Yeast

I make our own bread around 5 times a week. What do other breadmakers feel about the difference between fresh and dried yeast please? I feel that fresh should be better somehow but I used to use dried in the breadmaker (I don't  use that anymore) and it was fine. We live a long way from a source of fresh yeast and I don't  know how long it lasts.

Here in the States, fresh yeast is almost unheard of.

Many people bake with dried yeast, and it works ok.

Why not use sourdough starter? If you bake bread that often, it seems it would be very useful to always have your yeast ready☺️.

Liv Smith wrote:

Why not use sourdough starter? If you bake bread that often, it seems it would be very useful to always have your yeast ready☺️.

I will be trying a wild yeast starter when I have space to feed it and leave it where it isn't  in the way or liable to get covered in dog hair! We are in a little van at the moment and it can be a tad trying...... but thank you for answering, Liv. But isnt it funny what one can and can't get in various parts of the world. You amaze me that fresh yeast is rare where you are, but I'm even more amazed that I can't get wholemeal strong flour! Hey ho!

I always bought dry yeast in large bags at a restaurant supply business. I usually go there once per year as it is a bit of a drive. They carry a variety of things in bulk containers -- things like spices that I use in cooking but cannot grow here. One bag of yeast would generally last me a year or so, kept refrigerated after opening. One large bag cost much less than buying small amounts of yeast, with far less packaging too.

Then last year I made a sourdough starter. Since then I have abandoned commercial yeast in favor of my starter. I have adapted all of my recipes to sourdough, and also added new ones. Making your own sourdough starter is easy - I made mine by accident. 😸

I find fresh yeast is better and here it is easier to get hold of, I do keep a bit of dried yeast in the house as wanting to make bread and not having any yeast is very annoying! . I have tried several sourdoughs and they are ok, but they are sourdough bread not BREAD in my opinion.

Fresh yeast is not available where I live. Dried yeast is. I also usually keep a very simple sourdough started, just be keeping a little dough aside whenever I bake, and including that dough when I start a new batch of dough. I don't keep it as a separate thing, so it's really very simple. Sometimes I add dried yeast when I'm starting new dough, and sometime I just go with the sourdough starter. I like the taste better when there's a bit of sourdough in the dough. It often seems to rise as well as the dough made with dried yeast and if it doesn't, I just sprinkle in a large pinch of dried yeast.

My mother-in-law swears that you can freeze fresh yeast.

Hester Winterbourne wrote:My mother-in-law swears that you can freeze fresh yeast.

I'll have to try that, it doesn't last that long in the fridge.

Skandi Rogers wrote:

Hester Winterbourne wrote:My mother-in-law swears that you can freeze fresh yeast.

I'll have to try that, it doesn't last that long in the fridge.

She says it goes liquid when you thaw it out but it still works.  A baker once told me I shouldn't even put it in the fridge, so go figure...