wine yeast vs. bread yeast - what's the difference?

Not all yeasts are the same and each one serves different purposes. You can get it in various forms, from active to inactive and from dry to fresh.

But what is the difference between wine yeast and bread yeast? There are a few key differences between bread yeast and wine yeast, aside from their names and uses. Each of them has a different tolerance to alcohol and ferments in a different way.

Read on to understand the differences and whether the two can be used interchangeably.

What is yeast?

The first thing is to examine what yeast is in general. Yeast is a type of microorganism. It is a single-celled fungus from the same family as the edible mushrooms that many people eat every day around the world.

Most common uses for yeast are related to food. It is mostly used in products that require fermentation or rise, such as wine and bread, but there are forms of yeast that are also used as a nutritional supplement.

Yeast cells consume and digest food to produce energy for growth, not much different from most other living organisms.

The difference is that yeast has a rather specific diet, which can make you quite envious.

Yeast only consumes different types of sugar, either in the form of natural fructose or types of sugar derived from food products such as flour, grains, and starch.

Yeast can eat and digest sucrose (cane sugar), fructose and glucose (which come from things like maple syrup, honey, and fruit), and maltose (sugar derived from flour).

After indulging your sweet tooth, the yeast emits carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol.

The two products released by the yeast during the fermentation process play different roles in bread making. Carbon dioxide is a gas that gets trapped in the dough and makes it rise.

Ethyl alcohol is what produces the characteristic flavor and aroma of leavened bread with yeast.

This process is known as alcoholic fermentation and is the reason why yeast is often used to make bread and wine. The type of yeast used will determine the type of fermentation, as each one reacts differently when introduced to your feed source.

There are also types of yeast that are used to make beer. Called brewer’s yeast, this type of yeast has characteristics similar to wine yeast; the only difference is their alcohol tolerance. Compared to wine yeast, brewer’s yeast is lighter.

The fermentation of liquors can also occur naturally. For example, when ripe fruit falls from the tree and breaks, microscopic yeast cells consume the sugar in the ripe fruit, causing fermentation and making the fallen fruit alcoholic.

This explains the smell you can detect when walking past fruit trees at the end of their season, and also explains why some animal species intentionally eat ripe fruit that has fallen from the branches.

Who says that we are the only animals that know how to party?

Wine yeast and bread yeast

There are four key differences between wine yeast and bread yeast, and they are related to the following factors: alcohol tolerance, fermentation, activity, and nutritional value. Each factor is different in the two types of yeast.

alcohol tolerance

Both bread and wine yeast have different alcohol tolerances, that is, the percentage of alcohol to water that they can tolerate while still promoting fermentation.

Bread yeast has the lowest alcohol tolerance, ranging from about 6-8%.

Wine yeast can tolerate up to 17%, and some types of yeast can tolerate higher percentages. Champagne and port yeast, for example, can withstand up to 18% alcohol. Brewer’s yeast is just below wine yeast, typically 10-12%.

Fermentation

What each type of yeast does during the fermentation phase is also different.

Wine yeast does not foam as much and releases gas much more slowly, making it ideal for the longer process associated with wine production, which can sometimes last months to years.

Bread yeast is very active in the fermentation phase and produces much more gas.

It is often said that baker’s yeast is more potent and should be used faster and under more active conditions (a hot oven for a short time vs. a wine barrel for a long time).

Exercise

Activity when referring to yeast is not referring to what you do in your spare time when you’re not consuming sugar and making gas for bread. Yeast activity actually refers to whether or not the yeast is still alive when used.

Wine yeast can be active or inactive. Bread yeast, on the other hand, is always active and alive.

The care, storage, and use of some types of baker’s yeast is more complicated, as the yeast must remain alive until used. Later we will talk about it.

Nutritional value

The nutritional value of each type of yeast simply refers to whether or not it can be eaten raw as a food source. Active yeast cannot be consumed before cooking; it will continue to grow in your intestines and rob your body of vitamins.

Inactive wine or brewer’s yeast can be, and often is, consumed, although it can sometimes be bitter, unlike the cheesy flavor of nutritional yeast.

Slightly different from some of the nutritional yeast supplements available in health food stores and commonly used in vegan/vegetarian diets, wine yeast contains B vitamins and other minerals.

Can active wine yeast be used to make bread?

The simple answer to this question is yes. You can use active wine yeast instead of bread yeast. Before we could manipulate the type of yeast available, yeast was more of a yeast, and brewer’s yeast was often used in the baking of bread.

Now that different types of yeast are bred for specific purposes, there is no advantage to using wine yeast to make bread.

In fact, the resulting bread will probably have an unpleasant alcoholic taste. It will also be very bitter.

We recommend that you use the type of yeast that is grown for what you intend to use. The cultivation conditions and techniques of each type of yeast are specific for the use that is going to be given to it.

Each yeast will produce a different flavor and may even produce different colors.

Are there different types of bread yeast?

There are two different types of yeast that are used in baking. One is known as dry yeast and the other type is known as wet yeast, but it is also sometimes called fresh yeast. Both are still technically active, or alive.

Sourdough technically contains a type of wet or fresh yeast, but this yeast also has some differences in its preparation and use.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll just classify it as a type of wet yeast, but we’ll go into some detail about the differences.

dry active yeast

Active dry yeast, or instant yeast, is designed to have a long shelf life and is the easiest to work with.

If you’ve ever used store-bought yeast, you might recognize the little packets it’s usually sold in. Active dry yeast is simply dissolved in hot water and mixed with flour to make the dough.

Instant yeast is also a type of active dry yeast, but it is used less often due to its inability to withstand salt for too long before being baked.

Salt can paralyze yeast, and if you want to use instant yeast, be sure to put the salt last.

Wet or fresh yeast

Unlike active dry yeast, fresh yeast does not have a long shelf life. In fact, it breaks down very quickly and you have to take good care of it.

We only recommend using fresh or wet yeast if you bake regularly. It is also a bit more difficult to work with.

You won’t be able to find it in most supermarkets, but some bakeries may carry it. You can also make your own fresh yeast, often referred to simply as sourdough.

Sourdough yeast is also sometimes called a natural leaven or starter, but it’s technically a yeast culture that you have to treat like a living organism. This means that you have to feed and care for it properly to keep it alive.

Some famous bakeries have even given their sourdough ferments their names.

You can make your own sourdough culture at home with just two ingredients, water and flour, although many bakeries use other ingredients to modify the flavor profile of their bread.

You have to feed the sourdough cultures just like you would feed a pet or child (hope that explains the whole name thing).

Sourdough cultures need to be fed flour and water regularly, but the time between feedings can be slowed down considerably if the culture is stored in the fridge.

It takes about a week to get a ready-to-use sourdough culture, and as we’ve said, it’s a lot more complicated than just using dry active yeast.

As with many things in life, time and effort pay off. Sourdough cultures result in a much more developed flavor and aroma.