I think fresh yeast beats dry yeast for bread... fight me

I've been baking bread for about 2 years now, mostly sourdough and simple loaves. Everyone online swears by active dry or instant yeast, saying it's more reliable and lasts longer. But I grabbed a block of fresh yeast from the fridge section at my local grocery store 3 months ago, and I'm never going back. The rise on my sandwich bread was way more consistent, and the crust had this deeper golden color I couldn't get with dry packets. Plus the dough felt softer and easier to work with, almost like it was alive in a different way. I know fresh yeast doesn't keep as long, but I just split the block into 1 ounce portions and freeze them. Has anyone else tried switching and noticed a real difference in texture or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason1121d ago

Heard fresh yeast has more living cells per gram, makes sense it rises better.

paul1171d ago

Hang on, I've had way better luck with dry yeast in my bread machines, it just seems more consistent batch to batch. Fresh yeast always felt like it went bad on me before I could use the whole block. Maybe it's just a storage thing but dry has never let me down.