Whats the difference between fresh cake yeast and active dry yeast?
Fresh, or cake, yeast is harder to find. It comes in blocks and does not last long in the refrigerator. Dry yeast comes in jars and envelopes and keeps longer. Unopened, it does not need to be refrigerated and will last about a year. Once opened, keep jars of yeast in the fridge. They should last about six months. What if it doesn’t bubble? If the yeast fails to foam up once you’ve added liquid, it’s dead. Start over with new yeast. Why does it have to rise in a “warm place”? Yeast is most active between 86 and 95 degrees. Turn on your oven to its lowest setting for 1 minute, then turn off. Cover the bowl of dough with buttered wax paper and a damp towel or with oiled plastic wrap. Just don’t forget it’s in there and preheat the oven for something else! What if I use the yeast at the wrong time in the recipe? Order does matter. Read through the whole recipe before you start and visualize each step. Get out all the ingredients before you start. If you still mess up, it’s your call wheth
