I would proof it first, and add it with the wet ingredients.

They mean instant yeast which does not require you to soften or bloom the yeast in a small amount of water first.

If the yeast you have on hand to use is active dried yeast, you would be better to dissolve it in water and let it sit a few minutes to see if it is alive. I often add a pinch of sugar to active dry yeast for it to feed on. Active yeast has bigger granules than instant yeast.

Teresa

Yes, but..... Does the recipe specify anything more than "yeast"? Your yeast choices are active dry yeast (which is probably what you call "regular" yeast), or a fast-acting brand of yeast such as SAF-Instant, Red Star Quick-Rise, Fleischmann's Rapid-Rise, or Bread Machine Yeast (and you referenced it as "self rising yeast").

There are recipes where active dry yeast is added to the dry ingredients instead of proofed in water first, which is a little unusual, but possible. If this is a recipe designed for active dry yeast it will include allowing the dough to double in bulk after the dough has been kneaded. If the recipe was designed for a fast-acting yeast (aka instant yeast), it may only have a 10-minute rest after it's kneaded, then form the dough and pan it for the final proofing -- which is how you can make bread quicker using this kind of yeast - you eliminate one rise. So read through the recipe and see which kind of rise it suggests.

-Grainlady

I've tried using regular active dry yeast directly in the flour with not so good results unless you need bricks for building a house. LOL
I stick with Fleischmans Rapid Rise now for simple white/brown loaves. Works great by hand or in the bread machine.

Per a representative of SAF that I spoke to about 10 years ago. "yeast is Yeast"--it's ALL THE SAME THING. They only put different labels on for marketing.

I don't even look at the name on the package of yeast I have in the freezer (I buy it a half or full pound at a time)--I just follow the recipe and have never had a problem doing so. It is nice, if you have the time, to proof the yeast in the warm liquid first--but if your yeast is alive, it's going to work just fine

Sorry, but yeast is not ALL THE SAME THING. SAF instant contains ascorbic acid which potentiates the yeast. See http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/7416
It also has a preservative, sorbitan monostearate.

Active dry yeast is yeast, nothing added. See link below to Lesaffre, manufacturers of SAF yeast products. Check the technical specs for the different products, regular active dry, SAF red etc.

I'm not saying that you have to use instant yeast, but there are differences which may or may not be important to you.

Cheryl

Here is a link that might be useful: Lesaffre yeasts

FWIW I put regular dry yeast in with my dry ingredients sometimes BUT I only do it when I have time for a long long cool rise.

Let me add to the confusion. I agree with everything said about the differences in yeast. However, I always use active dry yeast because that's what I can get in large packages. I keep the package in the freezer. I make all of our breadstuffs because my husband is on a low sodium diet. I use my bread machine for kneading and rising (unless the recipe calls for more than 5 cups of flour) and bake in the oven. Today I'm making bagels & cracked wheat bread.

That said, I never proof the active dry yeast in water. It's added directly to the dough ingredients in the bread machine. In fact, I prefer to use active dry yeast just because it takes a little longer to rise. I cut the salt quantity by half in all the recipes I use, so that means I also must cut the yeast quantity in half. For me, using active dry yeast means that the dough rises a little slower, so there's less chance of it overproofing (a common problem with lower salt breads).

The bread machine does a great job of mixing the ingredients thoroughly and kneading the dough. Perhaps that's why I've never had a problem with adding the yeast directly. Or perhaps it's because I make lower sodium doughs.

I believe that most people here trust the King Arthur website. I was going to copy some of their points here, but actually they go on for quite a while about yeast differences. However, as they generally state near the beginning and at the end; there is little difference between the yeasts and within limits they may be used interchangeably. It is an interesting read and can generally support anyone above but the short point for the OP is they should be fine.

Here is a link that might be useful: KAF yeast link

I see a pattern emerging of name confusion for the type of "yeast" being used, confusion about how to use it, proofing it - or not, as well as how to substitute one for the other. I agree with jadeite, they are NOT all the same.

This is also another place, in the wonderful world of bread making, where there are "rules" and all kinds of ways to break the "rules". But I'd suggest knowing the basic names and rules of use first so you have a basic understanding of how these yeast products work best. It may help prevent a lot of "bricks". I have a simple rule, use the type of yeast called for in a recipe when at all possible. I keep Active Dry Yeast and SAF-Instant yeast in my freezer so I can cover most of my yeast needs.

Check out the web sites for any of the yeast products you normally use and there are basic information and guidelines for use and/or substitutions found there.

These are the yeast products available to most home-bakers.

-Cake Yeast - aka fresh yeast, compressed yeast, fresh compressed yeast. Most pre-WWII recipes will call for this type of yeast. A "cake of yeast" came in different sizes and the link below has a great conversion chart to packages of active dry yeast if you need to convert an old family recipe.

-Active Dry Yeast - invented in 1943 and it and cake yeast are most often the "yeast" products used in recipes up until around the 1980's and 90's.

-Instant & Fast-Rising Yeast-

SAF-Instant was developed from "super" yeast cultures. It was used commercially first in Europe so they could make bread faster by omitting the yeast/water proofing and adding the yeast directly to the dry ingredients. They could also eliminate one rise. If you use this product as a substitute in a recipe that calls for active dry yeast, be sure to reduce the amount by 25% or your dough may rise too fast. It IS stronger and faster-acting than Active Dry Yeast.

Red Star Quick-Rise, Fleshmann's Rapid-Rise are the original active dry yeast products, but they were made into smaller particles so they would work faster. No proofing necessary, although it can be proofed first. In some recipes you eliminate the first rise and only rest the dough for 10-minutes before forming. I have the original booklets that came out using these yeast products in the 1980's so we could make bread faster. Faster bread is not necessarily "better" bread, unfortunately.

Bread Machine Yeast - another fast-acting yeast, was developed in the 1980's in order to use the QUICK 1-hour cycle. Don't substitute active dry yeast for a fast-acting yeast in a quick (1-hour) cycle. You can, however, use SAF Instant or the other Fast-Acting Yeast products in the Quick Cycle of the bread machine.

Another instant yeast available is Osmotolerant Instant Active Dry Yeast (Fermipan Brown and SAF Gold). This yeast product is recommended for use in a bread recipe where the dough is characterized as sweet, salty or low absorption. When dough has a large amount of sugar or salt in them they take much longer to rise and this type of yeast will aid that.

Do give the subject a little study time if you find yourself confused, and don't despair, we were all beginners. And some of us never stop learning about the subject. There's always a new rule to break or a new/old method to try ;-).

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Yeast Conversion Chart

I can't (or won't) add anything more to the discussion of yeast, but I definitely wanted to thank Grainlady for one of the most quotable statements I've ever read regarding bread making, cooking in general, or just about anything else in life:

"There's always a new rule to break or a new/old method to try."

Ain't that the truth!

Shambo, that quote applies to all cooking, not just bread.