August 10, 2018 - 7:53pm
Leavens used in Italy
When researching recipes for leavened baked goods from Italy like focaccia I see that they use “Lievito di birra” (aka brewer's yeast) frequently instead of the types of yeast we in the US are more familiar with.
Is there a chart or formula for converting “Lievito di birra” to instant yeast?
Frank
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Michael Wilson will have more knowledge than me on this topic, but I would imagine that Lievito di birra is standard compressed cake bakers' yeast.
I'm sure you can use IDY in its place, either mixed with the flour, or, better in my opinion, hydrated with a little water at 40C for 10 mins.
Adjust the weight of yeast down by your preferred factor - some say 0.33, others 0.4.
Lance
Thanks Lance for suggesting a source who may know the answer to my question.
Frank
By the way, a quick search seems to confirm my thoughts:
http://www.romacash.it/Lievito-di-birra-gr-500