yeast

[peg]

 
I need to know about the recipe for Best Pizza Dough Ever Recipe by Peter Reinhart....I found it on the web and I am not a big baker and am learning.  The recipe calls for >>>> 1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast.  OK.  Now does that mean I get the packets of yeast particles and just put a teaspoon in from the packet.  Or, should I proof it.  I don't understand how to do it.  Do I take 1 teaspoon and proof it and then add the liquid form.  I am wondering if the powder/particles from the packet will prood from the water (1 and 3/4 cups). 
 

[Pete-zza]

peg,

It sounds like you are using the recipe given at this site: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html. If so, you should just follow the instructions on how to handle the yeast. The yeast for that recipe is instant dry yeast (IDY). Unlike active dry yeast (ADY), which requires rehydration (activation) in warm water, IDY can be added directly to the flour, without the need to rehydrate it in water. Instant dry yeast is not usually sold by that name in the supermarkets, but rather as bread machine yeast. All you have to do is use a one-teaspoon measuring spoon and dip it into the bottle or packet of bread machine yeast, level the teaspoon, and put the yeast into the flour and the other ingredients as called for by the instructions accompanying the recipe. 

You picked a tough recipe to try as a beginner. I made a pizza today using that recipe and the dough is on the wet side and can be hard to handle if you are not experienced in handling wet doughs. I described my results at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,203.msg54497.html#msg54497 (Reply 19). In my case, I didn’t have to use a full teaspoon of IDY because I made only one pizza, not six.

Peter

[Tonio]

The whole IDY, ADY thing got me too.

Fleischmanns has 3 "named" products in local grocery stores in those small 3packs.
1. Instant dry yeast
2. active dry yeast
3. rapid rise
Actually my 1st attempt was Peters 's recipe too. 1st one was wetter than I wanted, being hand kneaded, it was a  flop-but I ate it anyway LOL.
2 nd  one was better, which I added more bench flour and used GM Harvest king vs Best AP.

Folks here seem to go for the IDY over ADY? Is it better for cold fermentation process?

Off to scour better yeast resources.

T

[Pete-zza]

Tonio,

I have not seen any Fleischmann's yeast sold in the supermarkets as "instant dry yeast". Their yeast for bread machines is instant dry yeast but is never called that to the best of my knowledge.

Most members use instant dry yeast (IDY) because it can be added directly to the flour and other dry ingredients without first rehydrating it. Active dry yeast (ADY) has to be first rehydrated in a small amount of water (about 4-5 times the weight of the ADY), at around 105 degrees F, for about 10 minutes. ADY is sensitive to water temperature, so it is important to measure the water temperature. Many people fail to do that and, as a result, can get degraded yeast performance. I have used both ADY and IDY for cold fermented pizza doughs but can't say that I detected any real differences in the final results. 

Peter

[Tonio]

Mr Pete-zza.
You are probalby correct, but I swear I saw instant dry yeast. Perhaps I miss read it under the bigger title of
for Bread Machines? That is most likely the case.
Being the vast knowledge of this, I won't argue

Sorry if my newbieness stirred you in the wrong direction Peg .

T