BREAD BAKING TIPS - BUYING
YEAST
I always buy my yeast in quantity. The price difference is incredible and
it lasts for well over a year when stored properly. You do not need to
refrigerate an unopened package. Just keep it in your pantry. Don't let it get
too hot or too cold.
A quarter ounce packet of yeast cost
about 75 cents, US, in the grocery store. A two pound loaf of bread uses one and one
half packets of yeast. That is a yeast cost of more than one dollar, US, per loaf. You may as well buy your bread at a bakery.
The quarter ounce packets are just too expensive.
Yeast is less expensive when purchased in
four ounce jars, but still costs too much. A four ounce jar contains 16 quarter
ounce portions of yeast. A quarter ounce portion of yeast costs about 50 to 55
cents, US. The yeast required to make a two pound loaf of bread costs about
75
cents, US. This is still no bargain by anyone's standards.
Active dry yeast is available in two
pound packages. Two pounds of yeast is 32 ounces of yeast or 128 quarter ounce
portions of yeast. The cost of a two pound package is about three dollars, US, in a
membership store. Three dollars divided by 128 portions gives us a cost of 2.3
cents, US, a packet/quarter ounce portion. Since we use one and one half quarter
ounce packets per loaf, that would be about 3.5 cents yeast cost per loaf. What a
cost savings! Buying yeast in quantity is the only way to go. Compare the
price: YEAST COST - OVER ONE DOLLAR PER LOAF vs. 3.5 CENTS PER LOAF! That is 1/28th
the price!
You might say to yourself that I will
never use that much yeast. You don't have to - it pays for itself. Here is
another way of looking at it. Once you have made three loaves of bread the rest of
the yeast is free. Follow the logic. One two pound loaf of bread uses one and
one half packets of yeast, at a cost of over one dollar. After making three loaves of
bread using yeast purchased in quarter ounce packets you have spent over three dollars on
yeast. You could have bought a two pound package of yeast for the same three
dollars and would now have 123.5 quarter ounce portions left. You could make 80 plus
loaves of bread with the yeast left over and not spend another cent on yeast.
Will it keep? Yes. I have
kept yeast for over a year and it was still good. I store my yeast in the
freezer once opened. A two pound package of yeast comes in a foil bag. Fold/squeeze the
air out of the bag and seal the top with a clip of some sort. The type of clip used
to seal an opened bag of potato chips works well.
When making bread, take the yeast out of
the freezer, use what's needed and put the yeast back immediately. Exposure to air,
oxygen, and temperature will steal the life of the yeast. If you forget and leave
the bag out open on the counter over night, part of the life of the yeast will
be lost. Get it out, use what's needed, fold the air out of the bag, seal the bag and then return
the yeast to the freezer right away.
Instant yeast, also known as bread baking
machine yeast, comes in one pound packages and goes for about the same price as active dry
yeast.
If you can't find two pound packages of
active dry yeast in your area - click on the following link Active Dry Yeast.
Learn more home bread baking basics on Video Bread 101 -
Introduction to bread baking. Take at home class on 120 min DVD. Learn right
from the start.
More Tips
at the following links:
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