At a certain point, when you are shopping for bakery flour suppliers, your concerns will turn from price, brand offerings, and availability to different areas of utility. For example, you might be interested in how you can learn from your business partners and make your own practice stronger in the process.

Baking, like cooking and all other expressive pursuits, is a learning process that changes over time. Even excellent recipes and processes can be improved, and the same holds true here. So, on that note, we thought we’d take a minute to speak a bit about the value of yeast.

Yeast is an icon as far as human culture and the culinary arts are concerned. Bread, which has been a metonym for all food, and “brewed” drinks, which have been equated with all liquid sustenance, both rely on yeast.

We won’t beat the subject out. Others have done that for us. Here will just give you a few quick pointers on how you can use and store yeast more effectively.

Yeast, whether you buy the instant kind, the RapidRise variety, or even fresh compressed yeast, will last longer when you store it in an airtight container in the freezer. Fresh yeast must be stored this way or it will quickly die; instant varieties will last much longer this way. Don’t be surprised if you can extend the viability of your instant yeast by freezing it in this manner.

Also, as far as blooming is concerned, remember that though not all recipes call for it, blooming will “prove” the viability of your yeast before you use it. If you are going to bloom your yeast, remember this: temperatures of 140 will kill yeast, so it is critical never to use water this hot or the recipe will flop.

Actually, 140 isn’t just too hot, it’s way too hot. Temperatures of 130 are too hot, and temperatures of 120 are even too hot, to be frank. Some bakers keep it as a well-guarded secret that isn’t really a well-guarded secret. It’s actually been known, even if not quantitatively, for hundreds if not thousands of years. The best temperature for blooming yeast is right between 105 and 110 degrees - no hotter and no cooler.

There you have it - two quick tricks from a bakery flour supplier to improve your processes. No need to thank us, because we got it from the best, Stover & Company, at StoverCompany.com.

If you want to learn more about how to make your baking and confectionery pursuits better, visit their website at the link above and dive into their blog. Alternatively, you can call them up at 724-274-6314.

They’re not just rich in information, though. As you might have guessed, as a wholesale supplier of bulk flour and flour products for baked goods, you can also get your yeast and other essentials there. They offer not only all-purpose flours, whole wheat flours, bread flours, cake flours, and pastry flours - they offer shortening, leaveners, butter, dairy products, chocolates, fillings, sugars, starches, and everything in between. Visit their website today and see for yourself.