I wanted thank you for this post. I am constantly re-reading it (probably OCD, ha,ha.) to make sure I explain this correctly to people who ask me since they know I bake. I, for one, was not pleased with my first loaf of handmade bread due to that "yeasty" flavor and smell. I was not old enough to appreciate the finer points of fermentation {wink}. One question I have about the storage of yeast is this: does vacuum sealing and using an oxygen removing packet before freezing have any benefit. If you aren't familiar with the process (I have a feeling you are), the vacuum resealing removes as much air from the package, or even Mason jar if you don't care for plastic near your food, as reasonably possible. Using an oxygen scavenger packet (also know as oxygen remover packets) use iron the way hemoglobin absorbs oxygen in the blood. This leaves what air is left in the package with the remaining constituents of our atmosphere (Being composed of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 0.93% argon. The remainder, less than 0.1%, contains such trace gases as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone.) minus the O2. This process, if the package is able to keep its integrity, prevents freezer burn (which can effect taste), and prevents oxidation of the food product while allowing the nitrogen gas to help preserve the food product. But, yeast is living, maybe not in an active way though. Do you think that this would have any benefit or detriment to larger volumes of yeast? I really don't like going to bake, only to realize I am without yeast. I like buying in bulk, but only if I can ensure it is pretty much exactly the same as when I bought it. So, I just wanted to get your take on this if you know about this. I'm afraid my microbiology class from nursing school did not cover actually protecting yeast. Thank you for giving any information you have.

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