May 4, 2021 - 1:49pm
Yeast in freezer
How long can yeast stored in the freezer remain usable? I've kept mine in a baggie for what I think is more than a year and it doesn't seem to be particularly active.
Share
How long can yeast stored in the freezer remain usable? I've kept mine in a baggie for what I think is more than a year and it doesn't seem to be particularly active.
Although almost universally rejected as a good idea, ADY will last for more than 5 years in a freezer and still have good potency. Protecting it from moisture seems to help. My ADY is in a “Ball type” glass jar with a sealing lid. I open only to get out what I need and immediately return to the freezer.
Jeff, take a look at THIS LINK.
If you wade through THIS POST you can see the huge basket in action.
You may want to consider their smaller 10” basket. A 10” baskets was used for the 2500g (5lb 10oz) dough. The 12” is a beast!
Jeff, it depends on how you store it and on the type of freezer.
If you store it in small closed containers and never open them and your freezer is not the auto defrosting type, then indefinitely, 10 years or longer at minus 20C or lower. Just take a small portion out and keep it refrigerated as you use it for baking this month.
Opening a large package each time you bake and returning it back to freezer will harm it.
Auto defrosting freezer is even worse. It partially defrosts and then refreezes yeast sometimes several times per day which damages yeast.
My freezer yeast (1 lb bag SAF Red and 1 lb bag SA Gold) have been in a ziploc bag in a freezer for a little over 10 yrs. They were moved twice-kept in a cooler for 10 hrs one time and in luggage flown on an airplane for 8 hrs before being parked in the new freezers. I still use them and they activate nicely. The Gold is almost gone-love to use it for my brioche loaves/rolls which I often give as holiday gifts-hot cross buns, Thanksgiving dinner rolls, Christmas breakfast buns,etc. If your yeast seems weak, add a teaspoon more.
I keep mine in the freezer too but I put it in a container with a cover and have no problems and mine has been in longer than a year and is still active.
Freezer or fridge, about 3 years past used by date is the limit I always see. I buy in 2 lb increments and about the 3rd year I notice a change - which is having to add more yeast to get same result. When it's proofed and you don't see the normal barm, its on the way out. I've only used Red Star or Fleishmans. Enjoy!
My instant dry yeast is about 3 years old. It’s kept in its original bottle and is still going strong.
yeast was doing a good job then I bought a new package and now I think I kept it much longer than I should have.