What are the differences between the various baking yeasts (fresh yeast, traditional/dry active, instant yeast, quick rise yeast, bread machine yeast)? Not much! But will these minor differences may affect which yeast you select for your next risen dough recipe?
Yes, you can substitute Instant Yeast for Dry Active Yeast without changing the amount. It will make very little difference.
But if you’re a stickler for detail and want to do a little math, the conversion is:
1 1/4 teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast for every 1 teaspoon of Instant Yeast in a recipe.
Or the other way:
3/4 teaspoons of Instant Yeast for every 1 teaspoon of Dry Active Yeast (AKA Traditional) called for in a recipe.
There are differences between types of yeast used for baking but for the casual baker, they aren’t very significant. That means if a recipe calls for traditional (dry active) yeast and you only have instant/quick rise/rapid rise on hand, then just use what you have!
Why these Baking Yeast FAQ’s
In all most of my regular bread recipes, I’ve used Active Dry Yeast (also known as Traditional Yeast). After posting, I always get asked variations of the same questions: “Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?” and “Can I use other types of yeast like nutritional yeast?” Almost as frequently, someone will ask if yeast is even vegan! Rather than type of answers every time, I’ve written this post to answer all those frequently asked questions about yeast and baking with yeast.
If you have other questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.
What yeast used for baking?
Yeasts are a collection of species of fungi but only some are used for baking; particularly strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
What are the different types of yeast used for baking?
- wild yeast
- store-bought yeast
- fresh yeast cakes
- dry active yeast (traditional)
- instant yeast (or quick rise)
About Wild Yeast
Wild yeasts are all around us: in the air and on the surface of everything including plants and animals, even on us! Real sourdough bread is made using wild yeast. To make sourdough, bakers combine flour and water and let the yeast that is naturally in the environment feed on the mixture. Though a careful series of “feedings”, sourdough bakers help the wild yeast multiply. This mixture becomes sourdough starter and can be used to make all sorts of sourdough bread, pancakes, waffles, and more.
About Fresh Yeast
Fresh yeast comes in a compressed cake and is highly perishable so you won’t find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. If you’re lucky, you might find it in the refrigerated or freezer sections. However, fresh yeast is a specialty item so call around to grocery stores or bakeries to find a local source.
About Dry Yeast
Dry yeast for baking are made of specifically selected and commercially grown yeast. They are dried so that the yeast can remain alive but dormant. This allows it can be stored for a long time. Dry yeast comes in two main types: Dry Active Yeast and Instant Yeast.
What is Dry Active Yeast and Traditional Yeast?
Dry Active Yeast is also known as Traditional Yeast or Traditional Dry Active Yeast. It’s a form of commercially grown yeast that’s dried and turned into tiny granules.
To use Dry Active Yeast, a baker will mix the yeast with water. The water will soak into the yeast granules, “awakening” the dormant yeast and the yeast will start to swell and eventually turn foamy. Yeast will react more quickly if the water is a nice yeast-friendly temperature (110°-115°F or 43°-46°C) and if there is food (like sugar) for them.
All that said, in my experience, modern Dry Active Yeast can be mixed into the dry ingredients of your bread and used just like Instant Yeast.
What is Instant Yeast and Quick Rise Yeast?
Instant Yeast is basically the same as Dry Active Yeast except that the granules are made even tinier than Traditional. This means a spoonful of Instant Yeast actually contains a bit more yeast that the same size spoon of Traditional Yeast.
Instant Yeast by any other name
What’s the difference with Bread Machine Yeast and Quick Rise Yeast? These are just marketing terms to get you to buy different kinds of instant yeast! They are the same thing. Use them interchangeably.
Pizza Yeast also has the same rising power and you can use it the same as well. However, it contains an additive to help pizza dough stretch. Totally unnecessary as, in my option, well made pizza dough (using bread flour or 00 flour) will stretch perfectly without.
The combination of the smaller granule size and greater density of yeast means it can cause doughs to rise more quickly.
All that said, in my decades of baking experience, I have not found the difference between traditional dry active yeast and instant yeast to be of any practical consequence.
Substituting Instant Yeast for Dry Active Yeast (and vice versa)
Yes, you can substitute instant yeast for dry active yeast. You can do a straight substitution if you want to keep things simple. That is, you don’t have to change the measurement. I literally always do that and it always works out.
But as mentioned above, Instant Yeast is milled finer. That means spoonful for spoonful, Instant Yeast is more dense and therefore has more rising power than Traditional Dry Active Yeast. If you want to be a stickler about substitutions you can use:
1 1/4 teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast for every 1 teaspoon of Instant Yeast in a recipe.
Or the other way:
3/4 teaspoons of Instant Yeast for every 1 teaspoon of Dry Active Yeast (AKA Traditional) called for in a recipe.
Myths about Instant Yeast and Dry Active Yeast
There are many myths floating around about instant yeast and dry active yeast.
Myth 1: Instant yeast is for single rise bread recipes and traditional dry active yeast is for multiple rises
The reality: Both forms of yeast can be used in single and multiple rise dough recipes.
Myth 2: Yeast is not vegan-friendly
The reality: Yeast is vegan-friendly. Yeast is a type of single-celled microorganism classed as fungi. Mushrooms are another example of fungi. Simply put, veganism is a practice that avoids using and exploiting animals. Yeast isn’t an animal, nor are animals required for the production of yeast.
Myth 3: Salt in your dough will kill the yeast and your bread won’t rise
The reality: Mixing salt and yeast together in your dry ingredients does not kill the yeast. Salt does have an effect on yeast: it slows down fermentation. This can be an advantage and prevent your dough from over-fermenting and getting an alcoholic odor too quickly. Plus, salt enhances the flavor of your bread. Just be sure to follow the recipes as written.
Can I substitute baking yeast with nutritional yeast or brewers yeast?
No, nutritional yeast and brewer’s yeast are not substitutes for baking yeast. Instead, use nutritional yeast to add a nutty and savory flavor to your snacks and meals! In the right recipe, it can help foods taste cheesy (like in my Mac n’ Nooch or Vegan Cheez Whiz recipes). Brewer’s yeast, as the name suggests, is used in beer-making. But when you find this bitter yeast in the grocery store, it’s usually in the pharmacy section with the other nutritional supplements.
What type of yeast to use for Keto Bread?
I’ve been using Quick Rise Instant Yeast to develop my vegan keto breads. However, you really can use any baking yeast! Feel free to use Instant Yeast, Quick Rise Yeast, and Bread Machine Yeast interchangeably. When using Traditional/Dry Active Yeast, I measure with slightly rounded spoons instead of leveling across the top as you normally would to make up for the difference in density.
Other baking yeast questions?
Please let me know if you have any other questions about baking yeast. If you’re having trouble with your bread dough, check out my troubleshooting guide for bread.
