There really is a difference between pizza yeast and regular yeast, but the difference is minimal. You can use pizza yeast for bread if you like and you will still get a great result. Pizza yeast can be used to make bread but it is essential that you activate the yeast first and allow enough time for the dough to rise.
This article will explore all you need to know about using pizza yeast for bread and some easy tips to help it to turn out great.
The Difference Between Pizza Yeast and Regular Yeast
Both pizza yeast and regular yeast help dough rise and can be used for a variety of bread-like products. The main difference between the two is that in pizza yeast, more dough conditioners or relaxers are added to the product.
This is so you can stretch and handle your pizza dough without it snapping back like it does when you’re making bread, so it’s an important feature to have when making pizza.
You are still able to use pizza yeast when you make bread.
6 Tips When Using Pizza Yeast to Make Bread
Check out my 6 tips that will help when using pizza yeast to make bread.
1. Let the Dough Rest
When you’re making bread with pizza yeast, you should let it rest for 5–10 minutes after the dough is made and before you start kneading. This allows the gluten to relax and allows you to handle it better once you start making the bread.
Remember that pizza yeast simply has ingredients added to it so it can be handled a certain way, and letting the dough rest for a bit helps you handle it much better.
2. The Dough Doesn’t Always Have to Proof
When making certain homemade bread items, you usually have to let the dough rise twice. The second rising is called a proofing, but when you use pizza yeast to make a pizza crust, the second rising is unnecessary.
Pizza yeast is made to act quickly, so one rising is always enough.
3. Pizza Yeast is Not a Necessity
Another tip to remember is that when you’re making a homemade pizza, pizza yeast is not a necessity. You can indeed use regular yeast and get the same results.
4. You Do Not Have to Work the Dough Too Hard
When you make bread with regular yeast, you have to knead the dough pretty hard, but that’s not the case with pizza yeast. While you do need to knead your dough when making pizza, the extra ingredients in the yeast mean you won’t have to knead quite so hard.
Plus, if you don’t work the dough as hard, it allows for easier stretching once you finally start making the pizza dough. This also means you can save your hands and wrists from a lot of aches and pains!
5. Its Final Size Might Be Different
When you use pizza yeast to make bread, the size of the dough might be different than if you’d used regular yeast. When you use pizza yeast, the dough might not double in width, but it will double in height.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something you should be aware of before you bake your bread. Higher bread, of course, can be a good thing!
6. Activate the Yeast First
Regardless of which brand of pizza yeast you use, keep in mind that active dry yeast needs to be mixed with warm water before being added to the rest of the ingredients.
Instant yeast can be placed directly into the dough with the other ingredients. These things won’t necessarily affect the way the bread (or the pizza) turns out in the end, but they are good things to remember before you get started.
Here is an easy video that describes how to activate the yeast when making bread.
Can Pizza Yeast be Substituted for Regular Yeast?
This question is easily answered once you understand that pizza yeast and regular yeast are usually the same. With the exception of a few ingredients added to the pizza yeast so that manipulation of the dough is a little easier.
You can indeed use pizza yeast in place of regular yeast in most, if not all, cases. Just keep in mind the tips that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Is Bread Yeast and Pizza Yeast the Same?
For the most part, bread yeast and pizza yeast are the same. Bread can usually be made with all types of yeast, including:
- Active dry yeast, which has to be mixed with warm water
- Instant yeast, which can be added directly to the other ingredients
- Fast-acting (rapid) yeast, which is the fastest because you can make bread without letting it rise first
This is why bread can be made with pizza yeast, and for the most part, pizza dough can be made with regular yeast. In fact, it’s interesting to note that in reality, most pizza dough doesn’t require yeast at all.
People tend to use yeast because the dough is fluffier and thicker in the end.
Can You Use Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast to Make Bread?
There is little to no difference between the pizza yeast made by Fleischmann’s and most other types of pizza yeast.
All of them add ingredients that allow you to manipulate the dough better so the dough will stretch out the way it needs to when making pizza dough. In other words, the dough won’t “snap” back like it does when you’re making bread dough.
The ingredient included in Fleischmann’s pizza yeast is L-Cysteine, which is an amino acid that acts as a building block for proteins. L-Cysteine is a common ingredient in many baking products.
What Type of Yeast is Fleischmann’s Pizza Yeast?
Fleischmann’s pizza yeast is a dry yeast that must be mixed with water, salt, and flour to make your pizza dough. There are only four ingredients in this yeast: the yeast itself, sorbitan monostearate, L-Cysteine, and ascorbic acid.
Keep in mind that while most pizza yeasts will tell you they cannot be used for making bread, this is really not the case.
Can Pizza Yeast Be Used for Bread? | Summary
Pizza yeast can be used to make bread. Both yeast types will help the dough to raise, giving bread lightness and lift.
Happy cooking.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.