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Old yeast
Posted by karena
I have some dried yeast which is about 3 years past its best by date. It froths a little when left for 30 mins in warm water with a little molasses, and I'm wondering whether leaving it overnight would improve its performance, or whether the age makes it unusable. I don't want to waste my precious wholemeal flour when I'm making bread!
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 02:24AM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 3,425 |
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 02:29AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
Has it been kept in the fridge? It will last a lot longer than its best before date if kept in dry, cool conditions. Also, it's a best before date, not "use by", so the manufacturers know it can last a lot longer than the date they put on it.
I think leaving it overnight would cause problems. Your yeast is likely to end up pretty tired, deflated and possibly dead.
If it were me, I'd use it. Some new yeast might be more difficult to get at the moment than wholemeal flour anyway. I'm getting a bit low on the usual yeast I use (Bakel's instant active dry yeast) and would normally buy a new packet at this point but couldn't get any of course. My other half was doing the week's grocery shop and proudly presented me with a huge block of fresh yeast. Startling! Do I want this? I hadn't used fresh yeast for years. I stuck it in the freezer (which you do unless you're planning on making a HEAP of bread over the next few days). I decided to test it before totally running out of my Bakel's yeast and potentially having nothing to make my daily bread with. It didn't froth, AT ALL. I decided to make my regular two loaves with it anyway and just eat dense, awful bread if it didn't work. It worked beautifully and I have two delicious, well-risen loaves to eat. So I hope that's the case for yours too - sometimes frothing is not something to be relied on either.
I think leaving it overnight would cause problems. Your yeast is likely to end up pretty tired, deflated and possibly dead.
If it were me, I'd use it. Some new yeast might be more difficult to get at the moment than wholemeal flour anyway. I'm getting a bit low on the usual yeast I use (Bakel's instant active dry yeast) and would normally buy a new packet at this point but couldn't get any of course. My other half was doing the week's grocery shop and proudly presented me with a huge block of fresh yeast. Startling! Do I want this? I hadn't used fresh yeast for years. I stuck it in the freezer (which you do unless you're planning on making a HEAP of bread over the next few days). I decided to test it before totally running out of my Bakel's yeast and potentially having nothing to make my daily bread with. It didn't froth, AT ALL. I decided to make my regular two loaves with it anyway and just eat dense, awful bread if it didn't work. It worked beautifully and I have two delicious, well-risen loaves to eat. So I hope that's the case for yours too - sometimes frothing is not something to be relied on either.
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 03:02AM |
Registered: 16 years ago Posts: 1,979 |
J1 - you can buy Bakels online if you need some more. I love baking with fresh yeast, but don't get to do it as often as I'd like. I bought a block when I went to Gilmours the day before lockdown, and I think after using about 1/8th of it the block it is now sitting as a dried lump in the back of my fridge. I freeze granulated yeast, but never though about freezing fresh yeast for some reason.
Karena, I also wouldn't leave it over night as it sounds like the yeast is struggling to begin with. Perhaps use more than you usually would and keep an eye on it starting to deflate during the second rise. I pulled an 8 year old jar of Edmonds Active Yeast balls from the freezer a few weeks back. I did the same as you, and it did perk up and froth decently. I suspect it was being kept in the freezer that made the difference though.
[equagold.co.nz]
Karena, I also wouldn't leave it over night as it sounds like the yeast is struggling to begin with. Perhaps use more than you usually would and keep an eye on it starting to deflate during the second rise. I pulled an 8 year old jar of Edmonds Active Yeast balls from the freezer a few weeks back. I did the same as you, and it did perk up and froth decently. I suspect it was being kept in the freezer that made the difference though.
[equagold.co.nz]
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 03:29AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
Hi Jenna, thanks for your suggestion about buying Bakels yeast online. I still have a bit of my old packet and I will use all the fresh yeast in my freezer (waste not want not) so it will be aaaaaaaages before I need to purchase any yeast now In fact, writing this has made me wonder how long it will take me to use the fresh yeast block in the freezer. So let's see....... 579+175x38-9753x538*4d<98ddf>587x79275 ......it will be at least a year before I need any more yeast...
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 03:36AM |
Registered: 16 years ago Posts: 1,979 |
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 04:48AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 691 |
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 04:51AM |
Registered: 16 years ago Posts: 1,979 |
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 08:00AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 2,415 |
So interesting to read the comments about yeast. I thought that for example the various dried yeasts would all perform the same regardless of brand. I Will look out for Bakels when the time comes and also buy a block of fresh yeast which I have seen but did not buy because of the size. When you freeze fresh yeast do you cut it up into smaller cubes?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2020 08:00AM by Chris.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2020 08:00AM by Chris.
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 09:23AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
Hi Chris, re your question about cutting fresh yeast up into smaller cubes, that is the ideal goal but you'll find fresh yeast isn't inclined to cooperate; it will crumble. So, essentially, just crumble it up.
Conversion rate is something like:
dry yeast 1.5g / fresh yeast 3g
dry yeast 3g / fresh yeast 6g
dry 4g / fresh 10g
6g / 12g
7g / 17g
14g / 34g
28g / 68g
Conversion rate is something like:
dry yeast 1.5g / fresh yeast 3g
dry yeast 3g / fresh yeast 6g
dry 4g / fresh 10g
6g / 12g
7g / 17g
14g / 34g
28g / 68g
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 09:47AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 2,415 |
Re: Old yeast April 22, 2020 12:51PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
That's a good question, Chris; I had no idea. I looked it up and found this might be the best advice about it:
[www.thefreshloaf.com]
It includes the statement "It will definitely keep well frozen up to a year this way."
The say that information is from "Baker's yeast, article by Bernard Poitrenaud, Lesaffre International, France, in Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology By Stig Friberg, Yiu H. Hui, 2004"
I have mine in an ice-cream container. I should probably put that inside a plastic bag......a job for tomorrow.....
[www.thefreshloaf.com]
It includes the statement "It will definitely keep well frozen up to a year this way."
The say that information is from "Baker's yeast, article by Bernard Poitrenaud, Lesaffre International, France, in Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology By Stig Friberg, Yiu H. Hui, 2004"
I have mine in an ice-cream container. I should probably put that inside a plastic bag......a job for tomorrow.....
Re: Old yeast April 23, 2020 01:12AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 2,415 |
Re: Old yeast April 23, 2020 01:14AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
Re: Old yeast March 25, 2021 10:24PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 3,660 |
Chris asked a question in another thread this week about dried yeast, so I thought I'd update this thread as it's been a year since I put the block of fresh yeast in our freezer. I've been using it regularly to make my daily bread and it's been absolutely fine the whole time. I expect to finish it in May this year.
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