On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 21:31:13 -0500, Fred wrote:

>> http://breaddaily.tripod.com/yeast.htm
>
> Thanks for the link. My favorite Italian bread formula calls for .75
> oz. of fresh yeast and the formula makes two loaves. I've made many
> loaves of it this way. My professional baking text says I can
> substitute active dry yeast for fresh yeast at a rate of 40% by weight.
> That's about two packets of the stuff to make my Italian bread dough.
> So I made up a couple of loaves using the dry yeast. Personally, I
> don't think it provided as much leavening and it certainly didn't proof
> as quickly although I think the crumb was slightly more uniform. I also
> thought the bread was less flavorful but that could be just a matter of
> habit and preference guiding me to that conclusion rather than objective
> taste.

fwiw, i think the 1 lb bags i've been buying fall in the "instant"
category. that might be worth a try over the traditional "active dry".

but good luck on finding the fresh yeast again.