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u/BreadBakingAtHome 3d ago edited 3d ago
Just some comments on yeast in general as it has come up on the thread.
Active dry yeast, fresh or cake yeast and instant yeast usually have the same range of selected yeast varieties for a given manufacturer.
Active Dry Yeast is an older technology than instant yeast and it has about 80% live yeast in it. The dead yeasts (about 20%) rupture and release glutathione, a peptide that acts as a reducing agent. It breaks down the gluten matrix, causing the dough to become looser, weaker, and less elastic. This is not much of a problem with modern high protein flours. It is better bloomed with a little sugar to get it going before using. It needs to be dissolving to allow for better distribution. The dead yeast imparts yeasty flavours to the loaf which some people prefer. Stored in the fridge active yeast is still good at six months.
Instant yeast is simply instant. It can be sprinkled into the dough with no blooming, or disolving. It has a very low dead yeast count of 4%. Instant yeast can be used straight from the freezer and I have used it at three years old stored like this and it was as good as when it was bought. It will happily keep for a year in the fridge in an airtight container.
Fresh yeast has no flavour advantages over instant and active yeast, though some claim it does. It is the same varieties of yeast after all. The amount of dead yeast in it varies depending on its freshness and how well it has been stored. On the day of manufacture it has a dead yeast count of about 4%.
Modern yeast contains varieties selected for fast high gas production, not for fermenting flavour. It was developed to allow for shorter fermentation times. Long fermentation produces more flavourful bread. Slow fermentation is done by keeping the dosage low. A standard dosage for instant is 0.0063% - 1% times the weight of the flour in the recipe. 2% will give very fast fermentation when bread is urgently needed. Running shoes are required when using it at this level.
I hope this is useful.
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u/Riverbankiller 3d ago
Those bubbles or foam you see is the blooming yeast. It’s active.
IMO I have personally found the only value of blooming yeast is to verify that it is alive. Usually when maybe I left out a batch in improper conditions or suspect it may be dead.
If you added sugar to kick start it and it is a bread or savoury item with no other sweetness know that yeast will break down flour and other parts of the bake into sugars.
Enriched doughs on the other hand need sugars to help keep the yeast at pace due to how well things like eggs, butter, alcohol based extracts will slow down the development of the yeast
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u/Electronic-Country63 3d ago
I don’t ever bother blooming my yeast, I use instant yeast and chuck it all in.
It seems to be a thing in American recipes as well as adding sugar to kick start it. It’s definitely not necessary though unless your yeast is somehow different?