December 28, 2014 - 11:25am
where to get yeast economically?
I think this last topic was covered about five years ago, but I'll bring it up again. Those 1 lb blocks of active dry (Red-Star, Fleischmans, etc.) are the way to go, but I am at my wits end trying to find them economically. Our local Texas HEB grocery chain used to stock them, but evidently they've now stopped. Getting those blocks onine can be cheap, but with HUGE shipping charges. I think Costco and Sam's Club may have them, but I'm not a member. Ideas?
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e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251689912519 which is in the UK, so probably no use to you whatsoever, but maybe someone local has some?
-Gordon
Yes, I've seen it advertised on e-bay, but who would buy yeast on e-bay? Who knows how it's been stored? I'd like to get it from some at least halfway reputable seller. Now, I notice that King Arthur (who I trust completely) has SAF Instant for $5.95/lb + $6 + $2/additional bag shipping. That's pricey shipping, but not obscenely pricey, especially if I get a few sacks at a time. Other options?
Head to your local Italian grocery store. In Vancouver, go to Bosa's. You can get a bag of instant yeast that freezes really well for a tenth of what you would pay at Safeway. I just take some out when I need it and store it in a jar in the fridge.
I'm in Texas also and I haven't seen the bags of yeast recently at Costco. According to their website Sam's has Fleishmann's instant yeast two one pound packages for just under 5 dollars. I've been buying SAF red and SAF gold from King Arthur Flour. Amazon also sells it, and since I have Prime it works out about the same as KAF if all was getting was yeast and had to pay their shipping.
Wow. Great info. All of it. Italian grocery store is a possibility but the only such stores I'm aware of here are delis. Here in Texas someone suggested a Mexican store. I tried that, but no luck. Costo certainly used to carry it. Very interesting that it no longer does. So I need not locate a Costco-friend. But the fact that Sam's has it in Texas AND that fact that you can get an economical on-day pass (I didn't know that!) may be the game-changer here. I'll let y'all know.
carries 2-pound vacuum packs of active dry yeast for $6 or $7. I'd prefer instant but, at those prices, it's hard to complain too much.
Paul
Our Wal-Mart stocks SAF yeast in vacuum packs for under $4. I was so surprised to find it there! Don't know if all Wal-Marts stock it. I've also purchased it through Amazon in the past.
I'm off to Sam's tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Might amuse folks to know that there is an online store (a big one, I believe) that sells SAF in the 1lb size for $2.50 each. Sweet, eh? But $12.50 ground shipping! Speaking of Walmart, I looked in the one closest to us, and it didn't have it, though it is a "small" Walmart. I was appalled to see what appears to be 1lb SAF Red on the Walmart website (online purchase only) for, gasp, $21.92 -- with free shipping! Can you believe that? Yep, just go to the Walmart site and search for "instant yeast". Maybe it has saffron and powdered truffles mixed in? Now, I get great deals at Walmart, but this particular offering is aimed at someone who doesn't know squat about bakers yeast. $4/lb sounds pretty good to me, though.
OK, I'm happy. Sam's has it, awesomely priced, and they do indeed offer 1-day Temporary Memberships with a 10% surcharge. It is Fleischmans Instant, with a 2016 exp date. Total cost was $2.75/lb. You have to download a coupon for the temporary membership, and then you have to stand in line at Member Services to get it approved, whereby it takes them a couple of minutes to take your ID and register you. That smells like a one-time thing, but they tell me you can do it as often as you like. I then stopped at Costco down the street, and indeed they didn't have any yeast at all. I know that several years ago they did.
Many thanks for the help here! Major victory.
Other local sources for bulk yeast:
1. Find a restaurant supply or food service supply places in your area. Many times they are open to the public. (In CA, we have Smart & Final).
2. Call a local mom+pop bakery that you frequent and ask if they can order you some.
3. Call a local mom+pop restaurant that you frequent (or befriend one of the chefs) and ask if they can order you some from their distributor. Pay them cash. This is how I got some great Caputo pizza flours and Giusto's flours when nobody locally carried them.
4. Local health food stores often have this kind of stuff, or can order it for a reasonable amount. My local health food store can also order an amazing range of flours, from Bob's Red Mill and others, as well as whole grains and other things that I can't find at my local grocery store.
5. Any local beer or brewing supply place gets brewing yeasts from Lesaffre/SAF/Red Star may be able to order you a bag for cheap thru their distributor.
I'm a member of Costco and they do not sell the yeast I want in bulk. So, because I am a Prime Member with Amazon, I am able to order the yeast (instant and osmotolerant) for a decent price including shipping.
I think even with free shipping, you're going to be hard pressed to get it through Amazon for less that $5/lb. But yes, the shipping cost was the real deal-killer for online purchases of this by me.