Kitchen

[Suzy Q from PA]

Found a recipe for Portuguese sweet bread that I wanted to try. Recipe called for King Arthur unbleached flour and SAF premium instant yeast. I can get the flour - no problem, BUT I can only find 1 pound bags of the yeast!!

Read some of the reviews that followed the recipe and many stated that the yeast made the difference between failure and success.

Anyone ever heard of this yeast ? Is it really worth trying to find or buying a pound??

[Lacey1]

Unless you bake a LOT, you won't need a pound. I've used Fleishman's, Red Star, Aldi's and sourdough starter with very good results. Don't drink the King Arthur Kool Aid. They make quality ingredients, but a little snooty. Check some other sites for the same recipe-and see what other's say.

[jaxs mom]

Yes, I use SAF gold for sweet breads and SAF red for regular breads. KAF isn't the only place that sells it, SAF isn't a KAF brand or anything. It lasts for a few years in the freezer, I just put the yeast in a canning jar and store in the freezer.

[Campion]

Yes, I use it. It does make a huge difference.

The gold is the right yeast for sweet breads (sugar retards yeast action, so you need a different sort.) The regular red is for non-sweet bread.

It does only come in pound packages, but it's fairly cheap, and I keep mine in a plastic container in the freezer. It has lasted for a LONG time. I test it out (proof) from time to time and it's as active as can be. Kept dry and cold, it's quite long-lasting.

I won't use anything else. Fleischmans is not good, in my opinion. Had failures from those little jars.

(Sipping my Kool Ade, though I buy the SAF yeast at the local Amish store, not KAF.)

[jaxs mom]

I've seen small packages at my local grocery store. But for how often I bake it's more economical to buy it by the pound. It's only about 6 dollars anyway.

[KYToby]

Despite the comment of one poster, I agree with the others that SAF is a superior yeast. I should l point out, like others, that SAF is sold by many vendors, and King Arthur also sells Red Star and Fleischman's.

SAF is an instant years, meaning it can be added directly to the dry ingredients, but according to the bakers at KAF,. all dried yeast sold in the can essentially be used in this manner without adjustment. So, if your recipe does not call for proofing, no worries just use any yeast.

I wold suggest trying Red Star rather than Fleischman's. Red Star and SAF are produced by the same company, and my experience has been that both are superior to Fleischman's.

[CWS22]

On 3/15/2015 jaxs mom said:

Yes, I use SAF gold for sweet breads and SAF red for regular breads. KAF isn't the only place that sells it, SAF isn't a KAF brand or anything. It lasts for a few years in the freezer, I just put the yeast in a canning jar and store in the freezer.

If stored in the freezer, do you need to let the yeast "warm up" to room temp before using? Or can you use it in a recipe straight out of the freezer?

[jaxs mom]

You can use it straight from the freezer.

[PamelaSue72]

I use SAF instant yeast regularly and can buy it at a local store. I will buy one pound at a time as it's not that expensive. I keep it in my fridge for one year in a tightly sealed Rubbermaid container....instant yeast can be stored longer than fresh yeast. Til the end of the year has come, I've used all of it with no problem. We do a lot of baking around here and I bake a lot of breads. I use it straight from the fridge, no need for warm-up time; if you're using it from the freezer, you can use it straight.

Simply mix the instant yeast in with your dry ingredients and continue with your recipe. In most cases, that's pretty much it.

FWIW, I agree with KYToby in that SAF is better than Fleischman's yeast. I've used Fleischman's; it was pretty much the only yeast available in my area decades ago when I first started baking. And I had no trouble with it. I still use it when I'm baking certain breads. But I do like SAF instant, too.

[adoreqvc]

Love using SAF yeast and use it frozen right from the freezer.