Home bakers have entrusted Red Star yeast to perfect their breads, bagels and pizza dough for more than a century. Thanks to the consistent, high-quality of Red Star, generations have made baking a family tradition.

The History of Red Star

Red Star is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has been producing yeast since the late 1880s, originally as a part of Meadow Springs Distillery.

Red Star Yeast was an original contributor to the development of active dry yeast, which gave yeast a longer shelf life thanks to a reduced moisture content. This new finding helped meet the dietary needs of soldiers during World War II.

The Science of Yeast

Yeast is a fundamental ingredient for so many baked goods, as a necessary component to make dough rise. You may not know that yeast is actually a single-celled fungi, related to others you may be familiar with, like edible mushrooms. The scientific name for the yeast used by bakers is Saccharomyces Cerevisiae - sugar-eating fungus. It's this species' strength that makes it capable of fermentation, which is what enables bread dough to rise.

Yeast cells digest food to obtain energy for growth, and their favorite food is sugar. With their sweet tooth, they devour sugar in all its various forms - particularly maltose, which is derived from the starch in flour.

The process of alcohol fermentation releases end products that make bread as we know it possible. Carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol make the dough rise because the gas cannot escape the elastic dough.

The three functions of yeast in baking are:

Rising the dough: Carbon dioxide stretches and expands the dough.
Dough development: Other compounds formed during yeast fermentation strengthen the flour to capture and hold the carbon dioxide.
Flavor, smell, and texture: You can thank yeast for the sweet smell of fresh, yeast-raised products, as well as the texture and flavor.

Red Star Company Mission

Red Star strives to take the fear out of baking with yeast, and make it a possibility for all experience levels of home bakers. It works to provide educational resources and baking competitions for consumers.

Top Red Star Product

While yeast cells are incredibly small, their impact on our baked goods are nothing to balk at. Red Star has been perfecting yeast for over a century, making it an expert in the field.

Active Dry Yeast

Red Star’s active dry yeast is a cake yeast in a semi-dormant state. With less moisture than typical yeast, it has a prolonged shelf life while remaining just as effective.

Yeast, Fermentation & More

Active yeast fills a big role. As you push forward in your baking adventures, you may have bread on the mind. Here are some related topics and trends when you can’t get enough of yeast:

More Fermented Foods

The process of making dough rise involves alcohol fermentation, thanks to the power of yeast. But the trend of fermented foods extends far beyond bread. Here are other ways fermentation may end up gracing your palette.

What Gluten Is and Why You Should Avoid It

Gluten is found in many different foods, but you can definitely expect to find it in your homemade breads. To learn more about gluten, and why it’s gained a bad rep, read here.