Can Fresh Yeast be Frozen? / Czy Można Mrozić Świeże Drożdże?
So can we freeze fresh yeast? This question comes up most often through emails and F/B. While so many foods we make at home require yeast, but when we buy the entire cube, we seldom use it completely. A great way to extend the life of fresh yeast is of course to freeze it. To better understand what yeast is: Yeasts are single-celled living organisms. More specifically single-celled fungi from the yeast family. Yeast cells are so small that they can only be seen under a microscope. There are over 30 species. Precious yeast is used in baking. These industrious creatures are responsible for alcoholic fermentation. Alcohol and carbon dioxide are formed from sugars under the influence of enzymes produced by yeast a lot of carbon dioxide. It is this gas that aerates our cakes. Carbon dioxide gives fluffiness to baked goods. So, YES, we can freez fresh yeast. Due to their specific structure, yeast is resistant to freezing. The yeast cell is covered with a cell membrane and additionally a cell wall. The yeast cell wall is made up of many layers of cellulose. A multi-layered, cellulose cell wall protects the yeast from low temperatures. You can freezez yeast for up to 6 months. Remember, once the yeast has been frozen, it cannot be frozen again!How do we defrost frozen yeast? There are a few ways to do it. Of course, it's best to leave them in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours and let them thaw slowly. But if you need to defrost yeast quickly , one of the most popular ways is to add warm water to yeast (e.g. in the case of pizza) or slightly warmed milk (e.g. in baking yeast dough). It is very important not to use hot liquid, but only lukewarm, otherwise the yeast will lose its properties. Out of curiosity, I calculated the nutritional value of yeast by using 400 grams of fresh yeast. Then I divided them by 35 grams in each bag which equals 11.4. and rounded of to 11. This gives me an idea how many calories and what it's nutritional values are.
Servings: 11 Servings
Calories: 107kcal
Ingredients
- 400 grams yeast
Instructions
- Devide the yeast to smaller pieces, based on how many grams you usually use. Since I usually use about 30-35 grams, I devided into 35 grams equally.
- Wrap each piece with cling paper thoroughly.
- Place the wrapped pieces into a freezer bag to minimize the effects of air and moisture.
- For best results good tip is to write the date of freezing on the freezer bag.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: Separated bags with fresh yeast | |
| Servings: 11 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 107 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 1.7g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat 0.2g | 1% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 18mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 13.9g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.6g | 27% |
| Total Sugars 0g | |
| Protein 13.9g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 23mg | 2% |
| Iron 6mg | 34% |
| Potassium 727mg | 15% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie per day  is used for general nutrition advice. This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note; changing anything will cause the nutritional information to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only. |
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