What to Do With All That Yeast You Hoarded Last Year (2024)

I have a confession to make: I bought yeast last year. Bricks of yeast. An Amazon armada of yeast packages. And didn't use any of it. Not one bit.

I had the best intentions. Getting caught up in the bread-making frenzy of the pandemic was easy. My mother always had a sourdough starter and made bread.

Finding yeast also felt like a treasure hunt. It was easier to get my hands on than toilet paper, which made me feel some satisfaction.

But once I had yeast, I just stared at it on the pantry shelf. Sure, I looked up starter recipes. I pinned dozens and dozens of yeast bread options. I still didn't actually use the yeast. Or make bread.

Now, as I return to more normal baking and cooking routines, I find myself with a stash of yeast and the ability to buy more whenever I want. So, similar to my unused Instant Pot, I have gone on a quest to figure out what to do with all this yeast.

The first and last thing you should do when you start on a yeast-using journey is check the expiration date. If it's expired by several months, it's probably best to toss it. If you're close, you can always proof the yeast to see if it's still active. But if it looks a little sluggish, you might not get enough yeast-y action to make anything.

One of the most important articles I read is this one on storing yeast properly. If you're going to keep yeast on hand, you need to know how to store it. Otherwise, it will be useless by the time you get around to using it.

I've looked for recipes for sweet yeast treats, science options, even yeast skincare. By the time I was done exploring all the things you can make with yeast, I was ready for the ultimate adventure: a sourdough starter and yeast loaves. Follow the yeast trail to discover your own journey through the pantry shelf marked yeast with these tips and recipe ideas.

Sweet On Cinnamon Rolls

In my quest to use up all the yeast I purchased, I decided to listen to my sweet tooth first. Maybe making a savory or yeasty bread was just not in the recipe cards for me.

I found what I was looking for in this Classic Cinnamon Rolls recipe. With over 300 five-star ratings, this recipe lived up to the hype and used up two envelopes of yeast. There are many reasons this yeast cinnamon roll recipe was a "First Place Winner at the 2008 Iowa State Fair!" Sweet, pillowy, cinnamon-y and yummy!

The Science of Yeast

If baking with yeast didn't feel right, maybe some yeast science was a better option. While some of these experiments end with making bread, they are also another fun way to use up extra yeast.

Yeast Experiments:

• Yeast Science Experiments for Kids
• Is Yeast Alive? A Fun Experiment for Your Kids

Making an Easy Foccacia recipe is another way to look at yeast with kids — easy is in the name. Who doesn't love a science experiment that ends with warm bread out of the oven.

Waffle With Yeast

I've always made waffles with a baking mix or simple scratch mix that doesn't involve yeast. I read that yeast dough waffles can be fluffier and lighter, so I gave yeast waffles a try.

This Yeast Waffle recipe comes highly recommended by Allrecipes cook Janet Morris who has her own tips on serving up yeasty, fluffy waffles: "It makes tasty, crunchy waffles. They are very good with syrup, or my personal favorite is waffles topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries!"

One package of yeast gone and a new yummy breakfast option — yes, please. With strawberries and whipped cream on top!

Bonus tip: If yeast waffles aren't your thing, try these Yeast Pancakes From Transylvania which mircea describes as "a combination between a pancake, a crepe, or a naan bread."

Tie Up the Yeast in a Pretzel

While bread-making may have eluded me, pretzel-making is right up my baking alley. This Buttery Soft Pretzel recipe has over 2,600 reviews, including ones that extol the chewy texture and flavor, all with a hint of sweetness that makes mall pretzels so appealing.

Dough-Not Save the Yeast

I found this Yeast Doughnuts recipe that satisfied my need for sweet and tasted as good as doughnut shop options. Customizing our doughnuts with different toppings like sprinkles and frosting and powdered sugar made Saturday morning more fun. Try these at home for a sweet yeast treat.

Fry Up a Batch

I may have failed at making bread bread, but I am good at making fry bread. Growing up in the Midwest, fry bread tacos were a favorite meal. These Indian Tacos With Yeast Fry Bread brought back all those memories (and used up another package of yeast.) Winner winner, Indian taco fry bread dinner.

A Grown-Up Science Experiment

If you have extra yeast and not enough wine, this Homemade Wine recipe is a fun way for grown-ups to experiment (and use up yeast!). All you need is a jug, large balloon, rubber bands, sugar, frozen juice concentrate, water, and six weeks of patience. Check out the reviews for tips and tricks on how to brew your own at-home wine for less money and less yeast with your pantry.

When The Yeast Has Just Got To Go

At some point, it's just simply time to donate extra yeast like you would canned goods or peanut butter. Check with your local food bank, "little refrigerator," or free-cyle group and see if anyone is looking for yeast.

The first and last thing you should do when you start on a yeast-using journey is check the expiration date. If it's expired and you've used your yeast to bake, experiment, cook, clean, and donate, sometimes, you just need to toss it and make space for new yeast or other ingredients. This can be hard to do especially after the great yeast and toilet paper shortages of the last year.

Before I tossed or donated my yeast, I gave it the Marie Kondo "thank you" treatment.

"Thank you yeast for making me feel like there was something normal and domestic and that I might make bread, someday. I'm sorry the bakery bread I bought instead of making homemade bread taunted you in the dark pantry."

And then, I dropped the yeast off in the trash or at the food bank or at my friend's house. Without guilt. I may not have a starter or yeasty bread, but I have purged the pantry of the yeast section. Until next time.