My kid's science book said yeast is alive and it blew my mind

I was helping with homework last night and the page showed yeast cells under a microscope, calling them 'tiny living organisms'. I always just thought of it as powder from a packet, but now I feel bad when my dough doesn't rise, like I'm failing these little guys lol. Does anyone else think about the yeast being alive when they bake?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_angela1mo ago

Honestly, I just try to remember they're more like tiny, hungry pets. If your dough doesn't rise, it's usually because the water was too hot and you basically gave them a bath they couldn't survive. Room temp water and a pinch of sugar to get them going works every time. Don't feel too bad, it's a learning curve for both you and the yeast.

janah381mo ago

That's such a good way to put it, @the_angela. I killed so many of those tiny pets before I got it right lol. Another thing that messed me up was using old yeast from the back of the pantry. Those little guys were already dead before they even hit the water. Now I always check the date on the packet.