Hi Shawn, it's true that active dry yeast has evolved over the years, and these days it's processed and formulated in a way that is more and more similar to instant yeast. Originally active dry yeast was dried at high temperatures, and this created a hard shell of dead yeast cells that needed to be dissolved in lukewarm water before the yeast could activate. Nowadays both types of yeast are processed at lower temperatures, so they activate more easily and faster, although we still find that instant yeast tends to respond faster than active dry. We have found that in general it works fine to add the active dry yeast in with the flour, but there are some circumstances where it still might work better to activate the active dry yeast in lukewarm water. For example, active dry yeast seems a little more temperature sensitive as compared to instant yeast, and when making an overnight starter or dough that calls for "cool" water, it is likely to work better to activate the active dry yeast in a small portion of lukewarm water subtracted from the total liquid amount before adding it to the remaining cool water and the flour. This will ensure that the yeast will dissolve and get going as it should. Instant yeast, on the other hand, should work fine when added in with the flour, even when the water is cool. This article on Desired Dough Temperature covers some of the more nuanced differences between how you handle the two types of yeast, and you may also find our article, All About Yeast, helpful. 

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