What's the Difference Between Active Dry, Instant, and Fresh Yeast?

As a result, we’ve been delightfully inundated with questions about things likebaking better browniesandflour-free desserts.

Take yeast, for instance.

Let’s break down the differences between instant vs. active dry yeast and how that differs from fresh yeast.

What Is Yeast?

Yeast is a simple single-celled organism calledSaccharomyces cerevisiae.

Yeast cells are egg-shaped and are only visible with a microscopeit takes 20,000,000,000 yeast cells to weigh one gram.

They’re technically a member of the fungi kingdom, and over 500 species of yeast actually exist.

(Don’t worry, we’re only going to explain three here.)

Yeast cells require three things to thrive: food, warmth, and moisture.

It’s the carbon dioxide that makes baked goods rise.

Its texture is granular, not unlike cornmeal or very finely-ground coffee.

It finishes blooming when the yeast is dissolved and small bubbles rise to the top of the water glass.

If the mixture doesn’t bloom, this is a telltale sign that your yeast is dead.

Fresh yeast is active.

You’ll find it in the refrigerated sections of many supermarkets, often in the form of small-sized cakes.

Fresh yeast is light brown, soft, and crumbly.

It requires proofing in lukewarm water and is best for bread that requires a long, cool rise.

Try makingdelicious yeast-free bread recipesinstead.