it even warns that it won't work as well in other breads... have you heard of it? Does anyone know if it's actually any different than regular yeast? Or is it just a marketing scam (like the fast rise yeast is)?

[@THB406]

Wouldn’t sourdough starter be considered a form of fresh yeast?

[@Cbbq]

I keep my yeast in my freezer, it has lasted for years. Straight from the freezer and into my water

[@Othehughmanatee]

I’m returning to baking after a very long hiatus. I had a jar of Red Star Active Dry Yeast in my freezer that was marked with a best before date in 2016. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it’s still kicking! In case anyone else is in a similar situation- give it a shot and see!

[@kathrinlancelle3304]

No fresh yeast in Florida, USA

[@mosesnazareth3048]

Everytime I ask for bakers yeast I get a dumbfounded look and they offer me regular dry yeast and have no idea what im talking about. It's impossible to find.

[@ykdickybill]

I’ve saw all these ‘ groupies’ in the zero area when I saw Rammstein play at Coventry U.K. They all appeared to be in there twenties and older. They also looked pretty heavy duty. I’m sure they all wanted to be there and we’re all showing off and we’re dressed very provocatively.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Wrong video. You seem to be talking about Rammstein in the comments of a baking video.

[@martinr1475]

Fresh yeast can be kept in the freezer.... for months. This morning I made a couple of Jack's 'Simple Sandwich Loaves' ('Bread Every Day' - page-33) using fresh yeast that I bought from Morrisons in February. They charge 20p for 50g at my local store. I froze it - and forgot about it until I rediscovered it.... Ooops! I get the frozen fresh yeast out of the freezer the night before needing and put it in the fridge. And then a few hours before needed, I get it out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. The yeast can go a bit sloppy.... But it smells just as wonderful as Jack describes. And - just to be sure the yeast is viable, I mix it with room-temperature water and a few grammes of sugar. Within 30-45mins it's good and frothy - and ready to go with delicious loaves just a couple of hours away.

[@rossmccarthy2602]

Promo'SM 🎶

[@frankfurter7260]

There is much BS surrounding the different types of yeast. Yeast is yeast. Fresh yeast is not “more alive” in your bread. 🙄 Instant yeast has less water than both fresh and active hence it has the longest shelf life. It also doesn’t have to be activated, the moment it comes into contact with moisture it begins the fermentation process. Instant yeast is the clear best choice.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Fresh yeast may yield different flavors.

[@michaelpennington9327]

Ok, I don’t claim to be an expert or in any way compete with your skills and knowledge of baking. However, I disagree with you about some things in this video. I have never used fresh yeast, so I have no knowledge about that. But I have used both “Instant yeast” and active dry yeast. I have even done side by side comparisons by baking the same recipe and same method with only yeast being different. I have also done blooming in water vs mixing with dry ingredients for both types of yeast. I can tell you in real world experiences by me in my kitchen, there is no difference in the final product between instant and active dry yeast. They rose the same amount, in the same time in the same way. The end product texture, crumb and flavor were identical. When I tested each type by blooming in water or just mixing into the dry ingredients, there was no difference. Every loaf made the same way acted the same way in every step of the process no matter which yeast I used or how I used it. Based on my experiments (and an article I once read that I cant cite because the info is lost to me) different yeast types are just a marketing ploy to sell more yeast. If they buying public knew they were the same, they’d only have one kind in the pantry instead of two kinds, thereby selling less of it.

[@lancelotslover3713]

I don't think Jack claimed there is a difference between active and instant yeast. In fact, I think he said they are both the same, which is what you found when you experimented. He did say that FRESH yeast makes a difference in how the bread acts, smells, and tastes, but not dry yeast.

[@michaelpennington9327]

@@lancelotslover3713 he said that you HAVE to bloom active dry yeast in water before using. That is absolutely not necessary. He referenced other differences too, but I can’t remember specifically without rewatching it

[@frankfurter7260]

@@lancelotslover3713, Jack is wrong. It’s all the same species of yeast - saccharomyces cerevisiae -and there is no difference whether it is in the form of fresh yeast or dry yeast. NONE. There is a lot of myth making in the baking world though.

[@kathrinlancelle3304]

Wow, you're all grown up, sporting a beard.

[@tl4214]

I have to agree, fresh has more aroma and the bread texture / crumb tastes and feels better. 💜🍞🥖🥐

[@frankfurter7260]

Placebo effect is strong not just in medicine but all human endeavors.