Can pressed baked yeast be frozen and dried?

In cooking, live yeast is most often added to the dough so that the baked goods are lush and soft. Some types allow you to make beer, wine and other spirits. But what if you didn’t use up all the yeast during the cooking process? After all, it is known that at room temperature after opening the package they are stored for no longer than a day. Can the product be frozen?

At low temperatures, baking fungi fall into a state of suspended animation, that is, sleep, in which metabolism slows down. After thawing, they completely retain their properties, so you can freeze the yeast. But in this process there are subtleties.

Physical properties of yeast

Yeast is the simplest unicellular mushroom. In the world there are more than 1,500 of their species. Some (pressed bakeries, beer) benefit the person, others (the genus candida) are opportunistic and can cause diseases.

Even in Ancient Egypt, people used live yeast for fermenting products, baking and brewing. But only in the 19th century, scientists realized that these were not just chemical compounds, but microorganisms capable of growth and reproduction.

Nowadays, baked pressed yeast is most often used in households. For normal life they need the following conditions:

• The presence of oxygen. You should only store the product in a packaging that “breathes”. For example, in paper.
• Low acid environment. The normal pH is 4.5–5. During prolonged storage in an alkaline environment (for example, in salt), yeast cells are inhibited.
• The optimum temperature. Most types of yeast, including bakeries, do not withstand 45-50 degrees. Therefore, there are no living microorganisms in the finished baking, as the authors like to scare in some media. But low temperatures for yeast is not a problem. Ideal for freshly pressed ones - refrigerated storage.

So is it possible to freeze a "live" product? Yes. But only in compliance with the rules described below.

How to freeze yeast?

Freshest fresh baked pressed yeast is stored. In the refrigerator - no longer than 2 weeks. However, such a product has several advantages. Compared to dry and granular fungi, it makes ready-made pastries more magnificent. In addition, it contains a maximum of vitamins.

How to freeze pressed baker's yeast?

1. Check the freshness of the product. Spoiled fungi do not make sense to freeze. Truly a "live" product has a delicate cream color and a slightly sour smell. When pressed, the bar crumbles easily.
2. Prepare portioned slices. You can’t put a large bar in the freezer, because, most likely, you will not be able to use it at a time. And microorganisms cannot be re-frozen: they will lose their properties. It is better to cut the bar into pieces of 50-100 g.
3. Take care of the packaging. Yeast can be packaged in parchment or plastic bags. Plain paper will not work because it will get wet when defrosting. Sign with a marker on the packaging the date of freezing.

The product is stored in the freezer for no more than 1 year.

How to defrost yeast?

Yeast can not tolerate temperature extremes. Therefore, you can’t just get a block from the freezer and leave it on the kitchen table.

To begin with, the temperature should be increased to 6-8 degrees.Put the frozen pieces on a plate and refrigerate for 8 hours. Drain the resulting water and use the product for cooking.

For safety, we recommend that you check the viability of the fungi immediately before cooking. In a glass of water at room temperature, dilute 1 teaspoon of sugar. Put a slice of yeast there. If a foam appears in a glass within a few minutes, then the fungi have not died.

How to dry yeast?

In addition to freezing, you can dry fresh pressed fungi to extend the shelf life:

1. Crush the bar.
2. Add a small amount of flour to the mass, mix.
3. Cover the pan with parchment paper, sprinkle yeast on it.
4. Leave the crumbs to dry in a well-ventilated area at room temperature.
5. When the fungi dry well, pour them into a glass jar. Cover the neck with paper or a cotton cloth and tie with a rope.

The product is stored for up to 6 months in a darkened, dry place. In the refrigerator - about a year.

How much dry yeast is stored from the store?

The lower the moisture content in the store product, the longer it is stored in unopened packaging. So, fast-acting yeast (40%) can be kept in a dry, dark place for up to 6 weeks. Active (9%) remain viable at room temperature for 6 months, and instant (3-4%) - 2 years.

And if the packaging was open? Then you have two options for storing dry yeast, regardless of their type:

• in the refrigerator - up to 1 month;
• in the freezer - up to 1 year.

In the second case, the product is recommended to be packaged in cloth bags or plastic bags. The defrosting rules are the same as with pressed mushrooms.

So, yeast likes low temperatures more than high ones. Therefore, you can safely store them in the refrigerator or freeze. It is better to harvest the dried product yourself from fresh bars, since in the store in the form of powder or granules you risk buying dead mushrooms. Before adding yeast to the dough, be sure to check it for viability.