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Can baking powder be proofed too?

I never proof yeast anymore.

I have been using SAF-Instant yeast (it's only about $3 for one of those brick type sealed bags, probably just under a pound. GFS carries it.) for years and it never fails. I make bread about 3-4 times a week so I use the yeast up pretty quickly. When the yeast jar gets about 1/4 full I buy more and have never had a problem.

Even if you use it occasionally, SAF Instant yeast is a bargain compared to the price of those little packets in the supermarket.

Pixie,

Baking powder does not get proofed, but if it is too old it won't work very well.

I always proof my yeast!

...of course I use it more for making my own beer than I do for bread.

I think it's an unnecessary step. Like melkozek, I use SAF instant, which does not require proofing. Neither does fresh yeast.
As far as baking powder, here's an interesting experiment.

melkozek - I figured it doesn't work well if too old, but there's no way to test it ahead of time before actually baking with it? I've recently baked a couple of times with some baking powder I've had for an indeterminate amount of time and I'm not sure if it's working or if it the recipe is coming out as it actually should.

Baking powder is baking soda and some sort of acid. One way to test the potency of the baking soda in baking powder is to add some acid to it, like vinegar or buttermilk and look for effervescence. Usually baking powder loses potency after a year or so, depending on how it was kept.

I third the SAF recommendation. It works amazingly well, 110 percent of the time - no need for proofing. I had not seen it in our stores in Nashville but found it online through King Arthur.

I proof when using Active Dry Yeast. Don't proof when using Instant. No problems yet.

I never proof yeast. And I don't by it from the grocery store either. I buy the 3lb packages of RedStar from CostCo and keep it in the freezer.

I'm with Melkozek too; I use SAF Instant, bought in one-pound blocks, and kept in the freezer. It'll last at least a year, and it's not hard to use that much if you bake much bread at all.

I used to be an active-dry, proof-it-every-time kind of girl, but I've changed my tune. It's so much faster to just whisk instant yeast in, and not have to worry about whether or not my water is the right temperature. Instant yeast is a hardier strain, and can withstand liquid temperatures up to about 130 degrees F (assuming it's been whisked into the flour). Anything cooler than that is just fine, even ice-cold liquid.

I'm not going to condemn anyone for wanting the extra reassurance of proofing yeast, but if you use quality instant yeast, there's really no need these days.

A Bread A Day

I never proof my yeast. I have kept a jar of yeast in the freezer well over a year without any noticable ill effects.

Yeast does not suddenly up and die - it will sort of fade gradually, so if you find that your bread is not rising as fast as usual, you might want to think about replacing the yeast.

I also use much less yeast than recipes call for - never more than tsp per cup of liquid and sometimes less, unless the recipe has a lot of eggs and butter.

But I have a friend for whom proofing the yeast is part of the ritual of making bread, and I can't argue with that.

Oh, I meant to say that with active dry (non-instant) yeast the reason you proof is mostly because you need to dissolve the little yeasticles and start them growing before mixing them with everything else - Active dry yeast is formulated in such a way that just mixing them into the flour doesn't work well. But with instant yeast there really is no practical reason to proof.

Pixie, to test your baking powder for freshness, try dissolving 1 tsp. of the powder in 1/4 cup of hot water. It should bubble quite a bit. The less it bubbles, the less effective it's going to be. Good idea for a post!

bubble and sjbreeze - thanks! I'm going to test my can of baking powder - I think my muffins didn't rise enough because it's old.