What the hey? The plan was to make a batch of ciabatta bread but even though the bag of yeast from Costco had an expiration date six months from now, when I proofed it, it showed no signs of life. The yeast dissolved just fine but all I got was cloudy water - no "blooms" floating to the surface like I'm used to seeing. I made a poolish from it anyway.
I purchased another bag of yeast the next day and got the same results. I made a quick trip to Safeway and bought a foil package of Fleischmann's yeast at an outrageous price and it reacted the same way. The poolish looked good so I finished the Ciabatta with the Fleischmann's. The bread turned out fine.
I made sure my water temps weren't too high (ninety degrees) So, I'm really curious as to why this yeast isn't acting the way it always has. Is this stuff on it's last legs even though it's well within the expiration date? Should I keep playing with it or get a refund from Costco? I don't trust it but wondering what's going on.