Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast

[BarbaraS]

So I finally found this at Wegman's. Is this the same as the instant yeast you use to make that 18 hour bread?

Barbara

[luvnit]

This is what I have always used. Not sure if it is what you are supposed to use or not. I'd like to know though...

[labradors]

HERE, again, is what Alton Brown said. Notice that he mentions four kinds of yeast: "cake or compressed yeast," "active dry yeast," "rapid-rise yeast," and "instant yeast." He also states that he avoids rapid-rise and prefers instant.

[Lorraine]

Barbara, I have used that yeast , and it was fine. I now buy Red Star Yeast in bulk, and store it in the fridge. Same results. I understand what Alton is saying, however, I tske what he says with a grain of salt (or yeast).

[cjs]

ditto, Lorraine. I always use regular yeast in my 18-hour bread. Have only used rapid/instant yeast rarely over the years. I do keep it in the freezer in case a bread I want to make calls for it. I also keep my regular yeast in the freezer.

[Trixxee]

When I think of cake yeast I think of I Love Lucy and the gigantic loaf of bread she made. LOL.

[Harborwitch]

LOL!

8 or 10 days to an oven! First thing is going to be 18 hour bread, or no knead bread, or stone ground corn bread.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Okay, finally weighing in here...not from a knowledgeable standpoint, but from a"What I've got" point of view. I think I have used all three interchangeably. But I haven't taken time to notice a difference.

A lot of recipes I had used called for measures of yeast and all I had was what was available, which was random packages of all three types. I was constantly looking up how much a package measured! Hated that!

One day, while at my leisure to wander through Sam's Club, I noticed a double pack of bulk yeast. I bought it. I figured they supply businesses and catered to their customers requests. One pack lives in my fridge and the other is waiting in the freezer. It is the Fleischman's Instant. It has worked very well in everything I've used it in, so far. Although, if I get a chance, I may pick up a small amount of the other two, just to compare.

So that's my two cents! Nothing scientific about it! LOL!

[Cubangirl]

I know you are all experts but I found bread tips really useful as a one source guide. Below is some other useful info from CI:

Can you sort out yeast label confusion? And can they be substituted for each other?

Despite indications to the contrary—created by the commercial largesse of the yeast companies—there are only three types of yeast: fresh, active dry, and instant. All are derived from the powerful brewer's yeast known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but each is processed from a slightly different strain of this protypical yeast.

Fresh, Compressed, or Cake Yeast

The original commercial yeast, known as fresh, compressed, or cake yeast is about 70 percent water by weight and is composed of 100 percent living cells. It is soft and crumbly and requires no proofing—fresh yeast will dissolve if it is simply rubbed into sugar or dropped into warm liquid. Owing to qualities associated with its strain, fresh yeast will produce the most carbon dioxide of all three types of yeasts during fermentation. Fresh yeast is considered fast, potent, and reliable, but it has a drawback: it is highly perishable and must be refrigerated and used before its expiry date.

Active Dry

Active dry yeasts arrive at their granular state by undergoing processes that reduce them to 95 percent dry matter. Traditional active dry yeast is exposed to heat so high that many of its cells are destroyed in the process. Because the spent outer cells encapsulate living centers, active dry yeast must first be dissolved in a relatively hot liquid (proofed) to slough off dead cells and reach the living centers.

Instant Yeasts (called "Instant,"'Quick Rise, "Perfect Rise" "Rapid Rise," or "Bread")

Instant yeasts are also processed to 95 percent dry matter, but are subjected to a gentler drying process than active dry. As a result, every dried particle is living, or active. This means the yeast can be mixed directly with recipe ingredients without first being dissolved in water or proofed. It is in this context that the yeast is characterized as "instant." We prefer instant yeast in the test kitchen. It combines the potency of fresh yeast with the convenience of active dry, and it is considered by some to have a cleaner flavor than active dry because it contains no dead cells. (In our months of testing, we found this to be true when we made a lean baguette dough but could detect no difference in flavor when using the two yeasts in doughs made with milk, sugar, and butter.)

Substitution Formulas

To substitute active dry for instant (or rapid rise) yeast: Use 25 percent more active dry. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of instant yeast, use 1¼ teaspoons of active dry. And don't forget to "prove" the yeast, i.e. dissolving it in a portion of the water from the recipe, heated to 105 degrees.

To substitute instant (or rapid rise, perfect rise, quick rise) yeast for active dry: Use about 25% less. For example if the recipe calls for 1 packet or 2¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast, use 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast. And you do not need to prove the yeast, just add it to the dry ingredients.

To substitute fresh yeast for active dry yeast, use a ratio of roughly 2:1, i.e. use one small cake (0.6 ounce) of compressed fresh yeast in lieu of 1 packet (.25 ounces) of active dry yeast.

Note a packet of active dry or instant yeast contains about 2¼ teaspoons (.25 ounces) of yeast.

[Roxanne 21]

I have used the instant for a while now and I find no difference with the different types of yeast. I do a great deal of baking using yeast and am totally satisfied with the results. Any yeast is great --- the end product will be awesome, no matter!!