Dry Active Yeast
The thing that makes bread rise. Dry active yeast is living organisms in a dormant state, ready to wake up, eat sugar, and fill your dough with air.
What It Is
Yeast is a single-celled fungus that humans have used for thousands of years to leaven bread and ferment drinks. The dry active form is yeast that has been dried slowly enough to keep the cells alive but still. It stores at room temperature for months, which is why bakers keep it on hand.
Unlike instant yeast, dry active yeast needs to be woken up before it goes into your dough. That step, called proofing, is just dissolving it in warm water and waiting a few minutes to make sure it is still alive. If it foams, you are good to go.
What To Do
To proof, stir about 2 and a quarter teaspoons into a quarter cup of warm water (think bathwater warm, around 110 degrees, not hot). Add a pinch of sugar. Wait five to ten minutes. It should get foamy and smell a little beery. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead and the bread will not rise.
Use it in any yeasted bread, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, or focaccia. Store it in a cool, dry place, or in the freezer to extend its life. One pound is roughly 64 teaspoons, enough for a lot of loaves.
