Yeast is a natural unicellular microorganism used for baking bakery products, as well as for beer and wine. It is thanks to their participation that the dough is loosened. This process helps to improve the taste of the finished product. Yeast enzymes cause alcohol fermentation in the dough. The result of this reaction is the production of oxygen dioxide. This element also contributes to giving the test a porous structure, loosens it. During their life, unicellular organisms consume sugar, thereby contributing to its conversion to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The dough, as a result of this process, acquires a bubbly loose texture and a characteristic sour taste.
Yeast is a living microorganism. In this regard, you should not sprinkle them with water, the temperature of which exceeds fifty degrees, and also freeze several times. The microorganisms that make up the yeast do not withstand such procedures and die.
The modern food industry produces three types of product intended for baking bakery products. These include:
- pressed fresh;
- active dry yeast;
- instant (high-speed).
Pressed yeast is a fresh product. They have a light color with a grayish or yellowish tint. A characteristic sign of the freshness of this product is the absence of mold deposits, as well as various types of stripes and dark spots on the surface. In this case, the yeast must have a specific smell, vaguely reminiscent of fruit. Before use, the necessary part of the product is dissolved in a warm liquid.
Dry yeast may be in the form of grains, vermicelli, granules or powder. Mixtures of all these types may also be on sale. The color of such a product is usually light brown or light yellow. Dry yeast can be produced as active or high-speed products. Their difference lies in the drying mode and methods of application.
Active dry yeast is produced in the form of granules having a round shape. In order to activate the microorganisms present in the product, you must first dissolve it in a liquid. In order to knead the yeast dough, dry yeast softened in water is mixed with flour and all the ingredients necessary to obtain a ready-made baking.
Instant (high-speed) dry microorganisms do not need the activation process. Such yeast is mixed with flour without prior softening in the liquid. This greatly speeds up the process of kneading the dough.
The food industry also produces alcoholic yeast. This product is intended for the production of moonshine at home. Such yeast can cause the most active fermentation processes due to the fact that they do not break down when exposed to alcohol. Microorganisms contained in this product are bred in order to obtain high-quality home-made alcohol. Its taste, according to experts, is an order of magnitude higher than the taste of moonshine made on the basis of ordinary baker's yeast.