fresh yeast

5unflower

Hi guys,

right, i'm new to boards and relatively new to food shopping in ireland, too, since i'm originally from the continent. was wondering if anyone here could tell me where to buy fresh yeast? i'm very much into baking bread and bread rolls at the moment and i think it simply works a lot better with fresh yeast than with dried stuff. over in germany you get the fresh yeast in the shape of cubes, kinda like stock cubes or something and you would buy it in bakeries or well sorted supermarkets. Any idea...?

Magic Monkey

The Irish Yeast Company, College St., opposite Trinity. €1 for 250g.

5unflower

great, thanks, sounds like a pretty decent price...small problem tho, forgot to mention i'm nowhere near dublin, i'm actually in limerick.anyway, worth keeping in mind to check out next time i'm in the city

morgana

Most health food stores would have fresh yeast as well (at least in Cork they do)

5unflower

morgana wrote:

Most health food stores would have fresh yeast as well (at least in Cork they do)

i tried a couple of health food stores in limerick, but none had it. one at least remembered that they used to have it once but stopped stocking it cause it always went off on them, no demand

enda1

Superquinn in Sundrive (Kimmage). Can't remember the price but I remember it is very reasonable. My Mam gets it there the whole time. Very fresh too.

All Superquinns will sell, it i think, but that one is better than the one in Knocklyon (which is nearer us) and cheaper.

Ask in any bakers I'd imagine and they'd have it.

boochi

morgana wrote:

Most health food stores would have fresh yeast as well (at least in Cork they do)

Morgana, could you tell me which health food stores in Cork that sells fresh yeast? Many thanks for your help.

morgana

Well, I haven't looked recently for it, but the one in the English market had it (little pre-packed cubes) and Paul St Health Food Shop had it too - although you may have to ask for it. Haven't been to the Quay Co-op in ages so I don't know if they stock it

boochi

Hi, thanks for the info. I will try English Market later on.
I did call Quay Co-op about a week ago. Unfortunately, they don't sell them anymore.:(

rockbeer

Magic Monkey wrote:

The Irish Yeast Company, College St., opposite Trinity. €1 for 250g.

Really? I went in there a while ago to ask for it and the bloke looked at me as though I was raving and told me they hadn't stocked that in years.

Maybe it was just a bad day.

I've seen it in Fallon & Byrne, but it's still a long way from Limerick

OP - have you considered using a natural yeast starter? I do most of my baking these days with a sourdough culture and the results are way better than with any commercial yeast I ever used.

antoniosicily

rockbeer what do you use as a starter? I'm trying right now with some raisins from supervalu, I will update the forum with the outcome; this raisins pack contained vegetable oil, so I don't know if it could influence the colture. Anyway, would be great to share experience So let me know the starter which you get the best results from and the flour you usually use

Thanks

rockbeer

antoniosicily wrote:

rockbeer what do you use as a starter? I'm trying right now with some raisins from supervalu, I will update the forum with the outcome; this raisins pack contained vegetable oil, so I don't know if it could influence the colture. Anyway, would be great to share experience So let me know the starter which you get the best results from and the flour you usually use

Hi Antonio,

I've heard you can use raisins alright, but I've never tried it. I made my first starter from live organic natural yoghurt and it was easy and made good bread. Just mixed the yoghurt with some strong flour and water and waited a couple of days 'til it started to bubble up, then fed it and gradually increased the volume 'til I had enough to bake with. Still have a jar somewhere in the back of the fridge which could be revived.

At the moment I'm using the 1847 Oregon Trail sourdough starter which I got for a dollar from these nice people:

http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/

I find it excellent - been using it now for the best part of a year and am finally baking bread/pizzas I'm happy with after years of trying. I find commercial dried yeasts tend to dry out the bread too much. Fresh yeast is OK when you can get it but the dried ones all seem to be designed for quick baking in bread machines. I'm not convinced proper bread should or can be made quickly. The sourdough culture takes 8 - 12 hours to prove a loaf, and the flavour and crust are amazing.

As for flours, I use odlums extra strong white bakers flour and Doves Farm wholemeal bread flour. Used to use Doves Farm white bread flour but the quality has been very poor recently so sticking with odlums for the time being. Also use ballybrado rye flour now and then for an extra bit of texture and flavour.

Would be good to hear your own thoughts on it.

hth,
Bruce

Magic Monkey

rockbeer wrote:

Really? I went in there a while ago to ask for it and the bloke looked at me as though I was raving and told me they hadn't stocked that in years.

Maybe it was just a bad day.

Was it the elderly gentleman who served you? They had it last time I went which was only a month or so ago. Actually now that I think about it, the price at least was different, €1 for 125g not 250g, my bad.

antoniosicily

rockbeer wrote:

Hi Antonio,

I've heard you can use raisins alright, but I've never tried it. I made my first starter from live organic natural yoghurt and it was easy and made good bread. Just mixed the yoghurt with some strong flour and water and waited a couple of days 'til it started to bubble up, then fed it and gradually increased the volume 'til I had enough to bake with. Still have a jar somewhere in the back of the fridge which could be revived.

Cool, I've never tried yoghurt; yesterday I've started with raisins, for the first time here in Ireland, and I'm a little bit concerned for the temperature, we'll see what happens :-) In case you're interested in this procedure: I usually use this recipe: http://www.kucinare.it/user/ricetta.aspx?idricetta=147

It's in italian but at least you can see the pictures :-) I use a jar, put 10 raisins on it with 250ml of water (w/out Cl), leave it completely opened and after 3 days the water starts becoming yellow, you should filter it and put 150ml in another jar and add flour, keep the lid ajar so the air can still filter; this time the jar should be put in a covered place.

Within 48 hours this 'thing' should swell and bubble up; if it happens it's fine
now you should cover and revive it every 2 days with 100ml of water and 100g of flour

rockbeer wrote:

I find commercial dried yeasts tend to dry out the bread too much. Fresh yeast is OK when you can get it but the dried ones all seem to be designed for quick baking in bread machines. I'm not convinced proper bread should or can be made quickly. The sourdough culture takes 8 - 12 hours to prove a loaf, and the flavour and crust are amazing.

actually the real bakeries use natural yeast done with starters Fresh yeast is fine, I will try that one from the Irish Yeast Company and see how it performs, I usually use dried yeast, the trick is to 'activate' it with tepid water and a little bit of sugar

rockbeer wrote:

As for flours, I use odlums extra strong white bakers flour and Doves Farm wholemeal bread flour. Used to use Doves Farm white bread flour but the quality has been very poor recently so sticking with odlums for the time being. Also use ballybrado rye flour now and then for an extra bit of texture and flavour.

Would be good to hear your own thoughts on it.

I've checked those flours but never tried, I will do it during the weekend. For the started colture I usually use a flour with an high W (it's not reported on the generic packs), the trick I do is to check the protein value, so the Odlums strong wholemeal flour would be great for the natural yeast.
For baking, when I was in Italy I used a sort of mix between what here is the strong Oldlums white flour and a manitoba flour (you can find it in Italian shops), it's very flexible and you get good results (one of his features is the high W, so it takes lot of water); never tried with rye flour.

I have no baking machine here, but I will get it soon, so at the moment I'm checking the flours and trying some cakes, just to get the better yeast. Obviously I think that the natural one (the one made from starters) is the better for bakery

rockbeer

antoniosicily wrote:

Cool, I've never tried yoghurt;

Apparently the lactic acid bacteria in live yoghurt are the same variety as in sourdough yeasts. I'm not a scientist, but it worked for me If you want to have a go let me know & I'll post detailed instructions. But basically if you use live natural yoghurt, strong flour and water in roughly equal proportions you should do ok.

antoniosicily wrote:

yesterday I've started with raisins, for the first time here in Ireland, and I'm a little bit concerned for the temperature, we'll see what happens :-) In case you're interested in this procedure: I usually use this recipe: http://www.kucinare.it/user/ricetta.aspx?idricetta=147

Thanks. The temperature is a problem for us all here, bacteria or not - I had a look and got google to translate it for me. Very interesting, might try it sometime.

antoniosicily wrote:

actually the real bakeries use natural yeast done with starters

I assume you mean traditional bakeries. I know old style French and Italian bakeries all have their own special leavens. Which explains why the bread is so good in those places. I don't think commercial bakeries here work like that, as far as I know they use regular fresh bakers yeast, which is fine but a bit lacking in character and flavour for my tastes. You might have noticed, it isn't that easy to buy good bread in Ireland, although there are a few places turning out a decent loaf in Dublin now if you have plenty of money to spend on such things

antoniosicily wrote:

Fresh yeast is fine, I will try that one from the Irish Yeast Company and see how it performs,

I'll definitely go back in and try again. It was the old chap who served me before if I remember correctly. I haven't used fresh yeast to bake with in a long time but used to get good results with it way back when.

antoniosicily wrote:

I usually use dried yeast, the trick is to 'activate' it with tepid water and a little bit of sugar

I totally agree with this. IMHO it's worse than useless if you follow the instructions and just dump it in with the dry ingredients. The only decent results I've ever had with it are from pre-activating it as you say, leaving it in a warm place to bubble up then adding it to the mix. But I still always tend to end up with a dry loaf

antoniosicily wrote:

For baking, when I was in Italy I used a sort of mix between what here is the strong Oldlums white flour and a manitoba flour (you can find it in Italian shops), it's very flexible and you get good results (one of his features is the high W, so it takes lot of water); never tried with rye flour.

Is Manitoba flour the same as 00? I've heard it mentioned often as the flour to use for pasta, but I've always thought life was too short for pasta making If it's good for bread I might try to get hold of some and see how it goes. After years and years of trying to make decent bread and thinking my problems were all down to poor technique, I've recently come to the conclusion that ingredients are in fact the critical factor, especially the flour. Basically, you can't buy any flour that makes decent bread in Irish supermarkets.

antoniosicily wrote:

I have no baking machine here, but I will get it soon, so at the moment I'm checking the flours and trying some cakes, just to get the better yeast. Obviously I think that the natural one (the one made from starters) is the better for bakery

If you want the American starter I use pm me with your address and I'll mail you some ( in dried form - no jars in the post )

And please let us know how you go with your raisin starter.

5unflower

haven't checked back on my yeast thread for a while, I actually got fresh yeast in superquinn in the end (asked at the bakery counter, and they gave me 500g for €2.50 i think...i portioned it into cubes and froze them...they work fine!)

however, it's great to read your suggestions about other starters...never heard about those methods with raisins or yoghurt tho.
in German baking, many people work with a sourdough starter made from rye flour (rye flour mixed with some water, left for a fews days, feed it with more rye flour and water as you go along etc.)
rye flour in general is very popular in german (or continental) baking, gives the bread a great flavour and for me, it's what makes a bread a bread :-)
tho i have to admit i've never tried this sourdough starter myself, since i've heard that the whole procedure is a bit tricky, you have to get the temperatures (at which you leave the dough) right and so on...

i should give it a try...

5unflower

rockbeer wrote:

You might have noticed, it isn't that easy to buy good bread in Ireland, although there are a few places turning out a decent loaf in Dublin now if you have plenty of money to spend on such things

This is exactly the reasons why I started baking my own bread especially the popular brown bread made with soda has been quite a challenge for my continental tastebuds...;)

rockbeer wrote:

Is Manitoba flour the same as 00? I've heard it mentioned often as the flour to use for pasta, but I've always thought life was too short for pasta making

I thought the same for a long time, but then I simply tried it, and surprisingly it doesn't take too much time at all, you make the dough, leave it in the fridge for a while, work it through the pasta machine (which sounds tedious, but can be great fun!) and cooking the pasta only takes 2 mins!

5uspect

5unflower wrote:

...never heard about those methods with raisins or yoghurt tho.

mmm... rasins, I like rasins...

You better hide them from me so or I'll have them all eaten!

wdlolies

Hi Sunflower,

I recently learned that you can get fresh yeast in the Polish shops around the country. I've bought it and it's brilliant and cheap as well. Find the nearest Polish shop in your area and have a look in the cooling shelf and if you don't find it, ask them for it. They'll let you know when they have the next delivery.

All the Best,

Wolfgang

aindriu80

sorry to bring up an old thread but here it is anyway.

I am looking for fresh yeast to make a pizza recipe I just saw in the newspaper. Fresh as opposed to dried yeast seems to bring more flavour but I don't know the difference. I went to several local shops (Supervalu, Dunnes and a Polish shop) but none have them, only supervalu had dried yeast and the polish shop didn't speak any english.

Where can I get fresh yeast ?

Alun

aindriu80 wrote: »

... and the polish shop didn't speak any english.

The Polish for yeast is drożdże. Write it down on a piece of paper and show it to someone in the shop

morgana

Fresh yeast is still hard to get, you might get lucky in organic food shop. Don't bother with Tesco; you can count yourself lucky of they have the dried stuff.
TBH, I don't see that much of a difference when using dried yeast (I usually use the Tesco branded dried yeast sachets (as they are the easiest to get), two teaspoons for about 300 - 400 g of strong white flour - enough to make two large round pizzas.

aindriu80

I just got it ! I phoned a local bakery called Dinkins Bakery and they said I can pick it up tomorrow. €2 for 250g or €4 for 500g. Forgot all about them.... thanks for the help !!

Just looking for 00 flour now.

The Hill Billy

Try the Polish shops again...

Do you have fresh yeast? = Czy masz świeże drożdże?
Yes = Tak
No = Nie

And hope for the best!


(Translation courtesy of Google Translate. May or may not be 100% accurate. Terms & conditions apply, etc...)

Rew

aindriu80 wrote: »

sorry to bring up an old thread but here it is anyway.

I am looking for fresh yeast to make a pizza recipe I just saw in the newspaper. Fresh as opposed to dried yeast seems to bring more flavour but I don't know the difference. I went to several local shops (Supervalu, Dunnes and a Polish shop) but none have them, only supervalu had dried yeast and the polish shop didn't speak any english.

Where can I get fresh yeast ?

If you want more flavour ferment the dough for 5 or so days in the fridge before using it. Fresh or dried thats the best way to develop flavour. If your making it regularly keep some dough in the fridge and feed it water, flour and a little sugar. Mix that in with the next fresh batch for instant flavour boost then keep a bit of that batch etc. Same for bread. You really wont see a massive diff between dried and fresh when used and cooked within a few hours.

aindriu80

Rew wrote: »

If you want more flavour ferment the dough for 5 or so days in the fridge before using it. Fresh or dried thats the best way to develop flavour. If your making it regularly keep some dough in the fridge and feed it water, flour and a little sugar. Mix that in with the next fresh batch for instant flavour boost then keep a bit of that batch etc. Same for bread. You really wont see a massive diff between dried and fresh when used and cooked within a few hours.

I usually make the dough and leave it for 12 hours. To be honest there wasn't a fantastic taste from the bread so hopefully the fresh yeast will make a difference over dried yeast this time.

I was just using ordinary white flour but I was trying to get some 00 flour (for a pizza) this time around but its not easy to get my hands on '00 flour'.

Rew

aindriu80 wrote: »

I usually make the dough and leave it for 12 hours. To be honest there wasn't a fantastic taste from the bread so hopefully the fresh yeast will make a difference over dried yeast this time.

I was just using ordinary white flour but I was trying to get some 00 flour (for a pizza) this time around but its not easy to get my hands on '00 flour'.

You can get 00 in Tesco, Roma do a Pizza flour now. If your in Dublin I know at least 2 places that sell it. Are you "activating" your dried yeast by putting it in blood temperature water with some sugar for 10-20 mins? 00 will help the consistency but wont change flavour. Try the long ferment (at least 5 days) that develops flavour. If you do find fresh yeast id be interested to hear where.

Rew

As a side not I add semolina to my pizza dough to get a better crisp. I highly recommend a pizza stone if you don't have one BTW.

aindriu80

Rew wrote: »

You can get 00 in Tesco, Roma do a Pizza flour now. If your in Dublin I know at least 2 places that sell it. Are you "activating" your dried yeast by putting it in blood temperature water with some sugar for 10-20 mins? 00 will help the consistency but wont change flavour. Try the long ferment (at least 5 days) that develops flavour. If you do find fresh yeast id be interested to hear where.

I was looking on Tesco's website and came across something that was Mcdougalls Fine Plain Flour but nothing with 00. I'm in Monaghan Town so I can't make any little Italy shops.... my only chance for 00 flour here would be an Italian restaurant maybe?

Yes when I make bread with yeast I use warm water and leave it for 20 minutes before coming back to finish it and leave it for 12 hours. I am picking up the fresh yeast tomorrow. I don't think I could wait 5 days to ferment but maybe I could make 2 batches.

Rew wrote: »

As a side not I add semolina to my pizza dough to get a better crisp. I highly recommend a pizza stone if you don't have one BTW.

Tesco seem to have something like Semolina, I do like a crispy pizza but never tried Semolina.

Rew

I put about 200g in the mix with 800g of flour and I use it to dust the base when putting it onto the hot pizza stone.

No Roma flour on the Tesco site alright but I have bought it in my local store, its possible its not in every store so they don't list it online

aindriu80

I will try the Semolina at Tesco if that is the right stuff... what do you mean about the pizza stone ?