julia child's croissants

I usually make Nancy Silverton's croissants, but I thought I would make Julia Child's recipe instead. I was too lazy to go upstairs to get the book (it's in Baking with Julia), so I looked online. The version I saw called for active dry yeast, so that's what I bought. The book actually says fresh yeast. I know the amounts are different, but can I just substitute one for the other?

Jocelyn Grayson
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6 Comments

Jocelyn G.
Jocelyn G. February 16, 2017
Thanks! I decided to go back to my old standard, which ironically doesn't proof the yeast!
 
Doris
Doris February 16, 2017
Just make sure your block of butter and your dough are the right consistencies when you start your laminating. It sounds like you know what you are doing...
 
Smaug
Smaug February 16, 2017
Yes, it's safe to assume the recipe was converted properly. Fresh yeast was much more common when the book was written; it was available in any grocery store.
 
Jocelyn G.
Jocelyn G. February 16, 2017
I read online that active dry head needs to be dissolved first. The version I saw had it dumped into the bowl with the other dry ingredients?
 
Smaug
Smaug February 16, 2017
It needs to be hydrated at some point; once again, assuming your recipe was competently written, this will happen. The practice of dissolving yeast is partly a holdover from the old practice of "proofing" yeast- basically making sure the yeast is still active before going on with the recipe. Modern yeasts, while they will go bad, are much more dependable, and this practice is seldom necessary.
 
Smaug
Smaug February 17, 2017
As a sort of side bar- "instant" or "bread machine" yeasts are becoming popular in recipes. I do not use them, never saw any reason to spend the money, but from what I've read they're designed to be added with dry ingredients. They are the same yeast, but processed differently- the granules are smaller and there is a higher percentage of live yeast.
 
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