COOK’S NOTES

What is the difference between active dry yeast, instant yeast, rapid rise yeast and quick rising yeast? Active dry yeast needs to be “proofed,” meaning dissolved in warm (not hot) water with a pinch of sugar or flour for about 10 minutes before using. It requires this jump start before adding it to the dough. Also, this is a way to determine if the yeast is still alive; if it doesn’t bubble up and get foamy after 10 minutes, you will know that it has lost its umph.

All the other yeasts mentioned above (which all make the dough rise faster than regular active dry yeast), do not need to be “proofed” before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. They are mixed with the dry ingredients and then the liquid is added, in this case, water. The liquid added to these quick rising yeasts needs to be quite warm 120- 130 F.

Any one of these yeasts will work in my pizza dough recipe. If all you can find is active dry, proof it as described above in ¼ cup of the water (barely warm, not hot) that is called for in the recipe and then add the proofed yeast with the remaining water (again warm) to the dry ingredients in the food processor.