🧂 Fresh baker’s yeast 42 g — What is it?
Fresh baker’s yeast is a live culture of microorganisms (yeast) of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used as a leavening agent in the baking of yeast-raised doughs — bread, rolls, buns, and both sweet and savoury pastries. The yeast is compressed, sticky/crumbly and sold chilled in a 42 g block.
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Weight: 42 g
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Form: fresh cube
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Category: baker’s yeast
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Use: for proving dough when baking and in certain yeast-based dishes (e.g. spreads)
🧪 Ingredients and allergens
✔️ Ingredients:
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Live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) — the sole ingredient of the yeast.
⚠️ Allergens:
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Yeast is not generally considered a common allergen like milk or cereals (e.g. gluten), but it is not consumed directly as a food — it is used in baking. Most commercially available varieties are gluten-free and lactose-free, and are also suitable for vegans.
📊 Nutritional values (approximate per 100 g)
(Nutritional data given for 100 g of yeast — for 42 g it is slightly less, but proportionally the same.)
| Component | Per 100 g of product |
|---|---|
| Energy | ~477 kJ / 114 kcal |
| Fat | ~2 g |
| – of which saturated | ~0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | ~5 g |
| – of which sugars | ~4 g |
| Protein | ~14 g |
| Salt | ~0.06 g |
| Fibre | approx. 8–10 g (for some brands) |
👉 As a living microorganism, yeast is high in protein and fibre and relatively low in fat and carbohydrates, but it is not usually consumed in its entirety at once; rather, it is used in baking dough.
🍞 How to use it
📌 Basic rule:
➡️ 1 cube (42 g) of yeast per approx. 1 kg of flour — the standard ratio for yeast-raised dough.
✔️ Method:
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Crumble the yeast into a small bowl.
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Dissolve it in a warm liquid (approx. 30–38 °C) with a little sugar (sugar promotes yeast activity).
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Leave the mixture to ‘work’ for a few minutes to activate the yeast (foam will form).
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Add it to the flour and continue making the dough.
📌 Yeast is suitable for:
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🍞 bread, baguettes
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🥐 rolls, cakes, buns
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🍩 sweet yeast-raised pastries
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🍕 pizza or yeast dough for savoury dishes
🧊 Storage
➡️ Keep in a cool place: usually between +1 °C and +10 °C, most commonly in the fridge (4 °C – 8 °C).
➡️ Fresh yeast has a short shelf life: it lasts for around 2–4 weeks when kept cool — the sooner you use it, the better it works during proving.
💡 If the yeast has darkened, dried out or has an unpleasant smell, it’s best not to use it — it may have lost its activity.
🧠 Summary
42 g of fresh baker’s yeast is a live yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used in baking leavened dough. It allows the dough to rise by producing CO₂, which makes baked goods light and soft. It is high in protein, low in fat and does not contain common allergens such as gluten or milk (unless mixed with other ingredients). Store it in a cool place and use it according to the amount of flour (e.g. ~42 g per ~1 kg of flour).
