Author Topic: Freezing Yeast (Read 1346 times)

Chicago Bob · « **on:** December 05, 2012, 01:32:31 PM »

I just found a bakery that will sell me fresh cake yeast...$2 for a one pound block. It is big. Did a forum search on freezing this stuff and not much info out there. I suppose I will try a few experiments with the several different types of doughs I have in mind for this yeast and if the results are good then will make batches for freezing. It's my understanding(from the limited info) that one will incur the least amout of "damage" to the yeast if it is frozen in a completed dough ball rather that just wraping and freezing the cake itself. The baker said it will keep fresh in the frig. "for a week or so". This product is not something they have displayed for sale, I spoke directly with the owner of the bakery and really don't want to be asking for this regularly if I can find a way to work with it in regards to freezing techniques.
Any help/suggestions here would be appreciated. Thanks!

Bob

shuboyje · « **Reply #1 on:** December 05, 2012, 04:00:40 PM »

I put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag and use them for a couple months with no problems and no sign of change in the characteristics of fermentation. I actually used some the other day that had been in the fridge about 6 months and didn't notice any difference in the way it performed.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #2 on:** December 05, 2012, 04:28:32 PM »

Quote from: shuboyje on December 05, 2012, 04:00:40 PM

I put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag and use them for a couple months with no problems and no sign of change in the characteristics of fermentation. I actually used some the other day that had been in the fridge about 6 months and didn't notice any difference in the way it performed.

Hmmm...that is very interesting Jeff. Could this bakery possibly be using something unusual? The owner that was so nice to me is an older cat and has a very sucessful bakery here in Durham, he is real media /computer savy and many stores in the area stock his vast line of baked goods. Looking at me over the top of his bi-focals he instructed me that after about a week an a half the cake may become soft an gooey and at that point I may want to "bloom" it in some 110 degree water to make certain it is still alive.
Just trying to convey info here....thanks for your help.
Bob

widespreadpizza · « **Reply #3 on:** December 05, 2012, 07:20:48 PM »

CB, you can freeze it no problem. Done it many times. in fact need to get some more. Cut it into pieces big enough for a weeks worth of dough, wrap individually in saran wrap, then into a freezer bar. After thawing it will weep a little water, but works as well IMO -Marc

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #4 on:** December 05, 2012, 08:05:51 PM »

Thank you Marc. In retrospect I now am seeing that I inadvertently did a "freezing yeast" search in a quite limited fashion, not a complete forum search (Ooops

). And it does , infact appear to be one of "those

" highly controversial topics.
From what I have gleaned, your experiences are most in line with what is a popular consensus....freeze it an go with it as you will!

Thanks again man, you make good pizza.

Bob

edit: and you too jeff.

Jet_deck · « **Reply #5 on:** December 05, 2012, 09:28:45 PM »

Somewhere Chau said he freezes his.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #6 on:** December 05, 2012, 09:45:25 PM »

Quote from: Jet_deck on December 05, 2012, 09:28:45 PM

Somewhere Chau said he freezes his.

Thanks Gene, for some reason Chau always reminds me of Seriouseats....or maybe it's Good Eats? Tran Man will wring out a damn recipe now.....

Giggliato · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2013, 09:49:10 AM »

I store jars of instant dried yeast in my freezer for years, but it seems to me that if you are going to be using cake yeast you'd want it fresh??

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2013, 10:36:22 AM »

Bob, for fresh CY, you can freeze it if you'd like. I've been known to divide a 1lb block into quarters, wrap and freeze. Upon thawing as Marc says, it gets a bit weepy. I wrap the thawed CY in several layers of papertowels and let it breathe/dry out a bit in the fridge before sealing it up. It does work, but to account for some of the dead yeast, I usually use 10% more or so and just adjust the fermentation temps to conincide with baking.

I have also been told 2 weeks max but that isn't true either. As Jeff noted, I have also kept a quarter block in the fridge wrapped in a papertowel and inside a ziplock bag. I wrap it and exchange the papertowels to prevent it from getting soft and gooey. I exchange the paper towel once every 2 wks or so when it gets moist and am approaching the 2 month mark. The fresh CY looks and behaves as it does on day one.

For as cheap as it is, I will probably just keep it in the fridge from now on and use it until it shows signs of mold or inactivity.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #9 on:** January 13, 2013, 04:03:20 PM »

OK, thanks alot guys. This is exactly what I was hoping to hear and appreciate all the help.

landras · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2013, 03:40:00 PM »

Bob, I used to work in a microbiology lab and we did some commercial yeast test for a producer and found that after 1 year in the freezer the activity was very similar to the fresh one, I think was something like 10-15% less than the fresh one.
nico

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #11 on:** January 29, 2013, 04:44:46 PM »

Quote from: landras on January 29, 2013, 03:40:00 PM

Bob, I used to work in a microbiology lab and we did some commercial yeast test for a producer and found that after 1 year in the freezer the activity was very similar to the fresh one, I think was something like 10-15% less than the fresh one.
nico

nico,
Very interesting,thanks.
To be clear....you tested frozen, both commercial and fresh, and after one year the defrosted fresh yeast was 10-15% more potent than the defrosted commercial yeast, correct?

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 29, 2013, 05:00:01 PM »

Quote from: Chicago Bob on January 29, 2013, 04:44:46 PM

nico,
Very interesting,thanks.
To be clear....you tested frozen, both commercial and fresh, and after one year the defrosted fresh yeast was 10-15% more potent than the defrosted commercial yeast, correct?

I think you read that wrong Bob. I think by fresh he means it had not been frozen and not a second type of yeast. I believe he's saying that after a year in the freezer, the yeast lost 10-15% of it's activity as compared to yeast that had not been frozen.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #13 on:** January 29, 2013, 05:02:56 PM »

Thank you Craig....you are correct.

But that's good results though. Thanks again nico.

landras · « **Reply #14 on:** January 29, 2013, 06:03:56 PM »

Quote from: TXCraig1 on January 29, 2013, 05:00:01 PM

I think you read that wrong Bob. I think by fresh he means it had not been frozen and not a second type of yeast. I believe he's saying that after a year in the freezer, the yeast lost 10-15% of it's activity as compared to yeast that had not been frozen.

yep, you got it

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #15 on:** February 25, 2013, 08:17:03 PM »

Bobby. Wanted to show this picture of a block of CY that I wrapped in a papertowel, vacuum sealed, and then froze. It went into the freezer this previous mid November. So it has been about 3 months now and I just thawed it out today. It is softer than the original but not nearly as mushy as without the vacuum sealing.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #16 on:** February 25, 2013, 09:04:51 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on February 25, 2013, 08:17:03 PM

Bobby. Wanted to show this picture of a block of CY that I wrapped in a papertowel, vacuum sealed, and then froze. It went into the freezer this previous mid November. So it has been about 3 months now and I just thawed it out today. It is softer than the original but not nearly as mushy as without the vacuum sealing.

Thanks Chau, you just reminded me that I need to pick up another block from my local baker fella.
I didn't freeze it and it lasted well over 2 1/2 months in the frig. Great stuff!

andyt · « **Reply #17 on:** March 03, 2013, 09:17:42 AM »

I am using Fleischman IDY, I think I froze in March 2011. The best before date is Feb 2014. I use KA All Purpose flour, 60% hydration, 2% salt, 0.5% yeast, 2.9% olive oil. Mix everything by hand, do four stretch and folds, 5 minutes apart and then refrigerate for 3 days.

Over the past couple of months, the dough rises nicely but the flavor seems bland and it was not like that before. Landras posted that the lab work he was involved in revealed freezing yeast, resulted in a loss of potency of 10-15%/year. I could actually be down 30%, still one year from the best before date. Is my yeast the problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #18 on:** March 03, 2013, 11:19:48 AM »

Quote from: andyt on March 03, 2013, 09:17:42 AM

I am using Fleischman IDY, I think I froze in March 2011. The best before date is Feb 2014. I use KA All Purpose flour, 60% hydration, 2% salt, 0.5% yeast, 2.9% olive oil. Mix everything by hand, do four stretch and folds, 5 minutes apart and then refrigerate for 3 days.

Over the past couple of months, the dough rises nicely but the flavor seems bland and it was not like that before. Landras posted that the lab work he was involved in revealed freezing yeast, resulted in a loss of potency of 10-15%/year. I could actually be down 30%, still one year from the best before date. Is my yeast the problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

Andy,
Buy a single packet next time you're shopping and try that in the next batch of dough.

andyt · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2013, 01:40:32 PM »

Bob

Went to the Fleischman website and followed their instruction, mixing 1/4 c warm water with 1 tsp sugar, yeast and allowed to double in 10 minutes. Yeast doubled as per requirement. Not convinced.

I bought new yeast and tried a 3 day, refrigerated fermentation batch as per the recipe I posted earlier. Made a pizza after the first day, awesome. Made a pizza with same dough after 3 days, flavor was Blah! Repeated the experiment twice more with 3 day ferments and pizza after one day of fermentation was awesome, 3 days blah.

Not only had my yeast gone off flavour wise, this allowed me to see the negative effect of my extended fermentation.

Thanks so much for your help, much appreciated Bob.

Andy