A French Yeast: Any Real Difference? - Pastry & Baking

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  • A French Yeast: Any real difference?

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A French Yeast: Any real difference?
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Richard Kilgore

By Richard Kilgore December 27, 2004 in Pastry & Baking

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Richard Kilgore

Richard Kilgore

Posted December 27, 2004

Richard Kilgore

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Posted December 27, 2004

I picked up a small tin of Engedua Yeast Levure recently. Is this any different than Feishman's yeast in packets? For that matter, are there any real diference between these two and other packaged yeasts? If so why would you choose one over the other for a particular application?

Richard Kilgore

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chefpeon

chefpeon

Posted December 28, 2004

chefpeon

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Posted December 28, 2004

But seriously.

I did a li'l search and found that Engedura is a brand name manufactured by a company called DSM.

It is the brand name for this company's active dry yeast line. Their instant dry yeast line is something called "Fermipan" which I've used many times in the past.

So Engedura isn't really "french yeast"......it's yeast that was sold in France.

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

Posted December 28, 2004

Fat Guy

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Posted December 28, 2004

I don't personally feel the differences among brands of commercial yeasts are particularly significant if you're mixing them directly into the dough and going straight to rise followed by bake. Some are more rapid-rising than others, but that's the major difference I've noticed at the white-bread level. When you get into preferments, however, the character of the yeast seems to become more dominant.

I'd suggest buying the cheapest yeast you can find. Fleischmann's yeast in packets is fine by me in terms of its quality and the flavor it imparts to bread, but in some stores a packet costs almost as much as a loaf of bread.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy" Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, [email protected] Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

polack

polack

Posted December 28, 2004

polack

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Posted December 28, 2004
I don't personally feel the differences among brands of commercial yeasts are particularly significant if you're mixing them directly into the dough and going straight to rise followed by bake. Some are more rapid-rising than others, but that's the major difference I've noticed at the white-bread level. When you get into preferments, however, the character of the yeast seems to become more dominant.

I'd suggest buying the cheapest yeast you can find. Fleischmann's yeast in packets is fine by me in terms of its quality and the flavor it imparts to bread, but in some stores a packet costs almost as much as a loaf of bread.

←

That's why I buy it by the bakers size package, for an exrra two bucks you get a whole bunch of yeast. I then put it in a jar and put the jar on my vac sealer and put it in the frig to stay fresh.

Polack

artisanbaker

artisanbaker

Posted December 29, 2004

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Posted December 29, 2004

saf instant is the best simply because it contains a higher amount of dormant yeast cells per gram. the competition has a higher amount of dead yeast cells

  • 10 years later...
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted January 4, 2015

JoNorvelleWalker

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Posted January 4, 2015

saf instant is the best simply because it contains a higher amount of dormant yeast cells per gram. the competition has a higher amount of dead yeast cells

 

Is this true?  I use Fleischmann's for my bread, as I have for decades, but my bread quality, I think, has been slowly going down, and I'm looking to buy new yeast, since the batch of Fleischmann's I have is about eight years old or more.

 

I have used SAF gold for sweet doughs but I have never baked with SAF red.

 

My inclination is to go with Fleischmann's since it is a known quantity here, but if SAF is really better I might try it.  It would help to back up assertions with data as well as trusted experience.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

pbear

pbear

Posted January 4, 2015

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Posted January 4, 2015

FWIW, Rose Levy Barenbaum notes this distinction (number of dead cells) as between instant and active yeast (former has fewer), but recommends all three of Fleischmann's, Red Star and SAF without preference.  The Bread Bible at p.561.

rotuts

rotuts

Posted January 4, 2015

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Posted January 4, 2015

Ive used them all.  I get them from KingArthur

 

the amount used in a bread Rx that's "bake now - after the rise(s)" will taste the same

 

most flavor comes from retarding this process to increase the " yeasts by-products "

 

al least that thinking works for me.

 

KAF  had a nice page on the different types of yeast and there action but i can't find it just now.

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted January 4, 2015

JoNorvelleWalker

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Posted January 4, 2015

I purchase my yeast from King Arthur also.  The question is KAF or Fleischmann's?

 

The yeast is stored in the freezer door and keeps pretty well that way.  But I may be pushing it, using the yeast for so many years.  In the last twenty years or so I've gone through only two packages.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

rotuts

rotuts

Posted January 4, 2015

rotuts

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Posted January 4, 2015 (edited)

""  dilemmas  ""

 

with a ton of respect and I do mean that

 

perhaps they are just different "" opportunities ""

 

I make at home " Machine " bread.

 

I call it Home Made ( Machine ) Bread.

 

HM(M)B.

 

it suits me, but I do aspire to make the longer retarded bread

 

at some point.

 

Just Bake Bread.

 

Toasty Bread.  etf

Edited January 4, 2015 by rotuts (log) JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted January 5, 2015

JoNorvelleWalker

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Posted January 5, 2015

For purposes of this discussion I am considering only brands of instant yeast.  It has been said that French yeast is better, but no one has been able to prove to me why or to convince me with any supported reasons.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted January 9, 2015

JoNorvelleWalker

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Posted January 9, 2015

Fleischmann's is what I ordered.  As I recall the Fleischmanns originally smuggled their yeast in from Austria and what I bake is Vienna bread.

 

I would like to have tried SAF green, however green seems only available in fifty pound containers.  Tonight's bread is cooling now, but fifty pounds is still a lot of yeast.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

gfweb

gfweb

Posted January 9, 2015

gfweb

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Posted January 9, 2015

For purposes of this discussion I am considering only brands of instant yeast.  It has been said that French yeast is better, but no one has been able to prove to me why or to convince me with any supported reasons.

 

Everything French is better. Except armies and automobiles.

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted January 9, 2015

rotuts

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Posted January 9, 2015 (edited)

""  Everything French is better ""

 

yep.

 

Id consider public toilets with the armies. 

Edited January 9, 2015 by rotuts (log)
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ChocoMom

ChocoMom

Posted January 9, 2015

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Posted January 9, 2015 (edited)

Interesting thread. 

 

I've always used the Fleischmann's yeast, mainly because that's what my Grandma and Mom both used.  It's never failed me (or them) yet.   And, it just so happens that we have some leftover mashies from dinner last night....so my daughters and I are making Grandma's potato bread right now. 

 

We're snowed in. It's  -1F  outside with high winds and blowing snow.  And I can't think of too many other things I'd rather make/bake on day like this.  :smile:

 

Edited January 9, 2015 by ChocoMom (log)

-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

jmacnaughtan

jmacnaughtan

Posted January 15, 2015

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Posted January 15, 2015

Interesting discussion, but it seems a little odd that you'd buy dried yeast in France.  Every bakery here uses blocks of fresh yeast, and when you want to buy some for home use, you can normally pick up a cube from your local bakery.  It works great, I've never had a problem with it.  It's also much easier to tell whether it's OK to use or not.

bvconway

bvconway

Posted January 22, 2015

bvconway

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Posted January 22, 2015

Well. I've just starting using Engedura yeast and have noticed an immediate difference in puffiness, rising quality (whatever that is) and - probably as a result - bread texture (it's more spongey). The whole loaf is more springy.  It also seems to handle cold temperatures a lot better. 

 

I was using Fleischmann's Traditional yeast before.

 

I usually use:

 

3-4 cups flour

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 5/8 cups of water

 

then let it rise overnight - for about 12 hours.

 

Then I bash it down and let it rise for 40 min again.

 

I then punch it abusedly into submission yet another time and let it rise another 40 min (then turn the oven on to 500 C) and another 10 min or so while the oven is heating up.

 

I cook it for 30 min.

 

I never use exact measurements.  I sometimes brush the top with olive oil, but not usually.

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