On 5/11, "Bill Hatcher" <bhatcher@gc.net> wrote:
>I use ~~only~~ regular Red Star yeast purchased at Sam's Discount Club in
>2-pound packages (in the $2.50 to $3.25 range for the 2 lb. pkg.)
Bill, would you mind taking a close look at your yeast package for me? Just
when I thought I understood Red Star yeast and availability, I'm confused
again. :-)
The *only* Red Star yeast I can find at Sam's is the "Instant Active Yeast".
When I called the company, they told me that Sam's carries only the "instant"
active yeast, while Costco carries the "regular" active yeast.
There has been so much written and discussed about the instant vs the regular
active yeasts, that I finally decided to go directly to the manufacturer for
information. While the following may not be true for all "instant active"
yeasts, here is what Red Star says about theirs:
1) It *is* a faster rising yeast, also known as "quick rise" or "rapid rise".
This is contrary to my previous belief.
2) Instant active is specifically designed to be added with the dry ingredients
and should *not* be mixed with water and sweetener first. Regular active yeast
performs much better when allowed to develop in warm liquid and sweetener prior
to inclusion in a recipe.
Even when making bread dough traditionally by hand or in a stand mixer, Red
Star recommends that you include the instant yeast with the dry ingredients,
just as you do in a bread machine.
You can proof instant active yeast from time to time to ensure that it is still
viable. However, I found that the results varied when I included the proofed
instant yeast in a recipe. Consequently, I do proof the yeast occasionally,
just to test it, but I throw the proofed yeast away and put dry yeast in the
dough.
3) Although it is a faster rising yeast, it is strong enough to withstand
multiple rises; it can easily handle three rises, although two is more typical.
4) You should typically use 1/2 tsp. of Red Star instant active yeast per cup
of flour. Normally this means you should ignore the yeast quantity called for
in recipes.
I hope this hasn't muddied the question about yeast even more. Ultimately, I
think most yeasts are fairly forgiving. That's fortunate for me!
--
Ellen C.
ellen@brakes.elekta.com