Question re dry active yeast

Here's one for you bread makers - how long does dry active yeast keep (when stored properly)? The reason I ask is I just bought a TWO POUND bag of Red Star dry active yeast from Costco (for $2.29). The instructions say to refrigerate it after opening. The last time I bought yeast it was in a little 4 oz. brown glass jar, so I'm assuming light isn't good for it either.

At that price it's probably worth it even if I have to dump part of it down the road but waste not, want not, don't you know... Reading all the great bread threads here have got me inspired lately to bake bread again, but dang, that's a lot of yeast!

including breads, pizzas, yeast raised rolls, yeast raised pancakes, and anthing else you can think of that requires leavening.

Yeast keeps its potency for about a year when refrigerated. I'm not sure if freezing it would prolong its life or not, since it's a living organism and freezing would likely destroy it.

My suggestion is that you share it among acquaintances who are bakers. At that price, you could give away all but 4 oz. and still be ahead of the game when you price those little brown bottles. A health food store might also take it off your hands, since most of them sell baking yeast in bulk.

Sometimes those bargains at Costco aren't bargains. I found that out the hard way, too.

You'd better share that yeast, or you'll end up throwing most of it out.

I made that mistake with rolled oats at Costco. I thought I was going to have enough rolled oats to last the rest of my natural life. That was one of my motivations for getting back into baking - trying to find something to do with them besides making porridge. (I actually found a oatmeal bread recipe I like quite a lot in Beard on Bread that calls for 3 cups of rolled oats, 7-1/2 to 8 cups of flour and makes 3 loaves.)

If the yeast will keep a year I'll try storing it in the fridge and see how long it lasts before it poops out on me.

Hell, even if we through 2/3's of it out, we're still ahead of the game.

wow :wow:

guess I'll check it out next time I'm at Costco, I have an extra fridge in the garage :bounce:

They buy the two pound bags at Costco, divvy it up into 2 to 4 oz bags, and sell it for far less than those packages and jars in the supermarket.

Since I use the methods described in "Crust and Crumb," 4 oz of yeast lasts me a whole baking season and generally doesn't run more than $.75.

cheaper and in bulk

thanks for the reminder

Can't say how long your 2 pounds would keep when stored that way. I've never purchased such a large amount. But I'd stick it in the freezer to buy some more time.

for 2 yrs or more, and it's still fine.

The thing about active dry yeast is that you always want to "prove" (or "proof") it before you mix it into your dough. Most recipes for active dry yeast will tell you (or most bread baking books explain in a section about yeast) how to add all of the recipe's yeast to some warm sugar and a little sugar and let them sit for a few minutes. The mix should be good and frothy - that way you know the yeast is still good. In addition, the way active dry yeast is manufactured, it really does need to be activated that way before mixing it into your dough, something about the coating on the yeast particles.

The so-called new "instant" yeasts are different, and they really don't activate that way. They are made to be mixed directly in with the flour, water, etc.

There's also a difference in the amount of dry yeast required compared to instant yeast, so it's important to pay attention to what type of yeast the recipe was written for. You can, however, substitute one for the other, and there is a precise proportion to go by for substituting. I'll post it in it's own thread so that it will be easy to find for anyone who might need it now or later.

For $2.29 I'd have bought the yeast, too, even if I ended up giving away or tossing a bag of it.

It will be a while before I need yeast, these are still working fine for me.

Actually, if you would like one of them, I'd be happy to give it to you - at this rate, I'll never get through them!


SAF instant yeast used to be hard to get, you had to mail order it from somewhere and it cost about $6 - $8 per lb bag, plus of course shipping. In the fairly recent past, the bags of SAF started showing up on shelves. One day I saw some in an unexpected place, and did one of those "impulse" buys - not thinking that I still had an unopened bag at home! Then a week or so later, having left the new bag sitting in an open box near the kitchen along with A LOT of chocolate that I'd bought, I came home to find the new bag of yeast outside in the yard with a puncture hole in it. :rofl:


Can you believe it? My dog who's stolen chocolate more than once in the past, _didn't_ take the Valhrona or the Callebaut, but he _did_ take the SAF yeast! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


But he didn't get more than a lick or so into it before he decided he'd made a BIG mistake but by then he was too embarassed to steal anything else from the box... :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Ah well....