Is there a difference in yeast?

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

This is probably a dumb question but here goes; Do some yeasts make better bread, waffles, croissants, etc? I usually just use Fleischman's. but I was wondering if it makes a difference. I'm not talking about sourdough starters, though I've always meant to start one. (I even tried once to make a natural sourdough where you put potatoes & water in a bowl & let it sit for a few days & hope for natural yeast. As I recall it turned into a slimy mess & I had to throw it out.)

Anyhoo, does anyone know?

best

[Stinky The Clown]

1. There's no real difference in yeasts

except for fast rise .... which does!

All commercial yeasts are really the same thing, except in different forms. Cake yeast is simply moist. Dry yeast is simply that .... dry.

Yeast does, indeed, contribute to the flavor of baked goods. But it isn't the kind of yeast so much as the way you handle the dough. Long, slow, room temperature rise or fast, warm, moist rise.

The real flavor differences come from starters of the various types (sour dough starter being one type). As they develop, the "invite" the wild yeast that naturally occurs virtually everywhere to a greater or lesser degree. (A super clean house will likely have far less wild yeast that will one where either the housekeeper's ...... uh ..... on his/her day off, or where lots of baking happens.)

But again, to answer your question in a word or two ..... nope .... no real difference.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

2. thanks.

I never use fast rise, since Julia & other books written strictly about bread baking, etc. all seem to agree that two slow rises give better flavor. So, that's what I always do. In fact, many times I let the dough do it's first rise overnight in the frig. I just wondered if there were better yeasts out there. So many products are made for convenience, long shelf life, cheap, you name it & not for flavor. I figured anytime I go to all the trouble of baking bread, foccacia, etc I might as well use the best I can. Which is pretty much my philosophy anyhoo.

[stanwyck]

3. I make bread fairly often

and I like Fleischman's because you can "proof" it. If it foams up when dissolved in water, you know it's active. I've tried different brands and there isn't much difference....except for the "proofing". I don't like Fast Rise. But my mother-in-law uses it with excellent results. Bread making to me is relaxing; it's a process. I do have a couple of recipes I make in the breadmaker. I use the specific breadmaker yeast...not sure what the difference is.