Yeast
Yeast is a single-celled organism that is invisible to the naked eye. This organism feeds on the sugars and starches in your dough and releases gasses that create tiny air pockets in the dough, causing the dough to rise.
There are several varieties of yeast on the market. ‘Baker’s yeast’ is the general term given to all forms of ‘Saccharomyces cerevisiae’ used for making dough. Baker’s yeast comes in several forms, including active dried yeast (ADY), fresh yeast (cake yeast), and instant dry yeast (IDY).
ADY, IDY, and fresh yeast are the most used and the best to start your pizza journey with! If you want to discover more about these and many other types of yeast, you can check them out below.
The best way to add yeast to a dough is to first dissolve it in water, especially when mixing small amounts of dough by hand. This way you ensure that the yeast is properly dissolved and distributed into the dough. ADY must first be dissolved in warm water to ensure that the yeast is activated, prior to the addition of flour.
For more detailed information about the different types of yeast, check the other blog posts.