Apologies in advance for this potentially SILLY question......

[9slicePie]

For yeast, do pizza shop owners ONLY use fresh yeast?  Is using ADY/IDY common in the industry?

[pizzablogger]

Not a silly question at all.

IDY/ADY are used by many pizzerias, as is fresh yeast.

Cheers. -k

[Pete-zza]

For yeast, do pizza shop owners ONLY use fresh yeast?  Is using ADY/IDY common in the industry?

9slicePie,

What pizzablogger (Kelly) posted is correct. Several years ago, I attempted to draw a distinction between the three types of yeast, at Reply 7 at:

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=9560.msg83073#msg83073

To the above, I would add that the late Tom Lehmann used to recommend IDY to pizza operators because of its ease of use. His thinking was that the failure rate of making dough was a lot less with IDY than ADY, which requires prehydration in warm water for several minutes (as called for by producers of ADY) whereas the IDY can simply be added to the flour.

Peter

[9slicePie]

From the link provided above ^^

DavePZ,

If you go back in history, you will find that the old NYC pizza masters used fresh yeast (aka wet yeast, cake yeast or compressed yeast) to make their NY style pizzas. It wasn't until about World War II that active dry yeast (ADY) started to be used and in the 1970s when instant dry yeast (IDY) was invented. But, old habits die hard, and there are still pizza operators out there who still use fresh yeast (it is also cheaper than the dry forms at high pizza volumes).

Hmmm, I see why fresh yeast would be used.  I don't own or operate a business, but I'm just guessing that anything CHEAPER to give the same result would be the go-to product to use.  (Am I wrong?) 

[Pete-zza]

From the link provided above ^^

Hmmm, I see why fresh yeast would be used.  I don't own or operate a business, but I'm just guessing that anything CHEAPER to give the same result would be the go-to product to use.  (Am I wrong?) 

9slicePie,

The downside of fresh yeast is that it has to be used promptly in a commercial setting, and it does not store well. Tom Lehmann discussed this matter, and others as well, at Reply 1 at:

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=61901.msg616240;topicseen#msg616240

Peter

[pizzablogger]

Indeed. I use freshly yeast.

Upon delivery, we immediately put it in an airtight container and into the walk-in. We only take it out immediately prior to measuring it and immediately put it back into the walk-in after measuring. We replace it weekly....tossing out any unused portion of the previous weeks fresh yeast.

[stamina888]

Other users have answered this in better detail.  But ADY, IDY and Fresh are all viable.  ADY and IDY are common.

[waltertore]

My 94 year old mother went through the great depression as a kid.  She and her friends would go to her uncles bakery (also made pizza as there were not any dedicated pizzerias in her area of NJ outside NYC) and they would give them pieces of fresh yeast.  They ate it as a substitute for candy as they had no $ to buy any.  I tried it and it does have a sweet flavor and is probably good for the digestion