Yeast Question

[enob]

I have using using both dough recipes(canadaves and Tom lehmans) with much success making NYC style pizza dough using IDY yeast, and yesterday I purchased some fresh yeast looking to test if it will yield a difference.  I was wondering if the yeast amounts in these recipes should be altered with the fresh yeast. Is there a rule of thumb like double fresh versus IDY?
I looked at the conversion table and did not understand the conversions ratio's?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Mike

[Pete-zza]

Mike,

To convert from instant dry yeast (IDY) to fresh yeast, you triple the amount of IDY, by weight (not by volume), to get to the required weight of fresh yeast to use. (To convert from ADY to fresh yeast, you double the weight of the ADY.)

If you are using one of those little cubes of fresh yeast from the supermarket, like Fleischmann's fresh yeast, the cube weighs 0.6 oz (17 grams). So, for example, if you used 0.03 ounces of IDY (which is typical for a single 16" Lehmann dough), tripling that would give you 0.09 ounces of fresh yeast on a comparable basis. That would come to 0.09/0.6 = 0.15, or a little over 1/6th of one of those little cubes of fresh yeast.

I hope you will let us know if you detect a difference when using the fresh yeast in lieu of the IDY. Remember, there is no need to hydrate the fresh yeast in water. It can be so hydrated if you prefer (in tepid water only), but it can just be crumbled directly in with the flour, just as you now combine IDY with the flour.

Peter

[enob]

Thanks so much Pete your the man, The distrubtor sold me a 1 LB block of fresh SAF yeast for 90 cents and told me that alot of the Pizzaerias in Chicago use this. I will pass on my results to all.

Thanks Again
Mike

[Pete-zza]

Mike,

Fresh yeast is highly perishable so my advice is to keep it under refrigeration at all times. After a few weeks, depending on its age when you got the yeast from the distributor, it will start to lose its potency and result in a slower fermentation. Freezing isn't normally recommended but I have done so and the yeast still worked, but maybe not as well as when it was fresh because freezing kills some of the yeast cells. The problem is that you don't know how well the defrosted yeast will work. Now you can see why operators have been switching to IDY. It's more expensive, but more convenient to use and, properly stored, lasts a long time.

Peter

[enob]

Pete:

Thanks for the advise and from reading up on fresh yeast it appears easier to just use IDY but i did want to try at least once fresh yeast to see how much if any a difference it will make with my dough and at 90 cents for a 1 LB how could i go wrong.

Thanks again
Mike