Baker's yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast commonly used as baker's yeast. Gradation marks are 1 μm apart.

Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Baker's yeast is of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae,[1] and is the same species (but a different strain) as the kind commonly used in alcoholic fermentation, which is called brewer's yeast or the deactivated form nutritional yeast.[2] Baker's yeast is also a single-cell microorganism found on and around the human body.

The use of steamed or boiled potatoes,[3] water from potato boiling,[4] or sugar in a bread dough provides food for the growth of yeasts; however, too much sugar will dehydrate them.[5] Yeast growth is inhibited by both salt and sugar, but more so by salt than sugar.[6] Some sources say fats, such as butter and eggs, slow down yeast growth;[7] others say the effect of fat on dough remains unclear, presenting evidence that small amounts of fat are beneficial for baked bread volume.[8]

Saccharomyces exiguus (also known as S. minor) is a wild yeast found on plants, grains, and fruits that is occasionally used for baking; however, in general, it is not used in a pure form but comes from being propagated in a sourdough starter.

  1. ^ Young, Linda; Cauvain, Stanley P. (2007). Technology of Breadmaking. Berlin: Springer. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-387-38563-1. Archived from the original on 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2015-10-27. The scientific name for baker's yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ...
  2. ^ Kalmus, Sage. "What Is the Difference Between Brewer's Yeast & Baker's Yeast?". livestrong.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  3. ^ Eben Norton Horsford (1875). Report on Vienna bread - Internet Archive. Washington: Government Printing Office. pp. 90, 88, 87. potatoes.
  4. ^ Samuel P. Sadtler (1908). A hand-book of industrial organic ... - Google Books. J. B. Lippincott Company. p. 235. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. ^ Christian, Elizabeth W.; Vaclavik, Vickie (2003). Essentials of food science. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-306-47363-0.
  6. ^ Young, Linda; Cauvain, Stanley P. (2007). Technology of Breadmaking. Berlin: Springer. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-387-38563-1.
  7. ^ Susan Westmoreland (2004). The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. New York: Hearst. p. 584. ISBN 978-1-58816-398-1.
  8. ^ Young, Linda; Cauvain, Stanley P. (2007). Technology of Breadmaking. Berlin: Springer. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-387-38563-1. Archived from the original on 2013-10-09. Retrieved 2011-04-25.