what are the downsides of ready to use sachets of yeast?

you dont get the texture of a starter made loaf, but you also get a less sour bread.

A good half way is to make a packet yeast starter to work from (rather than go straight into the proving) rather than cultivate a sour starter in the kitchen.

We use Allison dried yeast in a tin – teaspoon or so at a time. The yeast will become inactive if you dont use it in a reasonable time though. Sachets mean you dont waste yeast.

in my experience none….

We use Allison dried yeast in a tin

+1 seems to work fine

thanks, looks like the benefits outweight the downsides for me!

If you're just starting to make your own bread, then the sachets are great. They are simple and you really can't go wrong. The dried activated yeast in a tin isn't too much of a faff. It is also better value, you get far more yeast for your money as long as you regularly make bread.

I've started making my own yeast in a kilner jar, and that's working out well, it gives the loaf a totally different texture I've found, coarser and with a strong flavour. It's fun to experiment with. I'm definitely an amateur baker, but I'm learning. Enjoy the process robob.

are you guys using bread makers? i'm "keeping it old skool" and to knock up a couple of loaves only takes 15 mins plus baking… whats the point of them?

tried a bread maker someone lent to me, not a patch on hand made and there's no fun kneading bit

sachets are very pricy compared to dried yeast in tins (I use Allinson tins for day to day bread).

Neither are as good as putty yeast, but it is more hassle unless you bake every every every day, its hard to keep it alive

Rob.. there's a shop just down the road from me that sells fresh yeast if you are interested in giving that a go.

The other option is to go with a sourdough, which I have been playing with, and just not bother with adding any extra yeast at all.

I use the vacuum packed quick stuff. Using starter dough is reckoned to be much better but takes much longer and therefore is trickier logistically (for me!).

I bake on a Tuesday morning, usually 1 800g loaf and 9 buns. 2hrs first rise then 1 hour proving depending on the temp in the house. The loaf gets chopped in half (I can never resist a slice to see what it's like) then frozen along with the buns. We tend to have buns for lunch if we're eating sandwiches.

are you guys using bread makers? i'm "keeping it old skool" and to knock up a couple of loaves only takes 15 mins plus baking… whats the point of them?

There was a thread on this a while back, to my mind there are two main advantages:
* Easy, mess free, stick the ingredients in and switch it on. (Of course, if you like making bread this isn't an advantage!)
* Time delay baking – waking up and the house smelling of freshly baked bread is great.

The main disadvantage is that the bread isn't as good – you're stuck with a loaf shape, the crust isn't as crisp… If you're willing to live with this they're great.