Can't Find Yeast? Here's Where To Look

We all know by now that the hottest culinary trend for spring 2020 is baking bread and that all the coolest people are keeping sourdough starters and giving them names and speaking to them softly and lovingly so they won't die. But some of us aren't that cool and just want the instant gratification of having bread or pizza dough the same day we decide to bake it. We just want yeast, dammit. And we also know by now that it's impossible to find in grocery stores or online.

But there is evidence of yeast in the world in the form of bread, pastries, and pizzas that bakeries and restaurants keep churning out every day. The good news is that some of them have been willing to share their yeast (and also flour) supply with customers—for a small fee, of course. But it'll still be less than you'd pay a secondhand price-gouger on Amazon.

Where to begin? Your best bet is to just call up your nearest bakery, but if you'd rather other people do the legwork for you, Twitter users have been posting hot tips for bakeries in their areas. Eater has prepared lists of bakeries selling yeast for Detroit and Austin and The Dallas Morning News has one for Dallas. In the UK, the grocery chain Morrison's has started selling it at the bakery counter. On the north side of Chicago, where I live, I've found it at Smack Dab and pHlour (which also sells sourdough starter for people who truly wish to be cool). There. Now you have a weekend project. Go forth and bake bread!