Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated Aug 22, 2022
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When I talk to people about baking bread, one of the first things I usually hear is “Oh, but I’m afraid of yeast.” I must make a confession: I, too, once feared yeast. When I first started baking after college, loaf after loaf came out as hard as a brick. I couldn’t figure it out. I thought I wasn’t activating the yeast properly, so I kept dissolving it in hotter and then boiling water with more and more sugar.
I finally called my dad (a life-long baker) and told him the whole story. He broke it to me gently: “Emma, you’re killing that yeast. Don’t use boiling water.” And the rest, as they say, was history.
Since most home bakers are working with active dry yeast (and storing it in the freezer to give it a longer shelf life), the yeast needs to be activated before going into most recipes. If you’ve never worked with yeast before or, like me, haven’t been successful in proofing your yeast, here’s everything you need to know about getting started with dry yeast.
What Is the Difference Between Activating and Proofing Yeast?
Active dry yeast is a form of fresh yeast that has been dehydrated to give it a longer shelf life that is better for home kitchens. Activating this yeast just means you’re adding some liquid, and sometimes sugar, to ensure that the yeast is still alive enough for baking. Some recipes call for “proving” the yeast, which is often confused with the proofing the bread — a step in most bread baking recipes.
How to Activate Yeast
Most recipes call for an activating step — you’ll sprinkle the dry yeast into a little bit of water and let it sit until slightly foamy. You do not need hot water to activate the yeast. A small amount of room-temperature or slightly warm water works best.
Once foamy, stir it with a spoon or a fork until the yeast is completely dissolved. It should be smooth and silky and you can carry on with the rest of the recipe.
You do not need sugar to activate the yeast. This is a half-true old wives tale leftover from when yeast wasn’t preserved as well as it is now. A pinch of sugar will make yeast bubble up, thus proving that the yeast is still active and hasn’t expired. However, it doesn’t actually help (or hinder) the rising of the bread.
How to Proof Yeast
Proofing (or fermentation) occurs after the gluten has been developed through kneading. The yeast will get to work — feeding off the sugars in the starchy flour and expelling gas into the web of gluten. In most recipes, you will want the dough to rise until it doubles in size before shaping.
By the time the dough hits the oven, the gluten and yeast have had several rounds to proof and develop. During the first several minutes of baking, all the gas that we’ve been working to create will rapidly expand within the dough while any water content turns into steam. Both the steam and the expanding gas inflate the dough and give the bread its final rise.
In short, if you’ve properly activated your yeast, kneaded your dough properly, and let your dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen, the yeast with proof itself.
Now that you know how to activate and proof you yeast, give it a try. There’s no knead to be afraid of yeast anymore.
