Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Welcome to your complete guide to Baking with Yeast.
Many of you have responded to a question I ask in my baking email series… what baking recipe intimidates you the most? A majority say yeast breads.
Baking with yeast used to intimidate me too. Something about yeast seems really scary! And, what’s worse, some yeast recipes are complicated and arduous. But once I began to understand that yeast is simply another ingredient in the bowl, my fears subsided. And if you begin with easy yeast recipes, your confidence builds.
Whether you’re a beginner baker or pro, it’s important to understand how yeast works. I urge you to read through this guide where I answer many common yeast questions. I wrote this in partnership with Red Star Yeast, so you can be confident the information is very helpful. I’ve worked with Red Star Yeast for nearly 7 years because it’s my preferred brand!
It’s time to tackle your fear of yeast and bread baking! 🙂
What is Yeast?
Yeast is a living organism. It needs food and moisture to thrive. There are 2 main forms of yeast: brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast is used primarily in beer making and baker’s yeast is used in baking. Yeast feeds on sugar and converts it into alcohol and carbon dioxide through fermentation. Alcohol is useful in beer making and carbon dioxide is responsible for stretching and expanding the dough, something we see as the dough rises. Yeast fermentation also provides the flavor and texture you expect in yeast-raised recipes.
There are 2 Main Types of Baker’s Yeast
- Wet Yeast – Also known as Cake Yeast, Fresh Yeast, or Compressed Yeast.
- Dry Yeast – Sold as Active Dry and Instant Yeast.
Cake Yeast Vs Dry Yeast
Cake yeast is wet yeast sold in block or “cake” form. It’s active and highly perishable. To use cake yeast, crumble over dry ingredients or dissolve in the liquid used in the recipe. Today, cake yeast is only available in limited stores.
Dry yeast, on the other hand, has a longer shelf life because it’s been dried out. It’s granulated and sold in little packets or loose in a jar. It is in a dormant state and if the package isn’t opened yet, can be stored at room temperature. Dry yeast requires different liquid amounts and temperatures than cake yeast.
Here is a helpful cake yeast & dry yeast conversion table.
Types of Dry Yeast
Because it’s most common, we’re focusing on Dry Yeast in this Baking with Yeast Guide. There are two types of dry yeast available: Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast. They both require liquid to “wake” out of their dormant state.
- Active Dry Yeast
- Instant Yeast – Also known as Fast Rising Yeast or Fast Acting Yeast.
Red Star Platinum Yeast
This is, by far, my preferred yeast!! Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers. These dough improvers are naturally occurring enzymes derived from protein in wheat flour. They strengthen the dough and build tolerance to variations in flour strength and the baking process (kneading, rising, etc.) As a result, the dough traps more of the leavening being produced by the yeast for an overall better rise and better volume in the finished baked good. Most of the yeast recipes on my website are made with Platinum Yeast from Red Star. It’s fantastic for yeast beginners.
Can I Substitute Active Dry Yeast for Instant Yeast and Vice Versa?
Yes. Active dry yeast has a moderate rate of rising and instant dry yeast has a faster rate of rising. Active dry and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes (1:1); just keep an eye on your dough so it doesn’t rise too much.
Can I Store Dry Yeast in the Freezer?
Yes, you can store dry yeast in the freezer. The experts at Red Star Yeast actually recommended it! Place the yeast towards the back of the freezer so it’s not exposed to temperature changes when you open the door. To thaw, measure the amount you need and set it on the counter for 45-60 minutes before using. The colder it is, the longer it will take to “get going.”
Do I Refrigerate or Freeze Dry Yeast After Opening?
Dry yeast is perishable. Once your package is opened, the yeast must be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container. Use within 4 months if refrigerated and 6 months if frozen.
What is Proofing Yeast?
Proofing dry yeast is sometimes a step in a recipe. This step is basically just “proving” that the yeast is alive and active. You dissolve the contents of the packet in warm water/milk with some sugar. After 5-10 minutes, the mixture should be foamy. If not, the yeast is dead and should be tossed. However, if used before the expiration date, this step isn’t really necessary with modern active dry or instant yeast. Still, some of recipes call for it, just to be extra certain the yeast is alive. (If using quality yeast, it usually is alive!)
How Is Yeast Used in Baking?
When combined with liquid and sugar, yeast makes dough rise. Yeast, while also providing flavor, creates carbon dioxide in the dough. This stretches and expands it. Yeast thrives in warm temperature, which is why warm liquid is added to dough. However, yeast will begin to die in temperatures 135°F (57°C) or higher. A good rule of thumb: if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot for the yeast. Yeast is also effective in cooler temperatures, but it requires more time to expand the dough. Some bakers prefer a slower rise time because more flavor is produced in the process.
Where Should Dough Rise?
Cover and place dough in a warm draft-free place for as long as the recipe instructs. This crucial time is when the yeast ferments the sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. (See previous question.) The kitchen counter is fine, but if you’re pressed for time, you can speed up the rising process by placing the dough in the oven. Preheat the oven to 150°F (65°C), then immediately turn the oven off. Wait a few minutes, then place the dough in the bowl inside the oven with the oven door cracked open. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough.
Dough can also rise in cooler temperatures, but the yeast activity slows down and the rise time extends. Here is more information on dough rising.
What if My Dough Isn’t Rising?
There are a few factors that prevent your dough from rising:
- Temperatures are too cold. Place dough in a warmer environment.
- Yeast is expired or dead. Start over with new yeast.
- Liquid in the dough was too hot, which killed the yeast. Start over with new dough.
- Too much flour or sugar in the dough. Be mindful of your measurements and remember that it’s ok for dough to be a little sticky. Don’t over-flour.
- Type of flour. Flours with higher protein content have superior dough (gluten) forming and rising properties. Here is more information on flour types.
- Kneading too little or too much.
How Do I Knead Dough?
Kneading dough is a common step in bread baking. You can knead dough with your hands or in a stand mixer. A stand mixer obviously makes the job shorter and easier, but kneading by hand is gratifying… and a great stress reliever too! I have a full tutorial with a video about how to knead dough that can help with this step.
Kneading the dough serves a couple purposes. First, it incorporates air into the dough. It also encourages the proteins in the flour and moisture in the dough to link together, forming a strong gluten network which is essential for retaining the gas produced by the yeast. Gluten is what makes bread deliciously chewy.
What is a Typical Yeast to Flour Ratio?
One packet of dry yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) will raise up to 4 cups of flour.
What Does it Mean to Let Dough Rest?
It’s advantageous to let dough rest after working or shaping it. Cover the dough with a clean towel or plastic wrap and set it aside. This little “nap” allows the gluten to relax and settle, which lends to a more voluminous bread. A little rest also makes the dough easier to shape. So if you notice your dough is extremely elastic, cover and set it aside for 10-15 minutes, then return to shaping it.
Where Do I Begin?
Now that you have a better grasp on baking with yeast, start with an easy recipe: Cranberry Nut No-Knead Bread. (Pictured above without the cranberries and walnuts.) This no mixer, no knead bread recipe comes together in 1 bowl. The yeast requires at least 12 hours to raise the dough, so just let it sit on your counter. Very little hands-on work. It’s a great recipe to begin the day before. I also have a 4 ingredients homemade artisan bread that requires very little hands-on time.
More Favorite Easy Yeast Recipes:
- Cinnamon Rolls – Shaped yeast doughs, such as cinnamon rolls, Nutella babka, and dinner rolls, usually require 2 rises. This easy cinnamon rolls recipe skips 1 rise, so it cuts the time in half. I also have a recipe for traditional overnight cinnamon rolls.
- Flatbread Dough – Make thin crust style pizza with this 45 minute flatbread dough. My homemade pizza dough is also very easy, though it’s thicker and requires a slightly longer rise time. Both have great flavor.
- Homemade Bread Bowls – Pictured below. This is a very basic bread dough that you can flavor and use for many recipes. See the recipe notes.
Q: Was this guide helpful to you?
More Helpful Baking Tips
HI, I live in the United Kingdom, we don’t have your yeast with dough improvers over here. Can i just use normal active yeast or do i need to put something else in? I want to make your cheese bread, it looks yum! Thanks
Hi Jill, another active dry yeast should work just fine, rise time may be slightly longer. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Excellent tips! I’ll definitely use these.
I love the detailed explanations.
Hi! I just made your cinnamon rolls,first time,think my yeast is dead,as it did not get foamy, time will tell rite? Ty for the recipe ,If I dnt succeed,I will try n try again!! Lol
Can you use the proof setting on your oven when letting your dough rise? I have home in upstate NY – its fairly cool most of the time and home in Florida where it is hot most of the time. I feel like the proof setting would be my best bet.
Hi Pamela, yes, that should work just fine. Be sure to follow the rising instructions from the specific recipe (i.e. let rise until double in size). Hope this helps!
Hi , I make bread at least once a week for ourselves, friends and relatives. Am always looking for something new or different, just started dabbling with sour dough. Would you have bread recipes and a special starter? Love trying new . Thanks
Hi Diana, we don’t have any experience baking with sourdough starter, but would love to learn one day!
The bread was tasty- but it had a flat top instead of a round top. What did I do wrong? This is so hard to get right.
Hi Lorie, happy to help troubleshoot! Which recipe did you have trouble with? How did you measure your flour? Make sure to spoon and level instead of scooping to prevent too much flour in your dough. This could result in dense bread that doesn’t rise.
Can I use the bread proofing setting on my oven to place the dough for rising?
Hi Beth! Yes, that can be a great place for bread to rise.
Love you recepies, If im making a recepie doubled, is yeats also doubled or a different proportion should de used?
Hi Paulina! We always recommend making two batches of yeast breads for best results.
I have been experimenting with breads for a number of years now (Thank you for your recipes by the way! SOOO GOOOD!) Anyhow, my husband asked me a question today that I couldn’t really answer. I have always used our treated tap water in my bread recipes and they turn out fine. Why doesn’t the “chlorine treatment” kill the yeast? Will my bread turn out even better if I use filtered water? What do you use in your breads?
I’m trying to make the pesto pull apart bread. I mixed the yeast, sugar and warm milk(all measured and used thermometer) let sit for 10 min after whisking together. Added butter, flour etc and mixed with spatulas for 3 min. My dough is so sticky it’s impossible to work with. I’m nervous to keep adding flour. What did I do wrong?? I don’t want to throw out it smells great. Not sure how to salvage.
Hi Kim! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
Can’t wait to make these scrumptious looking Hot Cross Buns for Easter this Sunday.
I have both the Red and Gold Saf yeasts. With the amount of sugar in the recipe would the Gold Saf be a good choice or better to stay with the Red?
As always, in advance, delicious thanks for your always best ever recipes!!!
Hi Sally, as we understand it, Saf gold is made for sweet doughs, which this should qualify as. Both yeasts should work well here. Let us know if you try!
Hello,
Could you please tell me how you know when your dough is finished rising?
Sometimes there is a big difference in my dough and other times it looks like it has only rised a little.
Hi Kara! This will depend on the recipe. We often have dough rise until “doubled in size”. If your dough hasn’t risen in the expected time given, allow it to rise longer. You can also try a warmer spot to speed things up (but not too hot!).
Thank you for your reply.
The recipe is Great, & the bread came out Perfect!!!
Thank you
Wow! So much helpful information and explanations!! I actually think I can do it! Cinnamon Rolls tomorrow!
Would have loved to be able to print out this guide for easy reference. Hard to read with all the ads (and I completely understand the ads need to be there). Thanks!
Hi Gail, We do not have a PDF version of this guide at this time, but we can certainly see how that would be helpful and will keep this in mind for the future. To make it a bit shorter, you could try copying and pasting the text into a Word document instead. Hope this is a helpful solution!
I agree with a PDF copy for kneading the dough. I love my recipe books and would love to include this if it can be done. Thank you for all your recipes and tips. Love your site
I copy out the text I want and paste it into a Word document to save and/or print! No ads.
I made the cinnamon rolls. I forgot to let it rise for ten minutes. I didn’t Want to throw it away so what can I do with it? Thank you
Hi Sabra, the 10 minutes gives the dough’s gluten a chance to settle and relax, which will make rolling out much easier. We’d proceed with the recipe—if you find the dough shrinking back, cover it with a clean towel for a few minutes, which will allow the gluten to relax a bit, then try rolling again.
I am branching out from sour dough and at 5500 elevation .
Hi Sally!!! Thank you for this valuable info on baking with yeast. I have been trying to make bread for over a year without success. After reading your blog, I can certainly say that I have finally been successful!
All that said, in your kneading tutorial, you give examples of how to know when you have kneaded the dough enough, but is there any way to tell when dough has been over kneaded? Thank you for all of your help!
Over-kneaded dough will be dense and stiff. This guide from Bob’s Red Mill goes into more detail, if you’re interested: https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/can-you-over-knead-bread/
Hi Sally, I loved trying the recipe but I wasn’t terribly successful. My bread was overly dense and a bit bitter. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Sue, I’d be happy to help troubleshoot. Which bread recipe did you make?
I am having a problem with my dinner rolls from your recipe. They fall after the second rise (when I remove the cover to put into the oven). What am I doing wrong?
Hi Margaret, When yeasted rolls/breads collapse, they’ve usually been over-proofed. It sounds like your dough may have risen too much before shaping into rolls. Next time, try a shorter rise time, or a cooler spot for the dough to rise. Hope this helps!
What is the significance of the amount of yeast used?
I see some recipes with 1/2 tsp and some with 2-1/2 tsp with the same amount of flour.
Hi Fran, the more yeast, the more rise the bread will have. It really depends on the exact recipe and the intended outcomes (ie big, fluffy cinnamon rolls have more yeast than a shorter loaf of hearty bread like this cranberry nut no knead bread).
Do you have the recipe for the bread loaf pictured in this post?
Here is our Artisan Bread recipe, Bridget!
Hello Sally,
I cooked some buns with 500g of whole wheat flour, 320ml of water, 10g honey, 7g of salt, 40ml of oil and 7g active dry yeast and for some reason they taste too much like yeast. Other than that they look perfect. They are fluffy, doibled in size when baking and look amazing, but I don‘t know why they taste so much like yeast. Do you maybe have an idea?
Greetings,
Sarah
Hi I have a question about yeast, so can you substitute sourdough starter yeast for bakers yeast (active or instant ) if so what would be the ratio?
Hi Lisa, we do not have any experience baking with sourdough starter, so we’re unsure of the exact ratio and how it would work in our recipes. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
I love your recipes! I have made the dinner roll recipe twice. Each time, i have problem the dough rising a second time- when i roll them into balls & place in glass pan. Ive looked at FAQ and cant see what Im doing wrong. Any suggestions? Thank you
Hi Shannon, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Are the dough balls not getting puffy when you let them have that second rise in the baking pan?
I live in Colorado and am at 8400 ft.? Do I make any changes to the cranberry and nut bread recipe?
Hi Judy, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I made this recipe and socked my apples in toffee caramel coffee syrup.just drain apples before placing on to dough. Yum!
A tip for rising dough. I put my slow cooker on keep warm setting place a tea towel in the bottom. Put dough in an oiled bowl .Cover dough with oiled cling film. Leave to rise (usually an hour) .works great!
Wondering if there is a typo in ingredients section of Crusty Cranberry Nut bread. Used 1/2 tsp yeast to 3 cups of flour and the bread didn’t rise. Will try again using 1 1/2 (per your yeast tip that’s shows we should use 1/2 tsp per cup of flour.)
Hi Farmwife, 1/2 tsp of yeast in that recipe is correct. It uses the very easy slow rise method, which requires less yeast that other yeasted breads.
Thank you, Thank you. I have never had any success with using yeast (except in a bread machine) and after reading your instructions in ‘Baking with Yeast Guide’, I pulled up my big-girl-panties and tried your Sea Salt and Herb buns and they were wonderful. Thank you.
If I half the recipe do I half the yeast? I know it sounds silly, but you never know.
Hi Jennifer! It really depends on the recipe. We generally advise against scaling yeasted recipes.