Why freeze yeast and how to increase the shelf life of live yeast Bashny.Net

Housewives add live yeast to the dough to make the pastry look lush and soft. Only in the refrigerator they are stored no longer than 2 weeks, and at room temperature and even less - about a day. How to store yeast if you can not regularly replenish the stock?



You can freeze pressed yeast in the freezer, you can dry, and you can prepare yeast with your own hands.



All the subtleties of these processes, as well as how to use yeast for baking after long storage, the editorial staff knows. "Site".

Yeast is the simplest single-celled mushrooms that people have been using for thousands of years to ferment foods, bake and brew. Like all living organisms, yeast requires a number of conditions for normal functioning.

Important conditions

1. Oxygen
   Yeast feeds on sugars, and in the process of life consume oxygen and emit carbon dioxide, the bubbles of which “stuck” in the gluten dough, making bread porous and lush.
   
   
   
   In order for yeast to breathe, they must be stored in a package that does not interfere with air access. Like the paper room.
   
   
2. Acidity
   The normal pH for yeast is in the range of 4.5-5. With prolonged storage in an alkaline medium (for example, in salt), yeast cells are inhibited.
3. Temperature.
   For the reproduction of yeast, the temperature is most favorable 25-28 degrees. Alcohol fermentation is most active at a temperature of 30-35 degrees.
   
   
   
   At a temperature of 45-50 degrees and above, yeast cells die.
   
   

How to properly freeze and defrost yeast? At negative temperatures, the fungi in yeast fall into a sleep state in which metabolism slows down. After freezing, they retain their properties. freeze You can, but it is important to follow the rules.





First, check the quality of the product. Spoiled yeast does not make sense to freeze. Pressed yeast should have a uniform cream color and a slightly sour smell, when pressed, they should break, not smear.





Prepare the portion pieces. After all, a large bar you most likely will not be able to use at once, and you can not thaw and freeze yeast several times. Convenient portion - 16-25 grams.





Pack the sliced pieces into parchment or foil. Ordinary paper will not work, since it can get wet when defrosting. Sign a marker on the packages date of freezing. In the freezer, yeast is stored for up to six months.

How to store yeast in the freezer, we already know. It remains to be seen how to properly defrost them. Yeast fungi do not like sudden changes in temperature, so you need to thaw yeast in stages.

To start, transfer the frozen pieces on a saucer and leave in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4-6 degrees for 8 hours. Then drain the resulting water and use the product to prepare dishes.

For insurance, be sure to check the viability of fungi immediately before cooking. Dilute in a glass of water at room temperature 1 teaspoon of sugar. Put a piece of yeast in there.

If foam appears in the glass within a few minutes, then the fungi are alive and ready to work. And if there is no movement, then yeast is not good, you should not waste energy on them and transfer products in vain.



How do you dry the yeast?

1. Crush the bar.
2. Add to the mass a small amount of flour, mix.
   
   
   
3. Cover the pot with parchment paper, sprinkle crumbs on it.
4. Cover the yeast with gauze and leave to dry in a well-ventilated room at room temperature.
5. When the yeast mass dries well, pour it into a glass jar. Cover the neck with paper or natural fabric and tie with thread. The lid cannot be closed. That way. yeast up to 6 months in a darkened dry place. In the fridge, about a year.
   
   

Knowing how to store yeast, you can significantly increase their shelf life with the help of freezing, and your pastry will please with its lush shape!