The most important thing is to buy fresh yeast. It should be uniform cream color, without dark spots. If there are color changes or an unpleasant odor, the yeast is not fresh and you shouldn't use it.
- Put the yeast in a bowl and crush it with a spoon.
- Since it acts as a living organism, yeast should "feed" to react and activate. You will do this by adding lukewarm water or milk to the yeast and, if the recipe allows, sugar. The water must be between 32 and 38 C degrees. If water is colder or warmer than these values, the yeast will not activate.
- Mix well, until yeast is completely dissolved.
- Then put the dish with a dissolved yeast in a warm place. Yeast necessary needs heat to activate and to grow. Just keep in mind that the place is not too hot because it will "kill" the yeast.
- The yeast takes between 5 and 10 minutes to be activated, and then it will begin to foam and grow. Add activated yeast to the other ingredients and continue the preparation of pastries according to the recipe.
Note: You can also freeze fresh yeast, but before use, first defrost it and repeat the same procedure as it's fresh. Yeast in Macedonia is sold in 40 g cube packs. Usually 1 pack is the dosage for preparing pastries.
