The Fresh Loaf

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dried yeast question

Helena's picture
Helena

dried yeast question

I used to always find fresh yeast in the markets for my home bread hobby, yet the last 12 months, it is very hard to find. They are not selling it quick enough I think so are not wanting to carry it anymore. I have to now resort to dried yeast. Well, a few of my bread books say that if you are not using "active dry" and want to use "instant" this is not the same as "rapid-rise."

But,  I have gone to many markets and every time I see the work "instant" on the yeast, it invariably has the word: "rapid-rise" or such attached. It never simply says "instant." Since some bread experts are telling me rapid rise will ruin the flavor among other things, do I need to only use active dry?

Is there a difference in taste/flavor of product between breads or enriched breads made with active dry versus instant(rapid rise)?

When do you recommend using active dry and in what situations do you use instant (which here in the states is also "rapid rise" on every package and brand I find)?

Thanks for your expertise.

Stevo's picture
Stevo

As far as I know dried yeast comes in 2 forms, Active Dry and Instant. The main difference is that Active Dry yeast needs "activating" (which is ironic). I add it to about 50mls of the recipe's water warmed slightly (13s in the microwave at 900W) with a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in it. After a few minutes the yeast starts rising to the top and it is good to go.

Instant yeast is added directly to the dry ingredients (usually away from the salt which can harm it) with no need for activation. Personally I have never found much difference between the two. I prefer the instant for making pre-ferment/poolish and in enriched doughs just because it is more convenient. I use the Active Dry just because I have some from a job lot. I would probably stick to Instant in the future. You generally use about 2/3 of the amount of instant yeast compared to Active Dry yeast.

For a slower rise (which is a key to flavour) you can retard the dough using cooler temperatures (eg the fridge) or you can use less yeast. Also using preferments helps.

Helena's picture
Helena

That was very helpful. This morning I made a brioche dough with KA all purp flour and one packet active dry yeast (not instant- "rapid rise"), butter, etc. I used counter mixer for about 11 min on med. speed, then let rest, then formed into a ball and put in a greased bowl for 1.25 hours to rise (was warm in kitchen today). Then, I rolled out dough into a large rectangle and put on filling, then rolled into shapes, put in small baking molds and let rise another 25 min. before baking.

If tonight, I prepare that same brioche dough afresh w/ 1 pack active dry yeast and put in a greased bowl in the fridge overnight for say 10 hours, how long do I let it come to room temp before rolling out? Does the chill have to be completely out of it to be able to roll it out nicely? Also, can I do this retarding for small amounts of dough like my recipe -only 3 cups flour, or does this work better w/ larger amounts of dough?

Another ques is the tea. sugar, is that for one packet yeast? I have just been using a pinch and my yeast never gets high , just very slightly frothy. I use the liquid at 110F and wait 5 min. before yeast mixture is ready to mix w/ other ingredients.

Thanks for the assistance!

Truth Serum's picture
Truth Serum

I think its fine to roll it out chilled. Since it has so much fat in it might roll out easier if its cold.  You can also make brioche dough and freeze it. 

 

wildcat's picture
wildcat

Dan DiMuzio has a table in his book, Bread Baking: An Artisan's Perspective, that compares the three types of yeast. Since they are all the same species, I've never seen a claim that they taste different, per se, but they are produced by different processes, which affects how they perform. Active dry yeast, for example, contains more dead yeast cell than does instant yeast.

Here's the comparison mentioned above:

FRESH, dissolve in batch water, no conversion factor, shelf life 3 weeks if refrigerated, easy to use, best choice if dough is to be frozen

ACTIVE DRY, bloom in warm water first, use 50% as much as fresh, shelf life one year unopened, dead yeast cells produce glutathione--relaxes dough

INSTANT DRY, add directly to flour, use 40% as much as fresh, shelf life one year unopened, easy to use and store--no blooming, no refrigeration

In another place, he describes glutathione as a protein fragment that works in a manner similar to the enzyme protease to weaken protein bonds and to make dough more extensible. He also comments that these weakening effects are good if you want to reduce the elasticity of conventionally proofed dough, like baguette dough or laminated base doughs, but when retarding loaves of bread, it might be better to avoid active dry yeast and the glutathione that comes with it.

Helena's picture
Helena

Richard Bertinet in "Crust" says, "Personally, I rarely use dried yeast because I find it tends to be too strong in terms of flavor and activation." I think that is where I had in my head to try to always use fresh yeast for better flavor and that the different types of yeast change the flavor you will get in the same bread. 

Bertinet also advises not to add any sugar to feed the dry yeast as there is enoung natural sugar in the flour for the yeast to feed off of and that you don't want to "over-feed" the yeast or you get brick-like, yeasty tasting bread that "goes stale faster."

There are so many different thoughts, experiences and opinions on using yeast it seems.  I guess it's for each person to figure out what's best in their situation and that fits their personality. For now, I'll let that "Instant- quick-rise, rises 50% faster" yeast in my cabinet sit for a while and stay with active dry or fresh (if I can find it), as I want a less yeasty taste, better flavor and for it to taste fresher longer. Although I understand people working professionally need to save on time which equals money and so prefer the quick rise.

wildcat's picture
wildcat

I have not read Bertinet, but rather Hamelman, who writes that "in fact, yeast cannot be tasted in bread unless the bread is poorly made, with too much yeast . . . The 'yeasty' flavor some people associate with bread is actually the aroma of fermentation, and in the case of freshly baked bread that is cut open, the aroma of residual alcohol." Elsewhere he states that the flavor and quality of a bread is primarily the product of the skill of the bread maker. I find that persuasive but also can imagine that certain ingredients might better suit an individual bread maker's preferred techniques.

I have to laugh at myself for having gotten so involved in a discussion of baker's yeast because I almost never bake with it. I prefer sourdough. Good luck.

Helena's picture
Helena

Very interesting, so if I will retard the dough tonight, I should better use the instant which says those bloody words "rapid rise" below the word instant and not the active yeast. I have never used instant as I was always afraid it would over-proof my bread and it seemed so highly processed, but I guess I should stop being scared of some yeast granules.

Regarding using fresh yeast if dough is to be frozen, I am assuming you mean the dough, not the final baked product that will be frozen, but let me know if I'm mistaken.

wildcat's picture
wildcat

I think you should think of that phrase as marketing. DeMuzio lists as an advantage of instant yeast that does not have to be bloomed, a process that adds time and an extra step in a production environment. So that is one way in which it is "rapid." Also in an equal weight of the two dry yeasts, there is more live yeast in the instant yeast. If you don't pay attention to conversion factors, you may use more yeast than called for. It is all the same species of yeast. Using the appropriate amount for your formula and process is the best way to control how rapidly the dough rises, it would seem to me. I will also add that DiMuzio makes no reference to rapid rise yeast as a variety of yeast. Just active dry and instant.

Wrt freezing, yes he's talking about dough. Fresh yeast survives freezing better than dry.

Helena's picture
Helena

As I asked in my first query, is rapid rise the same as instant when bread book authors have said it is absolutely not the same thing and not to buy rapid rise. But as I said I can not for the life of me find any instant yeast packaging which does not also say it is rapid rise so frankly I am confused. I can only assume those book authors are/were wrong or the entire yeast industry has decided that now instant and rapid rise are identical, at least in the U.S.

But ok, I need to know to reduce the instant in the recipe from the active dry specified amount, or I will have too much yeast ratio and my brioche muffin will look like a giraffe doing neck stretches in the morning. Thanks!

wildcat's picture
wildcat

I decided to check some of my other books. Hamelman lists only active dry and instant, as does Reinhart. Ken Forkish does include rapid rise in his list, followed by the comment that "all of these yeasts are the same species: Saccharomyces cerevisiae. What differientiates them is their coating, the way the yeast is manufactured and perfornance. At my bakery, we use SAF Red Instant Yeast."

Interestingly, all of these bakers call for an even lower conversion factor of .33% for instant yeast.

I don't mean to come across as an expert, because I am not.  I just have a lot of books. Maybe that's not a good thing. But in all my reading I've not seen the comments you mentioned against using rapid rise yeast. For whatever that is worth.

Helena's picture
Helena

I appreciate your research. I just found on my book shelf these comments in Daniel Leader's book: "Simply Great Breads,":

"I call for instant yeast in these recipes because it is the most convenient... any brand of yeast will work but I prefer SAF yeast for its liveliness and reliability...Definitely avoid rapid rise yeast, so called because it has been packaged with yeast foods and enzymes to accelerate fermentation. This type of yeast will cause your dough to ferment so quickly that it won't have any time at all to develop flavor. In addition, there is a real risk of over-fermentation when using rapid rise yeast, the result being a loaf that collapses in the oven."

I think this was one of the first bread books I bought years ago and somehow I kept this in my mind and thus have been scared to use rapid rise.  Now that I am however going to be selling some products via renting a commercial kitchen or course I have been wondering if I should switch from active dry to instant but after searching in 5 different stores I never find anything with only the words "instant" on it, everything says: "Instant, rapid-rise."

 

wildcat's picture
wildcat

I looked for ingredients on Amazon.com. The SAF Instant Yeast recommended by Leader contains "yeast, sorbitan monostearite, ascorbic acid." Sorbitan monostearite, according to Google, is an emulsifier. Ascorbic acid is a glutton strengthener. Neither are yeast foods to the best of my knowledge.

I own Fleischmann's Instant Yeast (not rapid rise.) Same ingredients. I also have a jar of Red Star Yeast for Bread Machines which includes both Instant Dry Yeast and Quick-Rise on the label. Same three ingredients.

So I would say check your label and don't get anything that has more ingredients than these three. If they are adding yeast foods they will have to list them.

Helena's picture
Helena

thanks for the tips on cold brioche and yeast shopping. Love The Fresh Loaf!