Composition

• Instant yeast and traditional active-dry yeast are different strains of yeast. Instant yeast is designed to have more nutrients in it, including ascorbic acid--vitamin C--to help bread rise. Instant yeast is also known as bread-machine yeast and Fleischmann's RapidRise yeast.
  
  

Mixing Dough

• Instant yeast is mixed into the dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients and heated to 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Traditional yeast is dissolved in warm water before being added to other ingredients.
  
  

Size

• Granules of instant yeast are much smaller than traditional yeast. This is because instant yeast needs to be dispersed throughout the ingredients and able to dissolve quickly when water is added, whereas active dry yeast is dissolved in water before being combined with other ingredients.
  
  

Time Frame

• Instant yeast causes the dough to rise much more quickly than traditional yeast, completing the first doubling in size in about 10 minutes instead of two hours. Both types of yeast require about an hour to rise a second time after being shaped into a loaf.
  
  

Benefits

• The main benefit of instant yeast is that it eliminates most of the time required for the first rise of the dough. However, traditional active dry yeast tends to produce more flavorful bread, as it spends more time fermenting in the dough.