So what is the real truth between Rapid Rise Yeast vs Instant Yeast? When it comes to baking, yeast is a crucial magical ingredient that plays a vital role in the leavening process. It’s responsible for making bread, rolls, and various other baked goods rise, resulting in that soft, fluffy texture we all love.
It may seem like there are many different kinds of yeast but really, there are really only 3 types of yeast available to bakers today; Compressed yeast, Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast. Compressed yeast is harder to find, has a shorter shelf life and therefore is not as popular with home bakers, but Active Dry yeast and Instant yeast are most likely available at your local supermarket or easy to find online.
Where it gets confusing among beginner and experienced bakers is when you see Rapid Rise Yeast, Bread Machine Yeast, Quick Rise Yeast, Instant yeast and wonder… are these all the same thing? And the answer is… sort of?
And to be honest, when I was doing research, I started to get confused as well. I was finding conflicting articles about rapid rise yeast vs instant yeast. So I decided to do my own experimenting and research to find just what the truth is.
In this post about Rapid Rise Yeast vs Instant Yeast, we’ll explore what I found in my experimenting, if there are distinctions between these two yeast types, how to use them, and how to choose one over the other
The Common Ground: Yeast Basics
Before delving into the differences between Rapid Rise Yeast vs Instant Yeast, let’s establish some quick fundamental yeast knowledge. Yeast is a living microorganism (a fungus, to be precise) that ferments sugars, producing carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. This gas gets trapped in the dough’s structure, and causes it to rise and creates a light, airy texture in baked goods. Here’s how yeast works in a quick breakdown:
- Activation: Yeast needs warmth, moisture, and a source of food (usually sugars) to activate and start fermenting.
- Rising: As yeast ferments, it releases carbon dioxide gas, which forms tons of tiny bubbles and causes the dough to expand or rise.The trapped gas creates air pockets in the dough, resulting in a light and fluffy texture when baked.
Now, let’s dive into the key points between Rapid Rise Yeast vs Instant Yeast.
Instant Yeast
Instant Yeast is a fast acting yeast that doesn’t have to be pre-activated or dissolved in water. It can be thrown directly in your recipe with your dry ingredients and it will still perform. The instant yeast granules are much smaller than active dry yeast granules and therefore doesn’t have to be dissolved first. Instant yeast is used in many households and commercial bakeries due to its flexibility and reliability. It is actually my very favorite kind of yeast to use.
Now, this is where it can get confusing. Brands have created their own registered trademarked names for their instant yeast. For example, Quick-Rise is a registered trademark instant yeast for the brand Red Star. RapidRise and BreadMachine instant yeast belong to the company Fleishmann’s.Lesaffre makes SAF yeast. These are all types or subcategories of instant yeast.
Rapid Rise Yeast
As explained above, rapid rise yeast is an instant yeast but with a trademarked name. Both types of yeast can be added to the recipe without dissolving in water first.
So, is there really a difference?
The difference between rapid rise yeast vs instant yeast is not in the way it is used or what recipe it is used in. The biggest difference is in the rising time. When I experimented with 4 different types of instant yeast, they all performed and created beautiful loaves of bread. But, it did surprise me how the time varied for each type of yeast to work its magic.
The truth is, you can use any instant yeast interchangeably but need to be aware that the rise time may vary slightly depending on which brand of instant yeast is used in your recipe.
Easy right? Well, people may run into a problem if the recipe they are following, calls for a certain type or brand of instant yeast and gives an estimated proof or rise time. If you are a beginner and don’t know what your dough should look or feel like, this could become a problem if you are using a different brand of instant yeast and go by time alone. Once you are familiar with how your dough looks and feels before going in the oven, you can use any instant yeast even if your recipe calls for rapid rise yeast.
So in a nutshell, rapid rise yeast vs instant yeast:
- Instant yeast is a quick acting yeast that doesn’t need to be dissolved in water or activated
- Rapid Rise yeast is a type of instant yeast
- They can be used interchangeably, as long as you are aware the rising time may vary from brand to brand.
