levure sèche
In French, "dry yeast" is translated as levure sèche.
This phrase refers to a form of yeast that has been dehydrated for long-term storage and use in baking.
What does it mean word for word?
The term levure sèche is composed of the noun levure, meaning "yeast" and the adjective sèche, meaning "dry".
Which one should you use?
Use levure sèche for the dried version of the ingredient. In contrast, use levure fraîche when referring to the moist, cake-like yeast blocks often found in European bakeries.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective sèche follows the noun levure and agrees with it in feminine gender and singular number.
Did you know?
- In French, the word levure can refer to both biological yeast and chemical leavening agents like baking powder, which is called levure chimique.
- The word levure shares a common ancestor with the English verb 'lift'. Both stem from the Latin 'levare', which describes the action of rising or lifting.
- In traditional French baking, levure fraîche was the standard, and levure sèche was once viewed as an inferior industrial substitute. Even today, many professional French bakers prefer the fresh blocks over the dried version.
Examples in context
- Ajoutez la levure sèche à la farine.Add the dry yeast to the flour.
- Il faut acheter de la levure sèche.We need to buy dry yeast.
- Est-ce que la levure sèche est périmée ?Is the dry yeast expired?
- Je préfère utiliser de la levure sèche.I prefer to use dry yeast.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are in the kitchen preparing bread dough.
- NathanAs-tu de la levure sèche dans le placard ?Do you have any dry yeast in the cupboard?
- ChloéOui, Nathan, j'en ai trouvé un sachet.Yes, Nathan, I found a packet of it.
- NathanSuper, est-ce qu'elle est encore bonne ?Great, is it still good?
- ChloéOui, la levure sèche semble très fraîche.Yes, the dry yeast seems very fresh.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries levure, CC BY-SA 4.0.
