Active Dry Yeast

Active dry yeast is a granulated form of baker's yeast. The tiny beige granules rehydrate in warm liquid and sugar, producing carbon dioxide that lifts breads and pizzas and giving a faint, bready aroma. It can be hydrated before mixing or stirred directly into flour depending on the formula, and it is sold in single-serve packets and jars.

Modern active dry yeast emerged in the mid-20th century as a shelf-stable alternative to fresh cake yeast, produced by fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae and drying the cells. It became standard in North American and European home baking and is manufactured worldwide from molasses-based substrates.