How to Use Caputo Dry Yeast for Perfectly Leavened Dough
Caputo Dry Yeast, also sold as Caputo Lievito, is an active dry yeast you mix straight into the flour, with no need to activate it in water first. It works slowly and steadily for a light, digestible rise, keeps for up to 24 months and needs less than fresh yeast. As a rule, use about two-thirds of the fresh yeast weight a recipe asks for, and less again for a long, cold ferment.
This guide covers what Caputo Dry Yeast is, how it compares to fresh yeast, how much to use by flour weight, and a cold-fermentation schedule for pizza dough. It is the Italian yeast most pizza kitchens reach for, because it is reliable, easy to store and made for long fermentation.
Quick overview: using Caputo Dry Yeast
What is Caputo Dry Yeast?
Caputo Dry Yeast, or Caputo Lievito, is an active dry yeast made for baking pizza, bread and pastries. Unlike fresh yeast, it does not need dissolving in water first. You mix it directly into the flour for a smooth, even rise. It is grown on Italian molasses from beet and sugar cane, and it works gradually, releasing gas steadily through the ferment for better texture and flavour. The yeast itself is gluten-free and lactose-free, and it is built for long-fermentation doughs, which give a lighter, more digestible result.
Why use Caputo Dry Yeast?
Caputo Dry Yeast has a few practical advantages over fresh yeast for a busy kitchen:
Long shelf life. It stays good for up to 24 months without refrigeration.
Easy to use. No dissolving in warm water. It goes straight into the flour.
Slow, steady fermentation. It works gradually for consistent leavening and better texture.
More economical. You need less dry yeast than fresh, so a pack goes further.
Better digestibility. Used in a long ferment, it gives a lighter, easier-to-digest dough. Like all baker's yeast, it is killed in the heat of the oven.
Gluten-free and lactose-free yeast. Suitable where those ingredients are a concern, though the flour still contains gluten.
These make it a dependable choice for pizza dough, bread, focaccia and other long-fermentation recipes.
How to use Caputo Dry Yeast in your baking
Caputo Dry Yeast is simple to work into a dough:
Fresh yeast vs dry yeast: what is the difference?
Fresh yeast ferments quickly in the first couple of hours but loses strength over time, has a short shelf life and needs refrigeration. Caputo Dry Yeast works more gradually for consistent leavening, lasts up to 24 months and needs less per recipe. For long-fermentation doughs, dry yeast is the more reliable and easier to store of the two.
Converting fresh yeast to dry yeast
When you swap fresh yeast for Caputo Dry Yeast, use about two-thirds, up to around 70%, of the fresh yeast weight.
This keeps the ferment gradual and steady, for a dough that is light, airy and easy to digest.
How much Caputo Dry Yeast per kilo of flour?
Use less yeast the longer and colder you ferment, because time does the work that extra yeast would otherwise rush. As a starting guide, a same-day dough needs the most yeast and a three-day cold ferment the least. The amounts below are per kilo of flour and are a starting point. A warm kitchen needs a little less, a cool one a little more.
A cold-fermentation schedule for pizza dough
Cold fermentation means proving the dough slowly in the fridge over one to three days, which builds flavour and a more digestible crumb. The method is straightforward, and the yeast quantity drops as the ferment gets longer.
The longer the cold ferment, the stronger the flour needs to be to hold it. Caputo Pizzeria (the blue) carries a same-day or overnight dough, while Caputo Cuoco (the red) has the strength for a 48 to 72-hour cold ferment. For which flour suits which oven and ferment, see The Caputo Flour Range Explained.
FAQs
What is Caputo Lievito?
Caputo Lievito is the Italian name for Caputo Dry Yeast, an active dry yeast for pizza, bread and pastries that you mix straight into the flour.
Do you need to activate Caputo Dry Yeast in water?
No. Unlike fresh yeast, Caputo Dry Yeast goes directly into the flour. There is no need to dissolve it in warm water first.
How much Caputo Dry Yeast replaces fresh yeast?
Use about two-thirds of the fresh yeast weight. For example, 3g of fresh yeast becomes about 2g of Caputo Dry Yeast, and 6g becomes about 4g.
How much dry yeast do you use per kilo of flour?
Around 2 to 3g per kilo for a same-day dough, dropping to 0.3 to 0.5g per kilo for a three-day cold ferment. Warmer kitchens need a little less.
How long does Caputo Dry Yeast keep?
Up to 24 months without refrigeration, as long as it is kept cool and dry and resealed after each use.
Which Caputo flour goes with a long cold ferment?
A stronger flour such as Caputo Cuoco (the red) holds a 48 to 72-hour cold ferment. Caputo Pizzeria (the blue) suits same-day and overnight doughs.
Related reading
Buy Caputo Dry Yeast from A Di Maria & Son
Family-run Italian food & wine wholesaler since 1975, supplying pizzerias and Italian restaurants with fast nationwide delivery. Order Caputo Lievito Dry Yeast for reliable, long-fermentation baking, and pair it with the Caputo flour range, including Caputo Pizzeria 00 in 25kg sacks, for dough that behaves the same every service.
Apply for a trade account to buy your yeast and flour at trade pricing. Call 02476 680 514 or email contact@adimaria.co.uk with your ferment schedule, and we will help you match the yeast and the flour to your dough.
