November 4, 2007 - 2:48am
Yeast: Dry vs Rapid Rise
Hi all,
Do you folks notice a difference when using Dry yeast? I have been using only Fleschmans RapidRise for ease, but most of the recipes I see call for proofed dry yeast. Any difference? Are they pretty much interchangable? If I do swap in RapidRise, should I still add the proofing water to keep the hydration correct?
Thanks,
Ian
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The two yeasts are interchangeable. You have to use more active dry yeast, I think about 50% more, for the conversion. Also, you add the proofing water, the yeast is dissolved in it so they are pretty much inseperable. This would come from the water in the recipe to maintain the hydration level. A 1/4 cup of water can proof a TBSP. of yeast I would say.
Personally I would avoid Rapid Rise yeast since its mechanism seems to be contrary to what artisan bakers are trying to achieve.
However, my overall observation is that bakers yeast technology has been perfected - the yeast makers really know what they are doing. Any of the types of yeast commercially available to home bakers will work, and due to the working of exponential growth it doesn't matter which type or exactly how much you use. I have used as little as 1/2 tsp and as much as 2-1/4 tsp instant yeast in the same recipe and achieved the same final result.
The King Arthur teacher who made the Artisan Bread video said that people stress too much about yeast and it becomes a barrier to learning. My experience matches up to that statement.
sPh
Active dry yeast works best if proofed (dissolved in water). Instant dry yeast works best if added directly to dry ingredients. Many bread recipes on the 'net and/or in older cookbooks assume you're using active dry yeast, which is why the instructions call for proofing the yeast. For more info re the difference, see my writeup on yeast.
I have been obsessing over whether "Rapid Rise" dry yeast is really any different than instant dry yeast for years. After collecting numerous articles (often contradictory) I've given up. Like sphealey, I avoid Rapid Rise yeast; I just buy a one-pound package of instant dry yeast for my baking and keep it in the freezer.
If you'd like more info, here's a post by Maggie Glezer, author of Artisan Baking, a favorite of many bakers here at TLF...
In his book, he distinctly says to avoid "rapid rise". I only borrowed the book, so I wrote that down, but can anyone out there inform us of his opinion? He may have been refering to "professional rapid rise", not the trademarked name of Fleishman's. I remember something about adding "extra food" to the yeast formula, causing it to rise quickly, and exhaust quickly.
In his recent book on page 17 there is the following:
I believe there are members here who disagree with that evaluation. I have no idea who is right and why. We need a judge.
Looking for a "right" or "wrong" outcome when considering different varieties of yeast kind of misses the central point: they all ferment your dough and cause it to rise. A baker will have to modify his/her technique slightly to accomodate the characteristics of the yeast in use, but any of them will get the job done.
Leader's point about accelerated fermentation is most probably (note that I haven't read the book that is quoted) rooted in the realization that a longer, slower ferment allows various enzymatic processes to occur which produce flavor variations that are not achievable in a shorter fermentation. Some people prize those flavor variations highly. Some people are physically incapable of detecting the flavor variations. Some people like the taste of Wonder Bread.
Rather than asking "Am I using the right yeast?", ask "What do I want to achieve with this bread?"
If you want to extract every possible flavor nuance that your flour can offer, then use a slow, cold fermentation, as championed by Peter Reinhart with his Pain a la Ancienne. You can even use Rapid Rise yeast to achieve this, if you start with a minute quantity, say 1/4 teaspoon or less.
Or, if you are in a hurry to produce a sandwich loaf whose flavor contribution will be pretty much overwhelmed by the meats, cheeses, condiments or whatever else goes into the sandwich, then you can get there using any yeast with a warm ferment. Of course, something like Rapid Rise yeast may shave 10-30 minutes off the time required for Active Dry yeast.
The neat thing is that any of the commercially available yeasts can be used to make delicious and delightful bread. As can a sourdough starter, aka wild yeast. So, use whatever is available to you, get acquainted with its idiosyncracies, decide which suits your tastes/purposes best and bake happily. If you are of an inquiring turn of mind, like Mr. Wraith, you can do some side by side comparisons by baking the same bread with different varieties of yeast. It's cheap to do and even your rejects will taste good.
Enjoy!
PMcCool
This is where my question was really directed (so sorry for not being more specific, and thanks for all your great answers). I've made about 7 different breads from the bread bible, and while they taste different, somehow they all taste about the same too. I was wondering if that had to do with the type of yeast I was using.
Is there a big difference in flavor when using dry active? Likewise, do you find that different brands have different flavors?
Thanks,
Ian
There is no difference in flavor that I have been able to discern between fresh, active dry and instant (AKA rapid-rise AKA bread machine yeast).
I use these equivalencies (quoted from SFBI website):
"Active dry can be used at 50% of the weight of fresh yeast and instant dry can be used at 40% of the weight of fresh. Based on the recommendation of the yeast manufacturers, most people are under the impression that 33% is the proper conversion for instant yeast. This is true for an industrial process, but 40% is better in the artisan process, when dough temperatures are generally lower."
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
(posted this elsewhere but it was suggested I do so here as well........)Fleischmann's Active Dry YeastSubmitted by CountryBoy on November 7, 2007 - 3:05pm.
Some people have suggested that Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast may be kept in the fridge for a whole long time.
My suggestion is that people would be wise to Check carefully on the back for the very fine print that suggests an EXP date. I used one just now with an EXP date of Nov 24 and it was very active. Whereas the one I had in the fridge was a month over the EXP date and v e r y s l o w to go off.
I mentioned in the thread, Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast that usually when I use commercial yeast, I use Fleischmann's Active Dry.
I disagree with Glezer that active dry yeast is a pain to use (but then I do not bake bread for a bakery - I'm only making enough loaves a week for our family). I have also not noticed a problem with yeasty odors in the dough, although I do love the smell of my wild yeast bread baking and it IS markedly different with a nutty aroma rather than the apply aroma that the commercial yeasted bread produces.
For recipes that call for instant yeast (such as Glezer's recipes in "Artisan Baking Across America") I substitute exactly the same amount of active dry - in spite of the instruction to use more active dry than instant. There has been no problem with any of the bread made from that book not rising correctly. In fact, Acme's Rustic Baguettes is one of our favourites.
When I am making bread with commercial yeast, I start by activating the yeast in a small bowl with quarter cup of the babybottle temperature water as well as a small amount of sugar ONLY if there is sugar in the recipe and setting it aside. I then mix all the other ingredients together in the big mixing bowl and finally add the yeasted water at the end. (Sometimes I withhold the salt until kneading time....) Usually, by the time that the yeast is being added, it is foaming up nicely - whether or not sugar has been added. If there is sugar, the foaming is very active; if there is no sugar, the foaming is less vigorous.
I have read in various places (and of course, one can't believe everything one reads) that instant yeast is not so good for long slow cool rises - which is what I favour for all our bread.
I have also used fresh cake yeast that is occasionally available from our butcher (!) It is wonderful but rather expensive as well as requiring to be used pretty much immediately because of its fragility.
-Elizabeth
I too wrote a little about activating yeast: http://etherwork.net/blog/?p=270#yeast
I agree: there is way too much yeast stress out there. I have found that 1/2 tsp of any of the types of yeast in the supermarket will work for any amount of dough likely to to found in the home kitchen. Most recipes call for 2 tsp for any amount of flour between 4 and 12 cups (600 - 1800 grams) and this is more than sufficient. In fact 2 tsp (whether active dry, instant, rapid rise, or moist) is probably sufficient to make a dough that takes over the entire house like the one in Woody Allen's _Sleeper_ .
sPh
Some recipes call for Rapid Rise Yeast and some call for Active Dry. Who wants to stock two types of yeast in their fridge?
When I added AD yeast to dry ingredients the tough outer husk remained in dough. They looked like little brown seeds and the dough did not rise as quickly. Kneading got rid of them, but it defeats the purpose of No-Knead Bread.
So now, if I don't have rapid-rise yeast (which I usually don't), I use tepid water, add a pinch of flour, and add my AD yeast. Let it proof for 5 minutes to dissolve those husks, and add it to my dry ingredients. Works every time!
I see this discussion of how much rapid rise yeast to use when replacing AD yeast. Doesn't yeast multiply in the dough anyway?
Whether you start out with 1/4 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon, does it really matter? If the yeast has food (flour) and a warm environment, won't you get the same result eventually?
Dried yeast is one of the wonders of modern baking – a pourable granular powder made from millions of millions of dehydrated unicellular organisms. After hydration, these small critters munch on the sugar or starch in a dough, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide, which give the bread its distinctively fermented taste and its airy rise.
Successful resurrecting of dry yeast depends entirely on the processing. So if a recipe requires a certain type, the instructions are tailored to their specific needs. These instructions can kill another type of dry yeast, or they fail to create the conditions for it to thrive, causing doughs to rise poorly – or doughs that do not even brew. This means that it is important for bakers to understand the language used to describe the different types of dry yeast and to realize that blind substitution is a crapshoot at best. Some recipes, especially high-moisture dough and short post-fermentation, can provide a hospitable environment for many types of yeast and create a false sense of security around substitution.
Active Dry Yeast VS Instant Dry YeastBread baking can be complicated, which is partly due to all variables when using yeast. There are several types of yeast that you can use in baking, but two of the most common are active dry yeast and instant yeast, also called rapid rise yeast. Instant Yeast and Active Dried Yeast include some of the same preparation steps, but your overall baking time gets shorter with Instant Yeast as it can significantly shorten the time it takes for the dough to rise.
Active Dry YeastAs the name implies, active dry yeast must be “activated” by dissolving the granules in warm water according to the packing instructions. (The peculiarities may vary from brand to brand, in some cases, sugar can be added as fuel for the yeast.) When the yeast is still alive, it will start to foam and grow within a few minutes.
Active dry yeast is so unstable that any given packet may be dead. You must, therefore, check whether it is still alive or not before proceeding with the recipe, even if the yeast has not yet reached the expiration date stated on the package. Active dry yeast also has a comparatively large grain size, further necessitating direct contact with warm water to dissolve. Due to this time-consuming step as well as the high risk of failure and high failure costs, active dry yeast is seldom used in a professional environment. When the yeast is still alive, it starts to foam and grow within a few minutes.
- Dry yeast is perishable very quickly. Always check the expiry date before use.
- The effectiveness may vary over time and lead to inconsistent results
- Must be rehydrated before use
- Easily damaged by liquids above 46 ° C (115 ° F)
- Suitable for recipes that require more than one boost
- Suitable for cold-resistant doughs
Instant Dry YeastThanks to its unique manufacturing process, instant yeast(or rapid-rise dry yeast) is guaranteed to be 100% active and can be used immediately from the packaging. The behavior is constant over time. Due to the small grain size, instant yeast dissolves easily in the ambient moisture of dough, so that no rehydration is required. Because of their stability and shelf life, instant yeast is safe to buy in bulk, dramatically reducing costs compared to the tiny packs of active dry yeast sold in stores.
Comparing the difference between active dry yeast and instant dry yeast, we can find that active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water in advance when making bread, while instant yeast can be directly mixed into the dough. And in terms of storage, instant yeast is more convenient to store and has a longer shelf life.
Since instant yeast has so many advantages, where can we find it?
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