There are several types of yeast: active dry yeast, instant yeast, rapid rise yeast and fresh or cake yeast.
For me the most frustrating ingredient has been the yeast. Old Hungarian recipes all call for fresh yeast. Fresh yeast has never been readily available where I live. Dried yeast has a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature. Fresh yeast has to be refrigerated and is good for a few days. But don’t believe the claim fresh and dry yeast are the same. They are not. Cake yeast will produce loftier buns and loaves by far. To this day better bakeries still use it in Canada. The old bakery in Brock used to sell me blocks of it, the new establishment declined. Not that there are good bakeries left in Kamloops, but I digress.
When it comes to Hungarian recipes, baking powder is also a challenge. In Hungary baking powder is sold in 10, 12 or 15 gram packets, so “Add 1 pkg of baking powder” may or may not hold true. Then the recipes with szalalkáli…I had to give those up. While szalalkáli is a really good leavening agent in Hungary, namely ammonium-bicarbonate, it is on the Hazardous Substance List in North America. But then so is Kinder Surprise, well not here, but in the States.
Types of Dry Yeast
The most common yeast in Canada is dry yeast. There are two types of dry yeast available: Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast. When it comes to how much yeast is required in the recipe, they are interchangeable. The only difference is traditional Active Dry Yeast needs an extra step to "wake it up" or activate it, called proofing. Fast Rising Yeast or Fast Acting Yeast, can be added without proofing.
Proofing dry yeast is to prove the yeast is alive. Dissolve contents of the packet in warm liquid with some sugar. In 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture should be foamy. If not, the yeast is dead and should be discarded. Like everything in life, dry yeast has an expiry date after which it will not work. So liquid and sugar is a requirement to activate it. None of this is needed with Instant Yeast; it can be added to the flour mixture. However… Instant Yeast has a shelf life too, so if you are not quite sure how old it is or it expired, you can certainly try to activate it in warm liquid and sugar. Keeping all your yeasts in the fridge is a good idea though. All types of yeast can be frozen which lengthens their life.
1 package active dry yeast = ~2 1/4 teaspoons = 1/4 ounce = 7 grams
DRY YEAST VERSUS CAKE YEAST
7 grams instant yeast = 1/4 ounce instant yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast = 21 grams fresh yeast
14g dry yeast=50g cake yeast
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1 kg flour requires |
4 tsp dry yeast |
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1 kg flour requires |
50g cake yeast |
- For every 1 cup of flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast.
- For every 5.3oz flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast.
- For every 150g flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast.
