Dry Yeast: Instant vs Active

I see where a lot of other operators use instant dry yeast. We have always used active dry yeast, are there any advantages to using instant dry yeast?

Active dry yeast (ADY) has been around for many years and has been widely used in both the baking and pizza industries. Instant dry yeast (IDY) has been around since the late 1960s, and it also enjoys popularity in both the baking and pizza industries. The major difference between the two types of yeast is that the ADY must be hydrated in warm water before it is added to the dough. The temperature of the water in which the ADY is hydrated should be between 100 and 105 F. If the water is warmer or cooler than this, the yeast activity can be adversely affected. In all my years in the industry, I can probably count on one hand the number of stores I’ve been in where I actually saw a thermometer being used to adjust the water temperature for hydrating the yeast. In fact, more often than not, it seems that a good many operators just add the yeast to the water and stir it in, hoping for the best. IDY, on the other hand, doesn’t require this pre-hydration step as it is designed to be added directly to the dough/ingredients as a dry material, without any pre-hydration step. Because of this, the IDY will out perform the ADY most of the time. But, if handled correctly and pre-hydrated at the correct temperature, there is actually little difference in the activity of ADY and IDY.

—Tom Lehmann