We recommend fast action dried yeast because it is easier to obtain, but if you prefer to use fresh yeast you can find advice on how to convert our recipes below. Dried yeasts are good Once the yeast has been mixed with the other dry ingredients then the liquid is gradually added. Normally the liquid is at a temperature of about 40°C (105°F). You must keep fresh yeast in the fridge. It lasts 3-4 weeks from manufacture. You can freeze it, but it does lose some of its rising power. So you may need to use a bit more than you normally would to get the same results. Be aware that when yeast defrosts it thaws as a liquid. Fast-action yeast can be stored at room temperature. Keep an eye on the use by dates as yeast can expire and die, making it useless.

If you can get hold of fresh yeast it can be very satisfying to use. There is a tactile benefit that you get from squishing it into the flour. If it’s fresh it will feel like play dough or window putty (which you might remember if you are as old as me). It should smell sweet. If it is crumbly and smells sour then it’s past its best and should not be used. The starch in the flour absorbs the water and is digested by enzymes, which turns it into sugars. This sugar feeds the yeast, giving it something of a turbo boost, encouraging it to produce more carbon dioxide and alcohol. This is the fermentation process. Sounds like the perfect reason to make pizza night a weekly tradition. Tips for making the best pizza doughYou can also join us for a fun relaxing day of baking at our cookery school in Ironbridge, Shropshire

A thin layer of fuzzy bubbles should form at the top of the liquid after about 5 to 10 minutes, and this is how you know that the yeast is still alive. If it doesn’t bloom, that’s because the yeast has probably expired — remember, active dry yeast should keep at room temperature for about six months on average. Once the yeast has been rehydrated in your proofing process, you'll continue to follow along on your baking recipe to add the rest of your dry and wet ingredients. What is instant yeast? So what do you need to know? Well let’s start with what the yeast does. It breaks down the starch in the flour into simple sugars, which it feeds on to create carbon dioxide. The gluten strands that make your dough lovely and stretchy hold the carbon dioxide in bubbles which expand the dough, making your bread rise. Pretty clever for a single-cell organism. For most breads you need 7 g for 500 g flour (2¼ tsp for 1 lb flour), but this does vary according to the recipe. By the teaspoon The main difference between popular yeast varieties is their moisture content. What this boils down to is that active dry yeast must be dissolved in liquid before it is incorporated into other ingredients, whereas instant yeast can be mixed directly into dry ingredients. Keep reading to learn more about which yeast variety is right for you. What is active dry yeast?Our Easy Bake yeast can be used in either hand baking or in a bread maker, and as the name suggests all you need to do is add it to the bowl and you are ready to go. We even make sachets which have the perfect amount (7g) to make 1 large loaf or a batch of rolls. If you aren’t using a sachet then measure out 2 teaspoons from your tin. If the rise is slow, you can either move the bread to a slightly warmer place, or just give it more time. Why has my bread loaf risen too much? The bread is ready when it’s a deep brown colour, and it should sound hollow when you tap the base. Remember: dried yeast must be added to the dry ingredients first, whereas fresh yeast must be dissolved in lukewarm liquid first.

Easy-bake yeast is exactly that: easy to bake with. You simply stir it straight into the dried ingredients without having to do any pre-prep. How do you substitute one yeast for another? Dried active yeast comes in spheres or pellets and can be weighed or measured out from the tub with spoons.Once the crust has formed and the gluten networks have set, the gas pressure in the holes builds to the point where they pop and create the open structure you can see when you slice your loaf.