Yeast: Fresh is best?

You’ll probably have realised by now, that I am very interested in bread making and am definitely on a mission to improve my skills. Forgive me for being evangelical, but I find it so rewarding – I love making magic!

Fresh Yeast

Those of you who have made bread, have probably used the quick yeast sachets or perhaps the sort that comes in a larger pot.  They work, of course, but are they the best to use? On a recent course at the Bertinet Kitchen, I learnt that some dried yeast is just too fierce for some yeast baking – fresh is just perfect. The lovely Breadwinner bakery agree.

But obtaining fresh yeast? It can be difficult to find if you’re not in a city and even then it can be a challenge. At one time, some supermarkets were willing to provide some if you asked nicely – this seems harder to obtain recently. Here in Edinburgh, the Real Foods shops will kindly weigh some out for you – you will probably need to ask rather than being able to pick it up off the shelf.

Help is at hand – you can now order it online! You can purchase it from Amazon at a very reasonable price £4.95, postage included for either the 500 gr block or in smaller 42 gr blocks. Once you’ve got it, store in the fridge in a plastic box, on a slightly dampened kitchen towel. Do not seal the lid, you should let it breathe. It will last around 8 weeks like this. You can freeze fresh yeast, but Richard Bertinet suggest you should be making enough bread to ensure you do not need to!

L’Hirondelle (Swallow) yeast was first introduced in 1895 and is now the most used yeast in the world. It was developed for french baking that contains no fat or sugar but works equally well with other types of baking and if you make yeast products (such as rolls) and freeze them when proved, but not cooked, it lasts particularly well in the freezer.

Go on, try some and let me know how you get on!

Hot Cross Buns made with fresh yeast