How To Verify If Yeast You Purchase For Baking Is Alive

Proving that yeast is alive is important, especially since more stores have adopted the display of dry-packed yeast on their shelves.

This is done to make sure that the products maintain quality until they are picked up by a Baker looking to make something.

Buying the active dry yeast pack means you get to keep it for longer, but it could also be a waste of money because the yeast may no longer be active. Below are useful tips that can help anyone looking to verify if their yeasts are alive.

Ingredients you'll need: 

• Yeast
• Sugar
• Warm water

The required quantity you'll need from each ingredient will vary depending on the proof method you're using.

For some proving methods, you may need milk and more or less water, but the most reliable one involves using warm water and one teaspoon of sugar for one (quarter-ounce) packet of yeast.

Step 1: Add water and sugar to a bowl

To get started, you'll need a bowl that can effectively contain the amount of water you'll be using. First, empty the warm water into the bowl and add the sugar.

Note that yeasts cannot survive in high temperatures, so it is best to make the water as soothing to the touch as possible.

Step 2: Sprinkle the yeast on top

After adding the sugar to the water, sprinkle the yeast on top, then cut an opening in the packet and sprinkle to spread the yeast over the water.

Step 3: Give it time

After mixing the warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl together, give it some time. The warm water will wake the yeast which will feed on the sugar, which acts as fuel.

As the yeast consumes the sugar, it will release carbon dioxide, leading to the appearance of foam and bubbles in the bowl. It also gives off that nostalgic almost-freshly-baked-bread smell.

Allow the mixture to stand for 10 mins, and if there are many bubbles and foam, it means the yeast is active. If there aren't, the yeast is most likely inactive.