You Should Be Storing Your Yeast In The Freezer. Here's Why

If you are like us, you are always looking for ways to stretch the shelf life of ingredients that you may not be able to use up quickly, but are sold in such large quantities, you don't want to wind up putting them down the garbage disposal. This is especially true when you take the rising cost of food into account. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that, in 2020, we saw a 3.5 percent increase in food-at-home prices. 

Yeast is one of those ingredients that definitely falls into this category. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw how yeast became a hot commodity as people returned to baking the basics, causing an unprecedented shortage of this key ingredient. And even during seemingly "normal times," while we love to make bread from time to time, we often find ourselves left with a big jar or a couple of packets of the bread rising agent and no immediate plans to bake again for a few months. But there is good news! Yeast is one of those ingredients that you can actually store in the freezer, and if you have never done so, you may want to start. Here's why.

The Kitchn shares that dry yeast actually does quite well in the freezer as long as it's stored properly in an airtight container so no moisture finds its way in. And it does not have to be fancy. King Arthur Baking notes that a Ziploc freezer bag will do the trick. The Kitchn goes on to say that you can also use your dry yeast straight from its frozen state. When you add it to room temperature liquid, your yeast will immediately be shaken out of its dormant state and get right to work. Having the option to store your leftover yeast in the freezer definitely takes away from the headaches of whim baking and having to run out to the store to buy some more.

So how long can you keep your yeast in the freezer? One writer for The Washington Post says that, while King Arthur Baking states yeast can be stored in the freezer for up to a year, they have kept theirs in the freezer for up to two years with no problem. And The Kitchn reveals that, if you are worried that your frozen yeast may no longer be good to use, you can always test it by adding a little to warm water with a little bit of added sugar. If it stars to foam and bubble, you are in business. Freezing yeast is both convenient and a money saver, so don't be intimidated by freezing it for later use.