How To Measure Yeast? Everything You Need To Know

Whether you are about to prepare bread, muffins, biscuits, or any other baked items, you require yeast. But you are stuck at the point of yeast measurement for your recipe, right? No problem, you are exactly in the right place. So, how to measure yeast?

On average, standard packets of yeast contain 2-1/4 teaspoons, which is 1/4 ounces, so you should measure yeast accordingly. However, if you are measuring yeast out of a jar or a container, then as a rule of thumb, you can measure yeast how you would measure baking powder or baking soda.

Keep reading because I will be sharing all the essential information about yeast that you need to know to start making your yeast-based recipe confidently, along with the yeast measurement guide.

a spoon of yeast

Yeast Basics You Should Know

Before we talk about the different measurements of yeast, it is vital to have a clear understanding of yeast and some of its terminologies. Knowing the correct terminologies will help you to avoid confusion in yeast measurement.

So, yeast is a living organism that feeds on sugar and converts it into alcohol and carbon dioxide by fermentation.

Alcohol is mainly used in beer making. In contrast, carbon dioxide expands and stretches our dough used for making food items.

In addition to that, yeast also provides the flavor and texture of our yeast-based recipe.

There are two primary forms of yeast that you should know:

Yeast Form Type:Usage:
Brewer’s YeastBeer Making
Baker’s YeastBaking

Since you are about to make food items, baker’s yeast is what you will need. Now, there are also two main types of Baker’s Yeast that you should know:

Baker’s Yeast TypeDescription
Wet YeastAlso known by names such as Fresh Yeast, Cake Yeast, or Compressed Yeast.
Dry YeastSold as Active Dry and Instant Yeast

#1. Wet Yeast

Wet yeast, also known as the Cake yeast, is sold in block or cake form. It is active, highly perishable, and sold in limited stores only nowadays.

#2. Dry Yeast

As the name suggests, the dry yeast is in a dried form. And since it is in dried form, it has a longer shelf life. It is granulated and sold either in small packets or loose in a jar.

As the yeast is present in the dormant state, if you don’t open up the packet, you can store it at room temperature.

Dry yeast is most common, and it is available in two types:

Dry Yeast TypeCharacteristic
Active Dry YeastModerate rate of rising
Instant Dry yeastFaster rate of rising

Both of them require liquid to wake out of their dormant state. You can use both the active dry yeast and the instant yeast interchangeably. However, you need to monitor the dough so that it doesn’t rise too much.

How Many Grams Of Yeast In A TableSpoon?

One rounded tablespoon holds about 11 grams of active dry yeast, whereas one level tablespoon holds 6 grams of active dry yeast.

On the other hand, one tablespoon contains 20 grams of fresh yeast mass. It is important to remember that fresh yeast is measured with a level spoon without any pile being above the top of the spoon.

How Do You Measure Dry Yeast?

There are two ways to measure dry yeast:

#1. Calculating based on the dry yeast packet

Dry yeast usually can come in packets, each of them with around 1/4 ounces, which equals about 2-1/4 teaspoons.

Depending on what your recipe demands, you can use the amount of dry yeast accordingly based on those packet weights.

If you have to use less than what is already in the packet, you can use that much and fold the packet with the remaining yeast. You can then store it in the fridge for next time usage.

Now I know you might be thinking, can I store dry yeast in the freezer? Yes, you can, and in fact, it is recommended to do so.

To avoid the temperature changes affecting the dry yeast when you open the door, you can put the yeast at the back portion of the freezer.

One key thing to highlight here is that dry yeast is perishable. So once you open the packet, you should store it in the refrigerator or freeze it in an airtight container.

As a general rule, you should use it within four months if you have refrigerated it. However, if you have frozen it, you should use it within six months.

Note that you might have to prove your dry yeast in some cases for your recipe to make sure that it is alive and active. To do it, you have to take the packet and then dissolve the content in warm water or milk with some sugar in it.

You should expect your mixture to be foamy after about 5-10 minutes. If that doesn’t happen, then that means your yeast is dead, and it’s time to toss it away.

Usually, if you use the yeast before the date of expiration, then you may not have to follow this step with modern active or dry instant yeast. However, still, in some recipes, you will find this step to make sure that your yeast is alive or not.

yeast

#2. Calculating using the measuring spoons

You can measure dry yeast using the measuring spoons. Here are some of the spoon measurement facts related to yeast measurement:

  • 1 rounded teaspoon of active dry yeast = 4 grams
  • 1 level teaspoon of active dry yeast = 3 grams
  • 1 rounded tablespoon of active dry yeast = 11 grams
  • 1 level tablespoon of active dry yeast = 6 grams
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh yeast mass = 20 grams
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh yeast = 7 grams

Now let’s suppose that the type of yeast you require for your recipe is not present. Then in such a case, is it possible to substitute it? Well, the answer is yes, and there are different formulas based on the type of substitution you wish to do.

Substitution TypeFormula
Substituting Instant yeast for active dry yeast1 part of instant yeast (100%) = 1.5 part of active dry yeast (150%)
Substituting active dry yeast for instant yeast1 part of active dry yeast (100%) = 0.75 part of active dry yeast or ¾.
Substituting Instant yeast for fresh compressed yeast1 part of instant yeast = 3 parts of fresh compressed yeast
Substituting fresh compressed yeast for instant yeast1 part of fresh yeast = 0.33 of instant yeast
Substituting active dry yeast for fresh compressed yeast1 part of active dry yeast = 2 parts of fresh compressed yeast
Substitute fresh compressed yeast for active dry yeast1 part of fresh compressed yeast = 0.5 part of fresh compressed yeast or ½

(Source)

Conclusion

In short, you can use the packet quantity to determine the measurement of the yeast, or you can use the measuring spoons. That’s it! So I hope now you have a complete understanding of how to measure yeast for your recipe.

Read Also: How To Measure Spinach

Similar Posts