Customer Reviews

Instant Yeast (LeSaffre) 1lb (16oz)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't know where the other reviewer got the idea that this is "compressed yeast." It comes vacuum sealed so it feels like a solid block until you open it. Then it pours and measures like any other yeast. Kept in a sealed container in the freezer, this yeast will remain good for years.I use it for bread every week. At one point I stopped baking for several years and when I went back the yeast (in the freezer) was still good. Apparently the expiration date applies when used by professional bakers who leave the yeast out in open containers.

I was just making pizza dough and noticed that I am down to about a 1/4 cup of this yeast. Then it occured to me that I have been using this same package for TEN YEARS. It is still vital, having been kept in doulbe ziplock freezer bags all this time. It has even survived a move. Is it a good thing to keep it around this long?- I don't know. I can only tell you that it still works! Keeping it dry and in the freezer must be the trick.
I go though phases of baking a lot, then not at all, but there's tons of yeast for your dollar, here. It's a very consistent product, too. It seems to have a much broader tolerance for temperature ranges, so that I don't need to be overly concerned with the exact temperature of the liquids I add it to, nor the temperature of the place I let my dough rise.
Really a great value.

This is a great addition to a baker's kitchen. It can be easily measured out to the precise amount needed, then stored for a very long time. It is not necessary to store the remainder in the refrigerator, just in a cool, dry place.

I have tried a few times, unsuccessfully I might add, to make bread by hand using the little store bought packages. They just never turned out. Well while 'window shopping' on Amazon one night, I came across this product. So I figured "What the heck, I will give it one more try, since it is a good price" Figured if I still could not get it right, then I would give it to my dad lol. Well I made a simple yeast bread loaf, from scratch, by hand, using the Le Saffre SAF yeast. IT TURNED OUT PERFECT!!! It rose in half the time, and it was just amazing! I am so proud of myself lol. Since the ONLY thing different in my recipe and technique was the type of yeast, I have to say this yeast made ALL the difference! I can not wait to make more! I highly recommend this product!!!

SAF Yeast is the best yeast I've ever used. Throw out your packets, jar or cakes of Fleischmann's because once you use SAF yeast, you'll never go back.
This yeast is nearly guaranteed to rise EVERY TIME and requires no prepping. Large size (16 oz) stores easily in fridge to keep your yeast fresh.

If you love using your bread machine and want a reliable yeast that does not need to be proofed (can't remember the last time I did that), then this yeast will make your life much easier. While this is not a rapid yeast, the bread does seem to rise more quickly than with packets of yeast from the grocery store. This saves time and gives you an empowered feeling instead of the "Is this going to rise or not?" feeling.

The yeast can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and is very convenient to use. Unlike the yeast cakes, you don't have to worry about mixing it with water or milk. You just measure it into the bread machine.

Here is the recipe I love making for Focaccia bread. It turns out wonderful and you can start it in the bread machine or make it by hand. We serve this in slices or squares topped with butter and fresh rosemary or an herbed cream cheese. Perfect with homemade soup in the winter.

Focaccia for the Bread Machine (start in machine, finish by hand)

2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons SAF instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons freshly crushed sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups all-purpose flour (the Baker's Catalogue sells an amazing flour)

Measure the water, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and flour into the bread pan. Program for white bread, dough cycle and large loaf. After the dough has been kneaded, you can put it in a large stainless bowl and cover the dough with a damp cloth. I normally forget it is in there and catch it just before it is about to rise over the top of the pan, so it still works, either way. You could also use half the ingredients for just one loaf if you want to let it rise in the bread machine
pan.

Let it rise until double in a warm place. My secret it to turn the oven on and then almost immediately off (just leave it on until you feel some heat on your hand) and this seems to create a "just warm enough" environment for bread to rise. Punch down and divide into thirds. Roll out two squares and one elongated loaf. This works well on the regular size cookie sheets. If you have a larger cookie sheet, you can roll the dough into two 8-inch squares.

Make deep indents with the end of the rolling pin handle at regular intervals. Then brush with olive oil. Let the bread rise until almost doubled.

Either sprinkle with sea salt or sprinkle with dried or fresh rosemary and sea salt. You can also top the dough with tomato slices, onion slices and sliced and pitted Kalamata olives before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

After the bread cools, it will slice easily and it freezes very well. I normally slice two loaves and cut one into squares for sandwiches.

To make an Herbed Cream Cheese: Blend together 1/3 cup butter, 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

The idea for this bread came to me after visiting a sandwich shop at a garden center in Seattle. After arriving home from visiting my grandmother, I knew I had to try to make the cream cheese and the bread because they were perfect to serve with homemade soup.

This bread has a lot of possibilities so you can vary the toppings to suit the types of soups you are serving.

The Instant yeast always works and with a bread machine, you end up feeling like a professional baker. The results are sure to impress. The bread always has a "fresh from the bakery" taste unlike the taste of breads made with packets of yeast from the store.

~The Rebecca Review

Instant Yeast (LeSaffre) 1lb (16oz)

This yeast is 100% better than the yeast you get in the store.
Our bread came out a lot bigger and better than ever before.

I agree with the other reviewers who noted that there was some misinformation about this being compressed yeast by someone who hadn't opened the bag yet. (grin) Just like some coffee bags have all the air sucked out which makes the bags feel brick hard until you open them at which time the grains flow smoothly...this is no different. It's done that way to make this yeast MORE fresh than those bagged with air still trapped inside which, of course, breaks down the yeast. This packaging is a good thing.

I have a friend with a bread machine who noticed that I am into handmade homemade bread now...I'm whipping through bread recipes from two cookbooks a couple times a week and enjoying the freshness of homemade bread. Because one of the authors of my bread cookbook won the highest award given for his breads and he wrote an entire foreward on using instant yeast and why you should and I was discussing this...she recommended this particular brand for both it's results, value, and taste from her own bread.

I am an apt person to be able to compare because I've been using Fleishman's for a good while now and maybe it's my imagination, but I swear the LaSaffre gives me far better results. Because of freshness? Maybe. But it does.

I have also found it at restaurant supply stores and I look at that as a good thing if bakeries buy it in bulk...

Negatives: None as far as quality. Just know this is quite a large bag and you don't want air to break down your yeast so you either need to go through it quickly or store it in the freezer to maintain freshness if you aren't whipping out bread as fast as I am. :-)

Conclusion: Seems to work better, last longer, and is bagged for freshness while being cheaper. Worth it.

I been purchasing the small envelope yeast packages for a while now, and it's getting really expensive (around 3 dollars for three envelopes). Including shipping and handling, this makes it worth the purchase, as it would of cost me around 64 dollars to buy the same amount vs the 12 dollars to buy a pound. The yeast itself was great and worked wonderfully. :) I am very happy with the product. A pound may sound a lot, but if you're an active baker, it shouldn't be a problem. :)

Edit: The original review was on August 6, 2009 and today is November 25, 2011. I have been using the SAF yeast ever since I purchased it with 1/3 of the bag left. I have been keeping the bag in the freeze since i had open it up without any problems. The freezer trick is to keep it from reacting from the moisture in the air and extend the useful life. The yeast had expired on April 2011, yet it's still going strong. The yeast are not as active (slightly noticeable if you pay attention, but that is only during the fall/winter as expected) as it was when the package was freshly open, but still better than the grocery store ones). I used it for hand knead dough and bread machine recipes, and they worked well with both.

For years I've been baking all my breads with this yeast. I can use less per recipe, it never fails to raise the bread, and buying in bulk is cost effective. A very dependable product! I keep some in a glass jar in the refrigerator, the rest in the bag put into a freezer zip-bag in the freezer.