Dry yeast and fresh yeast, what are the differences?

Yeast is a single-celled microorganism that belongs to the fungi family. This living organism feeds on sugar and starch in the dough and converts them, among other things, into carbon dioxide gas, which is responsible for the bubbles that swell and aerate the masses of bread, pizza and buns.

types of yeast

There are two main forms of yeast on the market, dry yeast and fresh yeast, which is also known as block yeast. we will explain how the two differ, what you should keep in mind when storing and using them, and how you can replace one yeast with another. Of course, you also have alternatives to yeast if you want.

Differences between dry yeast and fresh yeast

dry yeast and fresh yeast They have more in common than differences:

Both dry yeast and fresh yeast they are the same strain of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), also called baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast. Dry yeast and fresh yeast they have the same purpose in the bakery: they convert the sugar and starch into carbon dioxide and allow the dough to rise.Yeast cultures were also grown and propagated in the same way, in a nutrient medium rich in carbohydrates. The way of exact culture depends on whether it is conventional yeast or organic yeast, but not if it is dry yeast or fresh yeast.

But there are also big differences between dry yeast and fresh yeast:

While fresh yeast contains about 70% water, dry yeast only contains about 5% residual moisture. This is the biggest difference.Dry yeast has a significantly longer shelf life than fresh yeast. While you can store fresh yeast in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, dry yeast can be stored at room temperature for several months to a year. fungi contained in dry yeast are inactivated and only activated by adding liquid. These are living microorganisms in a “resting state”. In any case, if you want to avoid the use of yeast in your dough, apart from chemical yeast, you have the alternative of using an acid and an alkali, such as vinegar and bicarbonate. In this video we tell you how to do it:

Is fresh or dry yeast better?

Both dry yeast and fresh yeast do their job excellently as leavening agents. In the finished recipe, the difference is barely noticeable, if at all.

The benefits of fresh yeast are quite subjective:

Some bakers swear by fresh yeast, as it should give baked goods a rounder taste and slightly sweeter. Also, some report that yeast dough should go up a bit better with fresh yeast than with dry yeast. Generally, it is recommended fresh yeast if baked goods require a particularly long fermentation time or several phases of rest for them to rise, because it has a longer lasting driving force than dry yeast.

On the other hand, dry yeast has established itself today as the most used by its practical advantages over fresh yeast:

dry yeast can be kept for several months at room temperature in a closed package. Once opened, you can store the packet in the refrigerator for another two weeks. Fresh yeast, on the other hand, should be stored in the fridge and used within two weeks of purchase.You don’t need to mix the dry yeast with the liquid beforehand, you can mix it directly with the dry ingredients for baking. This makes it a bit easier to mix dry yeast into the dough than fresh yeast. Also, thanks to its shape, dry yeast is a little easier to dose than fresh yeast in block form.

Conclusion from the comparison:

Fresh yeast gives baked goods a slightly better flavor and also has a greater driving force than dry yeast. For some recipes like braids or buns, this is possibly the best yeast.On the other hand, dry yeast is the much more practical form of yeast, especially for hobby bakers, it lasts much longer and is easier and faster to process.

Tips for using fresh and dry yeast

If you want to make your own yeast dough, you should take into account the following points when preparing it:

Firstmix the fresh yeast with a little of the warm liquid of the recipe and a little sugar and let this mixture rest for about ten minutes. By the formation of bubbles it can be known that the yeast has started its activity. After ten minutes, you can add the liquid to the rest of the baking ingredients.You do not need to mix the dry yeast into the liquid first. Mix directly into the dry ingredients in the recipe. Make sure that the rest of the ingredients are not too cold, they should be taken out of the fridge well in advance. Either fresh yeast or dry yeast, yeast has the best driving force at temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees. At temperatures above 45 degrees, yeast dies, while metabolic processes are considerably slower below ten degrees.

When baking, you can easily replace fresh yeast with dry yeast:

you can replace a cube of fresh yeast (42 grams) for two packets of dry yeast (fourteen grams). As a result, a packet of dry yeast is approximately equal to half a bucket of fresh yeast (21 grams). As a general rulehalf a cube of fresh yeast or a packet of dry yeast is enough for 500 g of flour. However, this amount varies greatly depending on the recipe. In principle, you can also mix fresh yeast and dry yeast in one recipe, if necessary.

Buy organic quality yeast

Whether it is dry yeast or fresh yeast, we recommend that you pay attention to quality when buying, because there are some Differences between organic yeast and conventional yeast:

Culture medium: Conventional yeasts are often grown on molasses (a byproduct of sugar production), phosphorous, or inorganic nitrogen. Organic yeasts, on the other hand, are grown with natural raw materials from controlled organic farming, often in cereals or sugar beet syrup.Antifoam Agent: Sunflower oil is added as a defoaming agent to the organic yeast so that growth-inhibiting foam does not form. With conventional yeasts, synthetic substances are used for this purpose, which must later be rinsed with plenty of water. Therefore, more water is used in the production of conventional yeast than in organic yeast.Genetic engineering: Furthermore, no genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are used in the production of organic yeast.

If you want to buy dry yeast, also you should take a closer look at the ingredients:

Part of dry yeast Contains emulsifiers. The most widely used emulsifier is sorbitan monostearate (additive number E491). There are isolated emulsifiers even in fresh yeast. Organic manufacturers, in particular, refrain from using emulsifiers. No.or there is nothing but yeast in the package.