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There are a lot of things to like about bread, but one of my favorite things about a good loaf of bread or pizza crust or anything made with yeast is well, the flavor of the yeast.
One way I’ve found to get that same savory umami flavor without all the carbs is by mixing yeast — yes, the kind you would bake bread with, NOT nutritional yeast — with a blend of spices and coarse sea salt to make an all purpose seasoning blend that you can put on anything. Baked potatoes, eggs, pasta. Anything.
This is the perfect way to use up yeast that has died instead of throwing it away, since you’ll be killing it anyway by toasting it in a hot skillet. Whatever you use to bake bread will work fine here; it doesn’t matter if it’s instant or active dry yeast.
Once you toast the yeast, you’ll toast a few more of the spices, and then grind them up with some more spices and some coarse salt.
Toasted Yeast Seasoning Blend
Toasted yeast and spices are ground up into a flavorful seasoning blend. Perfect for salads, soups, potatoes, or whatever you want to give an umami flavor to.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast
- 3 teaspoons caraway or fennel seeds
- 3 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- In a small skillet, toast the yeast on medium heat, stirring constantly. This should only take a few m minutes, and you’ll know it’s done when the yeast has a strong smell and turns golden brown. Immediately turn off the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the caraway, sesame, and mustard seeds to the skillet and toast the same way — stir until toasty and golden brown. Add to the yeast.
- Add the remaining ingredients and then transfer to a spice or coffee grinder.
- Grind until a fine powder.
- Store in an airtight container.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
