The Best Yeast for Home Bakers: Instant Yeast Vs. Active Dry

A look at the different kinds of yeast available for home bread bakers and the only kind you need.

wooden surface with instant yeast in mason jar and teaspoon

One of the biggest issues people seem to have with baking bread is the yeast.  There is a lot of conflicting advice out there. Do you need to mix it with water and sugar to activate it and wait for it to foam?  Are we supposed to dissolve the yeast? Wait, I thought it wasn’t supposed to get wet! Don’t let it touch the salt! And so on.  

Well, there is one easy bread-baking decision you can make that will let you ignore all that advice and have no trouble with your yeast.  When you switch to instant yeast, you add it like any other ingredient and never worry about it. If you don’t need to hear all the reasons why and want to order some, here is the kind I use and recommend.

Let’s discuss the differences between instant yeast and active dry.

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    Different Types of Yeast:

    Active Dry. 

    This is the “typical” yeast that you kind at the grocery store.  It comes in packets, and the most common brand is Fleischmann’s.  

    Instant: 

    This has slightly smaller grains than active dry and does not need to be dissolved in water.  

    Fast-Acting Yeast: 

    This type of instant yeast is specifically formulated to work extra fast.  Rapid Rise is made by Fleischmann’s and is the most accessible brand. It is NOT the same thing as instant yeast.  (I do not ever use this kind.)

    (There is also an old-fashioned cake yeast and a special bread machine yeast, but they are less common, and I’ve never used them.)

    So Why is Instant Yeast Better than Active Dry?

    It always works.

    The packets you buy at the store have a much shorter shelf life, and occasionally, you will get one that has lost its ability to work, even if it’s not past the expiration date.  This is why you must mix it with water and let it foam. It shows you whether it’s still good before you waste all your time and ingredients.

    Instant yeast, however, does not have this problem.  It is much more shelf stable and arrives at your home vacuum-sealed.  It will reliably last more than a year, so you can confidently add it to your bread dough.  Never worry about fresh yeast again.

    It comes in bulk, so you can measure the exact amount you need

    Active dry yeast comes in frustrating packets that contain 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast.  If you only need 1 teaspoon, you can try to seal it up somehow or throw it out.  Very annoying.

    Instant yeast, on the other hand, comes in a 1-pound block.  You pour it into a quart-sized container like a mason jar and pop it in the freezer.  Then, you measure out the exact amount you need and don’t have to waste any.  

    It is much less expensive.

    At my grocery store, a packet of yeast is about $1.50.  Remember that a packet of yeast is good for 1 or 2 loaves of bread, and that’s it.  So, the yeast becomes a big expense every time you bake. The yeast will be your biggest expense for each loaf if you use active dry packets.

    Instant yeast, in contrast, is bought by the pound and is well under ten dollars per pound.  This means it is pennies per use. You can bake bread consistently and not worry about the yeast’s cost.  This is a great feeling, knowing that you are truly saving money every time you bake bread.

    It’s much easier to use than active dry.

    You don’t need to proof it, and you don’t need to worry about the temperature of the water in your recipe.  No checking the temperature of warm water, no warming up milk. As long as the water isn’t HOT, which could kill the yeast, you won’t have a problem.

    You can store it in the freezer and add it to your dough while it’s cold.  

    You add it in and knead, like any other ingredient.  It might feel weird at first, but trust me. Toss it in there with the dry ingredients.  Don’t worry about the order you’re adding unless the recipe is specific.  

    So, if I buy instant yeast, what about all these recipes that call for active dry yeast?

    That’s simple.  You use a little less, about 25% less.  So a recipe that calls for the classic 2 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast would only need a little under 1 ¾ teaspoons of instant. And you do NOT need to calculate this exactly.  

    Many recipes will call for instant yeast specifically, and then you can just use exactly what’s specified.

    Everything else in your recipe will be the same.  The rising times, the baking times, everything. It’s called instant because it’s “instantly” ready to use, not because it makes things rise “instantly.”

    Are there any times that active dry yeast is better?

    I don’t think so.  Some say that bread recipes with an overnight refrigerated rise do better with regular active dry.  But this has not been my experience at all. I will never buy active dry yeast again for anything.

    Have I convinced you?   If working with yeast is holding you back from baking bread, I hope this has eased your mind.  It’s easy! If you can work with baking soda, you can work with yeast.

    Where to Find Instant Yeast:

    You can get it in bulk at warehouse stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. Or you can order a 1-pound package from Amazon.

    More Basic Bread-Baking Tips:

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    By Katie Shaw

    Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.

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    3 Comments

    1. Active dry yeast is also available in vaccum sealed packages, usually in 2 pounds. It can last for many years, just as instant yeast does. The difference is actually that the instant yeast is a fine grain, hence no need to predispose it. Both yeast are “active” at 80 degrees. If you have active dry yeast, you need only dissolve it in Lukewa water before adding to your reciepe so that it dissolves (because the granulars are a little bigger than in instant yeast. I have been baking home breads and homemade pizza etc. For our 5 boys for 28 years, the only “bad” yeast I’ve ever had was when I tried to dissolve it in boiling hot water (when I didnt know what I was doing). I’ve just discovered instant yeast in the last year. The two can be used interchangeably and both with last for many years in your freezer

      The only real difference is the size of the granules. Instant yeast is slightly more convenient, BUT Dont be nervous about using active dry if you need to! Just make sure you follow the proper temps for any yeast (you can kill instant yeast if you put it in too hot environment as well). Active dry yeast in packets or in the 4 oz jars is very overpriced, it’s always worth your while to buy one or two pounds and store it in your freezer

    2. Thank you for this article and clarity, with lockdown I have had chance to practice bread, focaccia, olive garden style breadsticks and lastly a copycat cinnabon recipe – but the yeast always gets me in a fizzle (USA to UK recipes and measurements don’t help haha)