Yeast in Hot Climates

[Janice]

Hey all you cruisers out there.....

I am wondering how well yeast will keep in the hot climates. My sourdough does not seam to want to come back to life and I cannot find any locally. We leave in less than two weeks and so ordering some is a problem. I am worried that the yeast will degrade over a short time. Any experience?

[Vasco]

My wife uses a large jar of yeast, much more economical than the little packets. She keeps it in the fridge and has never had a problem. As for sourdough starter I'm sure some other cruiser will give you some. Many boats have it.

[GordMay]

Yeasts work best when they are in a temperature range of 85 to 115 degrees F, depending upon the variety. Rapid rise yeasts prefer the higher temperatures.

There is a simple procedure called "Proofing" which is a way to test whether yeast is good.*

In the unopened package, Dried Yeast (<8% moisture) generally has a shelf life of up to two years at room temperature. Compressed yeast is only partly dried (about 70% moisture), and has a much shorter shelf life (several weeks).

Since Yeast is damaged by water and moisture, it MUST be kept DRY.
Store current use Yeast in a small glass jar in refrigerator.
Long-term storage is best kept in a freezer.

To use yeast from the refrigerator jar: open the jar, pour out the required amount of yeast, cover the jar and return it to the refrigerator as quickly as possible. Avoid dipping measuring spoons into the yeast; they may carry moisture.

To refill the refrigerator jar: remove the freezer jar and allow it to come to room temperature before opening. Notice that moisture will condense on the outside of the container. (If the jar were opened when it was frozen, moisture would condense into the yeast.) Dry the jar thoroughly. Open it when at room temperature and pour some Yeast into the refrigerator jar. Tightly close both containers and return them to their storage locations.

* To proof Yeast: Stir 1 tsp sugar into 1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F.). Sprinkle 1 tsp yeast on the surface stir. In five minutes, mixture should foam. In 10 minutes there should be a fairly thick layer of foam.
Yeast which only slowly becomes active can still be used, but you will have to use more of it. If it shows no activity at all, it's dead and should be thrown out.

[Janice]

Gord May, You are a wealth of knowledge! THANKS

[s/v Jedi]

We just finished a test with keeping dry yeast in the freezer: it works well, 1 year after we put it in the freezer and 6 months over date. It works like new yeast.

So, we now buy yeast in the bulk packages (half pound?) and put them in the freezer. When we open a package, we fill a big Tupperware spice container and keep it in the fridge, while the rest goes into a Ziplock container and back into the freezer.

We never found any fresh yeast in the Caribbean so can't comment on that.

cheers,
Nick.

[Jentine]

You don't need to carry yeast aboard. You can make your own starter with basic ingredients. See attached:

Sourdough Bread: How To Begin (easy sourdough for the beginner or novice)

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Janice

I am wondering how well yeast will keep in the hot climates. ?

Yes, the mighty Lock & Lock comes to the rescue!!!!!!!!! Then we shove it in the fridge.

The sachets would be nice but they are so expensive that if you use a bit of yeast then you want a reasonable quantity.

Before we left home my sister gave me a $200 voucher for the most ridiculously upmarket homemakers store.... There was only ONE thing in the whole shop that you could use on a cruising boat: Lock & Lock boxes all at HALF PRICE!!! Yippeeeee! Did we go silly?!

Could spend another $200 on Lock and Lock too. I am not allowed any for my boy toys They are all just in the kitchen