Donna, you can use instant yeast and active dry yeast in recipes interchangeably. We've found that active dry yeast is slower off the mark than instant yeast, but it usually "catches up" to instant yeast during the first rise. Some people grew up proofing their yeast in some of the liquid in the recipe before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. However due to modern yeast-drying technology, this step isn't necessary any more. I admit, I still proof my yeast before using it to make sure it gets nice and foamy and then add it in with the wet ingredients in my recipe out of habit. So go ahead and use 1 tablespoon of active dry and proof if you like...or not. Happy baking! --Kye@KAF

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