Two Loaves Are Better than One

Yum! Home-baked bread!

But why do these qualify for the do-over blog, you ask... well, because it's a rethink on yeast. I recently took a pizza cooking class with my mom and my friend at Kitchen Therapy! I came away with a small sample of fresh yeast (also called cake yeast), which Chef Waldemar strongly recommended over the usual dry yeast from the grocery store. I am a convert.  It smells better, it's easy to use, it just seems more "alive" than the other stuff. These are the only things you need to remember to use fresh yeast:

• it's sold at bakeries... but you'll have to ask; they'll have it in the back. (I love that, it almost feels illegal. You can ask for it in hushed tones, with a knowing nod to the bakers behind the counter, acknowledging this little secret you share...)  It costs $2.25 for a 1 lb brick that looks like a block of butter.
• keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days, or until little black spots appear.  Yeah, you'll probably have to throw some away.
• to proof: crumble 0.6 ounce of it in a bowl (um, like a tablespoon? Invest in a kitchen scale.), add some of the flour and warm (not hot) water from your recipe, let stand for 10 minutes, then continue with the recipe in the usual way...

Try it.  Really.