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ELI5: The Role of Yeast in Baking Explained​

ELI5: The Role of Yeast in Baking Explained​

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I was just reading an ELI5 about how yeast works in baking, and it really clicked for me how much it's essentially a tiny, hungry creature eating sugar and pooping out gas (carbon dioxide) which makes the bread rise. What I didn't fully appreciate before is how vital the type of yeast is. I've always just grabbed whatever packet says "active dry yeast" at the store, but now I'm wondering if using different types – like instant or fresh yeast – would noticeably change the final flavour or texture. Does anyone have experience experimenting with various yeasts and finding significant differences in their bakes? Is it worth seeking out fresh yeast, or is the convenience of dry yeast "good enough" for most applications? I'm thinking specifically about things like pizza dough and basic sourdough.