Active Vs. Instant Yeast

Yeast is an active ingredient in bread.

Yeast is the most important ingredient in any bread recipe. It is a fungus that grows and multiplies in the right temperature and when given sugar to feed on. Yeast comes in many varieties for amateur and professional bakers. Does this Spark an idea?

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Introduction to Yeast
- Yeast is a unicellular fungus. The domesticated strain used in the food industry is called Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is used in bread, beer and wine production.
  
  Yeast is used in bread machines or handmade bread recipes to provide leavening and fermentation. The yeast fermentation process in bread gives out alcohol and carbon dioxide, both of which provide flavor and leavening to the bread as well as its characteristic airy texture.
Types
- The different types of yeast used in bread making cater to both the new and expert bakers. Types of yeast commonly available include the following:
  
  --Instant yeast, which can be mixed with dry ingredients and does not need to be activated.
  --Active dry yeast, which has to be activated so that the dried yeast springs to life and starts multiplying and thriving.
  --Bread machine yeast, also called rapid rise yeast or quick rise yeast, which is strong and potent and does not need proofing, or being left to rise.
Active Yeast
- Active yeast is made by drying the yeast cells so that nearly 70 percent of them become inactive but surround the active cells. Once the active yeast is added to liquid and sugar, the inactive cells spring into action and start multiplying with the active cells to make a fully potent yeast starter.
  
  Warm water must be used to activate the yeast, but very hot water can kill, making it useless and impotent.
Instant yeast
- Instant yeast is dried yeast but is not as dry as active yeast. About 30 percent of the yeast cells are inactive. This makes it possible to mix the yeast directly with the dry ingredients of the recipe. The yeast gets activated during the mixing and kneading process.
Differences between active and instant yeast
- Dough with active yeast has to be proofed, or left to rise, twice, but dough with the more potent instant yeast has to be proofed only once.
  
  If active yeast is not activated properly with the right temperatures, it can fail to activate and render the dough useless.
  
  Instant yeast can be used in bread machines, but active yeast is better suited to handmade recipes due to its delicate nature.

Questions about yeast

Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Sharat Ganapati

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