I am now buying yeast by the pound...

[brooklynite]

...because it's not possible to buy smaller jars or packets. They're not in stores and most of the online sales are price-gouging. I'm basically relying now on industrial suppliers. The challenge will be breaking the bags up and effectively storing them.

[malaise]

1. No challenge - yeast freezes well

Newly purchased yeast (with good purchase-by date), can be stored in a cool location (pantry or cabinet), refrigerated, or frozen for up to two years. Once the yeast is opened, it's best kept in the refrigerator to use within four months, and six months – if kept in the freezer.Jul 28, 2016

[HarlanPepper]

2. Damn, the artisan bread stores must be in worse shape than previously thought.

[Amishman]

3. I've found it stays good in the fridge for years

after a year or two, just scale up how much you use to account for less being viable.

[mercuryblues]

4. I just made s recipe

that called for 2 teaspoons of yeast, not a packet. I measured the remaining yeast in the packet and it was just shy of 1/4 teaspoon.

I hope you plan on doing a lot of baking.

[katmondoo]

5. I can't find yeast anywhere. I live in Florida.

[marble falls]

6. How many pounds you need? Just asking. A pound goes a long way. I did find some sour dough ...

starter.

[eleny]

7. In these times switching to no-knead bread recipes could get you through for a long time

Those recipes only call for 1/4 teaspoon per loaf. Waiting for it to rise overnight for the first rise creates full flavor.

[csziggy]

22. That sounds like a plan! I just opened my last jar of yeast

And made a load of bread this morning.

Maybe I will try making a starter to keep in the refrigerator - but it takes some maintenance that I would have to learn.

At a quarter a teaspoon per loaf rather than 2 teaspoons, that would extend my yeast a very long time before I had to keep a starter!

[eleny]

32. Walk over to the Cooking & Baking group here at DU

There's even a conversation with links to making a yeast water from dried fruit, no commercial yeast.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/115790532

The resulting bread isn't as strong as popular San Fran sourdough starter breads. But that appeals to me. I've shied away from trying to make starter but hope to take a crack at it some day since I'd like to make some old fashioned rye. I hope we can get rye flour again soon.

[csziggy]

35. Oh, yeah, I read Cooking and Baking regularly

And did some research today at the King Arthur website on what is involved in making a starter then maintaining it. Even if all I did was use some of my "tame" yeast, it sounds relatively easy and once it is established, you only have to "refresh"it once a week from what they say. Most of what now intimidates me is the amount of flour used at the beginning to establish the starter. I have most of five pound bags of all purpose, bread, whole wheat, and white wheat, but the stores have been short of flour for at least a month.

I'd never tried it during my bread making days - neither my husband or I like sourdough very much - but it's starting to look as if yeast (and maybe flour) will be in short supply for quite a while.

I'd love to make rye bread again - but the only place I can get rye flour is at the co-op store from their bulk bins. I seriously suspect that those are no longer available for use! I tried to order some online but no one had any available. *sigh*

[eleny]

37. Keep checking Walmart

The other day I went over there because it popped up as a flour source, King Arthur bread flour no less. They had singles 5 lb bags or 2 -5 lb bags. I had to pay shipping but it was worth it, imo, for 2 bags. Now they're out.

I've learned these days I have to keep checking Walmart, eBay and all the iterations of Amazon style shopping. All of a sudden I could get flour here and Scott kitchen rolls of paper there. Even tp at Amazon!

We don't go to the stores at all. So it's either pickup or online. We're too vulnerable. So if you stick with it you'll find some. I look at it like it's a hobby.

Good luck!

[csziggy]

38. I don't need to be eating bread, really.

I've put back on the weight I lost last year so I need to be back on my low carb diet. But I do love it and making it is such a relaxing thing to do.

I will start checking online for rye flour since it's been so hard to get.

[eleny]

40. Good luck and lmk!

It would be nice to find the smaller quantities.

[lagomorph777]

8. Been doing that with toilet paper and isopropyl.

Works well because the commercial supply chain is in glut while the consumer side is in shortage.

[Raven]

9. I bought 2 pounds on line. I'll use it. I bake at least 2 loves a week and it keeps well.n/t

[Akakoji]

10. Make a sourdough starter or a biga/levain

I ran a bakery that didn't buy yeast. Ever. An few raisins will do it as well.

[brooklynite]

25. I love sourdough...

...but it doesn't lend itself to my wife's peanut butter and banana sandwiches...

[Akakoji]

36. Sourdough doesn't have to be sour at all

https://truesourdough.com/18-ways-to-make-sourdough-bread-more-or-less-sour/

[spinbaby]

11. I've been working on a pound for at least five years

It keeps beautifully in the freezer, although, of course, the great yeast shortage happened when I got to the end of the pound.

[displacedtexan]

12. I buy 2 lb bags.

I bought my most recent bag in December for the holidays. I keep the entire bag in a ziplock bag with the air pressed out & store it in the refrigerator. It lasts 6 months or more. Just remember: if your recipe calls for blooming the yeast in warm water, the temp should be between 105F and 110F. Never hotter, or your yeast will die.
Let me know if you need easy bread recipes.

[sir pball]

13. As long as it's SAF Red Label, you'll be fine

Just dump it into a sealed container and put it in the freezer. We've been using 5+ year old stuff ever since fresh came unavailable and it's working great.

[Captain Stern]

14. I didn't even know yeast was hard to get....till I tried to get some yeast.

I've got a bread machine that I bought about thirty years ago. I use it about once or twice a year.

I decided to break it out, and make some bread.

A quick stop at the store for some fast-rising yeast, and I'd be good to go.

My stop at the grocery store was quick......it was extra quick because they had no yeast. No jars, no packets..just none.

I'm thinking that although the gym business is taking a serious hit right now, they're business will be booming when this is all done.

[Voltaire2]

15. sourdough starter: how bread was made for about the first 10,000 years..

yeast is all around us. It's free.

[BSdetect]

16. Yeast free Sosa bread recipe on BBC web site.

Sorry no exact link as they moved it.

Its made with 4 ingredients, milk, lemon juice, flour and baking soda.

Looks delicious in the video.

[Blue_true]

17. Why do you need so much yeast?

Isn't just the fact that you are forced to buy commercial amounts, just the though of what you imply says to me that you use an inordinate amount. Do you home brew?

Have you studied how to find wild yeast online? Riskier, but if you know what you are doing, it should work out.

Would kifir starter work for what you use yeast for?

[OneBro]

18. Or you could make your own.

[Blue_true]

20. Your workshop must smell like a brewery.

[BigDemVoter]

19. Wow-- I didn't realize that yeast was a hot item right now!

[Blue_true]

21. Yes, it is. Also flour is in out of stock for the best brands, even the sucky ones. nt

[zackymilly]

23. Bread is abundant on the shelves here in NC at the stores I shop.

The flour, rice, etc is also coming back.
What's puzzling is where did all the doggy ice cream go? (Frosty Paws).

[Runningdawg]

24. No yeast in Tulsa - except for the Hispanic Market. They had dozens of jars.

[totodeinhere]

27. You bring up a good point. Often when the big box stores and large supermarkets are sold out you

can find supplies you need at alternative sources such as ethnic markets and corner grocery stores and convenience stores. I recently could not find either bread or eggs at my local supermarket, but a little corner convenience store a few blocks from my house had both.

[Grasswire2]

26. an interesting article on why yeast is in short supply right now

[link:https://slate.com/business/2020/04/yeast-shortage-supermarkets-coronavirus.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab|

[crickets]

30. That was interesting, thanks.

The nature of the global economy rears its head once again re container shortage because the overseas manufacturers are closed. It does seem Fleischmann's is taking better care of their workers than some industries, though.

I thought the drama student / honor student analogy was a little unfair in a 'por que no los dos?' kinda way, but it got the point across wrt growing your own yeast.

[Agschmid]

28. I live in Brooklyn and have no issue buying yeast.

Have you been trying local delivery apps like Rosie or Wegmans/Instacart?

In general I have experience no shortage of any kind except for pasta at the beginning of PAUSE.

[MissB]

29. Glass jar in freezer

Works well.

I buy it from Costco and the bag lasts me a few years.

[Blueplanet]

31. Do not fret about not having yeast to bake bread

Bake biscuits instead. Use flour, baking powder, shortening, water or milk.
Country folk would bake their own bread every day using this recipe. Store bought bread was used for sandwiches.

[EndlessWire]

33. The big biscuit

I kept getting my bread orders cancelled. I decided the time has come for me to practice a little domestic independence and try to bake stuff for myself.

But, I spotted the possibility on Amazon to order a lot of biscuits delivered right to my door. Sounded good. Well, what I got was a humongous bag of dough. Not a little dough. It's a huge blob of prepared dough that is too large to put into my fridge, there is that much of it.

I thought it would at best be many biscuits wrapped separately in dainty little squares of paper. This thing is like the old movie, "The Blob," put into one large bag. They sent it in a styrofoam bin with ice packs. So now I have it sitting next to my fridge, rotating the ice packs back and forth.

My dogs are helping to eat this stuff. It doesn't taste too bad at all. I kinda like it. I have taken to cooking one large patty in the microwave, 4 minutes per side. It's working out. Put some syrup on it, very fulfilling.

[bif]

34. I've had a Costco sized bag in the freezer for at least ten years

I just made a loaf of bread this afternoon. The stuff keeps forever.

[womanofthehills]

39. I bought sourdough starter online about 6 months ago - it's easy to keep it going

You have to keep feeding your starter with flour, so you end up with lots of starter. I've been giving starter away to friends - who are now posting their sourdough breads and buns on Facebook.

I can no longer find organic white flour....my favorite to use. I only have 10 lbs left and I saw 5 lb bags of organic white flour listed on Amazon for $45.00 for one 5 lb bag ......

[MerryBlooms]

41. I haven't been able to find yeast locally since February.

Same with one goddamn bottle of hand sanitizer. Why are people buying massive amounts and leaving nothing for people who just want to make ONE goddamn loaf of bread for a special occasion. How many loaves of bread are you baking a day? Seriously! You always brag about being DU's 1 percenter, 1 percenters are the ones cornering the market on yeast? I appreciate your efforts supporting our Dems, but man, this post really almost has me in tears. I couldn't make my sisters my special bread this year because there was NO yeast! We're cooped up, my 76 y/o sister hasn't left the house in 6 weeks, and that one little normal thing I do, would have helped just a tiny bit with all this madness.

God, I'm probably screaming and crying right now at a brick wall. Fuck, I just lost my shit. Sorry.

[Hotler]

42. No yeast, make beer bread. nt