What Happened When I First Used Fresh Yeast?

Are you interested in learning how to use fresh yeast? I live part year in Poland. Fresh yeast is commonly found there in shops. It’s even on the shelf of Żabka, a convenience shop. In comparison to America, this was a new experience (fresh yeast and well-stocked convenience shops). In America, I bake with dry yeast – either active or instant. These are both commonly found in America, whereas fresh yeast is less common. On a recent stay in Poland, I had occasion to try fresh yeast for the very first time. Here are the six things I learned about using it in comparison with the dry form found in America.

Where to Buy Fresh Yeast in the US?

You may be able to find fresh yeast in a specialty baking shop plus Red Star fresh yeast is available for purchase from Amazon. Red Star is a brand I trust and use regularly. The seller on Amazon recommends freezing the yeast to lengthen shelf life. See instructions at the below link.

Six Things I learned about Fresh Yeast

1. Fresh Yeast is Found in the Refrigerated Section

While shopping for yeast in America, I go straight to the dry goods baking aisle and look for the commonly packaged instant yeasts. The instant or active dry yeast is a dehydrated product, meaning the majority of water has been removed. Dehydration makes yeast shelf stable so it can be stored as a dry good and found in the baking aisle of the store. This also means that instant or active dry yeast can be stored for about one year without fear of it losing strength.

Fresh Yeast, on the other hand, is a highly active product. It must be stored in the refrigerator. It is a living organism that requires cooler temperatures to retain its potency. It is sold in small, rectangular-sized cakes wrapped in paper or foil, similar to a small, fat stick of butter. Fresh yeast must be used quickly as it has a short use-by date. I purchased the yeast pictured on July 1 and it had a use-by date of July 4 (my second purchase had a 30 day use by date). I used the first yeast I purchased on July 5 and it still worked perfectly. I assume it begins to lose potency after its use by date, so I made sure it activated in warm water before I used it.

2. More Fresh Yeast is Necessary to Achieve the Same Results

Fresh yeast can not simply be substituted in a one to one quantity for dry yeast. Dry yeast is dehydrated and therefore, highly concentrated. It is best to use an online calculator (or see table below) to estimate the amount of fresh yeast to substitute in a recipe calling for dry yeast. I have provided a conversion table below for volume measurements.

In my foolproof Challah recipe, I substituted about 3 Tablespoons (100 g) of fresh yeast for the 3 tsp of instant dry yeast. Essentially, I tripled the amount of yeast called for by volume. For example, I doubled the recipe which increased the 1.5 tsp dry yeast to 3 tsp or 1 T. The 100 g of the fresh yeast I had on hand equated to about 3 Tablespoons, triple the instant yeast amount of 1 T. I am happy to report, it worked perfectly!

3. Fresh Yeast Feels Like Rubber

Yes, there I said it, fresh yeast is rubbery! When I touched the fresh yeast for the first time, what struck me was the texture, it was like rubber. I am not sure what I expected, possibly something more dry and crumbly. Something that would crumble easily when I squeezed it. Instead, it felt like rubber. Rubber that was easy to squeeze and pull apart, but still like rubber. Totally surprising. I have to say that at first touch, I was doubtful that this yeast would work for its intended purpose.

4. Fresh Yeast Incorporates Well Into Bread

I tore apart the fresh yeast and added it to warm water just as I would do with active dry yeast. Then, I stirred the yeast into the warm water and it dissolved rapidly. I added a few drops of honey since that is the sweetener I use for this bread. After about five minutes, the yeast bubbled nicely, just as I would expect from the active dry yeast. At that moment, I began to relax, as clearly the yeast was active and ready to be incorporated into the dough.

5. Fresh yeast makes for Elastic Dough

I do not know how else to describe the final dough that developed using the fresh yeast. So, I will simply say it made for a more elastic bread dough. Since long strands of gluten are developed during the bread making process, every bread dough has some elasticity so it stretches and contains the developing carbon dioxide. However, this bread dough seemed highly elasticized. Much more than when I use dry yeast. I might equate that result to the rubbery feel of the yeast, although, that’s just a guess. I do not scientifically know why it was surprisingly elastic, it just was!

6. Fresh Yeast Tastes Milder

The final result was two large, fantastically formed, loaves of Challah. I baked the challah to a golden brown and then let the challah rest for 15 minutes to cool. When I sliced the challah, it had a nice crispy crust and a soft interior. The enriched crumb (made with egg, butter and honey) was perfect, not crumbly, but moist and delicious. What struck me was that even though the bread was still warm when cut, it tasted very mildly of yeast. When challah is made with active or instant yeast and is cut warm, it smells and tastes heavily of yeast until it completely cools.

Yeast Conversion Table by Volume

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