Ingredients

Yeast Types

The three main bread yeasts — active dry, instant, and fresh — differ in how they're processed and used, but can be converted between each other.

Understanding yeast types helps you substitute confidently and troubleshoot bread problems. All bread yeasts are the same organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), just processed differently.

The three main types

Active Dry Yeast

Form: Dormant granules with dead outer cells
Activation: Must be proofed in warm water (100-110°F / 38-43°C)
Rise time: Standard
Shelf life: 1-2 years unopened; 4-6 months after opening
Best for: Traditional recipes, when you want to verify yeast activity

Instant Yeast (Rapid Rise / Bread Machine)

Form: Smaller, porous granules
Activation: Mix directly with dry ingredients — no proofing needed
Rise time: About 50% faster than active dry
Shelf life: 1-2 years unopened; 4-6 months after opening
Best for: Quick breads, bread machines, no-proof convenience

Fresh Yeast (Cake / Compressed)

Form: Soft, crumbly blocks
Activation: Crumble into lukewarm liquid
Rise time: Fastest
Shelf life: 2-3 weeks refrigerated; freezes poorly
Best for: Professional baking, enriched doughs, European recipes

Conversion chart

Starting with	Active Dry	Instant	Fresh
1 tsp Active Dry	—	3/4 tsp	2 tsp (7g)
1 tsp Instant	1 1/4 tsp	—	2 2/3 tsp (9g)
1 oz Fresh (28g)	1 1/3 tbsp	1 tbsp	—

Quick rule: Fresh = 3x active dry by weight; Instant = 0.75x active dry

Proofing active dry yeast

Warm water to 100-110°F / 38-43°C (like a warm bath)
Dissolve a pinch of sugar (feeds the yeast)
Sprinkle yeast over surface — don't stir yet
Wait 5-10 minutes
Should foam and bubble; if not, yeast is dead — don't use it

Common problems and causes

Problem	Likely cause
Dough won't rise	Dead yeast, water too hot (killed it), water too cold (inactive)
Slow rise	Old yeast, cold environment, too much salt touching yeast
Over-risen, collapsed	Too much yeast, too long bulk fermentation
Dense bread	Not enough yeast, under-proofed, over-kneaded