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Friday, November 23, 2012

Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast



I don't bake yeast breads often. When I do, I like to buy yeast in packages like these.

It's gluten free!

Each of the three portions is supposed to be 2 1/4 tsp which is just about what is called for in a recipe. Sometimes a recipe will just call for "a package". They're talking about one of these tear-away portions.


When you open a package, you'll smell the distinct aroma and if you look closely, the yeast is a bunch of little cylinders.


Throw these in some warm water and they'll start doing their thing, getting all foamy and ready to eat some sugar, and then they'll pass gas which will form the air pockets making your bread nice. You'll see in the next bread post shortly.


According to Larousse Gastronomique, yeast is:
A microscopic fungus that multiplies rapidly in suitable conditions and is used as a raising (leavening) agent in various kinds of dough. When yeast is added to the dough, it causes alcoholic fermentation and converts the sugar and starch into ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and carbon dioxide. This gas causes the dough to rise. The use of brewer's yeast in baking goes back to 1665, when a baker had the idea of adding some to his leaven: Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria was so delighted with the bread produced in this way that the loaf was called a 'queen loaf'.
Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast, available in the baking aisle of Ralph's in a tri-pack for $2.69.

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