When Will It Be Easy To Buy Yeast Again?
Home cooks and bakers have quickly become avid bread makers with so much time on their hands during the novel coronavirus pandemic. With so many people turning to bread baking for comfort during uncertain times and under shelter-in-place orders, a mass shortage of yeast has swept across the country. While yeast might be one of the hardest products to find on grocery store shelves at the moment, thankfully the hot-ticket item won't be hard to find for long (via USA Today).
The demand for yeast is the greatest the industry has ever seen, and companies are stepping up to the challenge. Some are hiring and training new employees to help meet demand. While everyone will have to wait roughly one to two months to restock on yeast, the good news is that there isn't exactly a shortage. The manufacturers have everything they need to make yeast — they just haven't had the manpower needed to ramp up production. Luckily, with the new employees, shelves should be filled again soon.
What to do until you can buy yeast again
Just because you might not see yeast on grocery store and retail shelves for another month or two does not mean you have to pause your baking habit. There are quite a few options in the meantime. One way to keep your oven busy with new bakes is to ask friends and neighbors if they have any extra yeast that you can have. Reach out to local restaurants too, as some might be selling some pantry items like flour and yeast.
It's also possible to search for recipes online that do not even call for yeast. A surprising number of breads do not require yeast, so look around for a different recipe you might like to try. Soda bread and quick bread will probably not be your only options.
If you really just cannot live without yeast for the next month or two, either try a yeast substitution, or make your own at home. Some recipes will call for fruit or juice so that the naturally occurring yeast will have some sugar to feed on and grow, but you don't have to have those items. A yeast starter can be made with nothing more than flour and water. Whole wheat flour tends to be better because it has more nutrients for the yeast, but white flour can be used too (via The Verge).