hiivaa

Hiivaa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun hiiva, which means yeast. The word hiiva refers to the yeast used in food production and fermentation, including baker’s yeast for baking and yeasts used in brewing. In everyday Finnish, hiivaa appears in recipe instructions as the object form of yeast.

Biology and use: Yeast is a single-celled fungus that ferments sugars to carbon dioxide and ethanol. In bread making, the carbon dioxide produced by yeast causes dough to rise and develop texture and aroma. In brewing and winemaking, yeast converts sugars into alcohol and various flavor compounds. The most common species for baking is Saccharomyces cerevisiae; other yeasts contribute to flavor differences in beverages and sourdough cultures.

Forms and storage: In Finland, yeast is sold as tuorehiiva (fresh yeast) and kuivahiiva (dried yeast). Fresh yeast is perishable and kept refrigerated; dried yeast has a longer shelf life and can be stored at room temperature until opened. Activation methods vary by product and recipe, with fresh yeast typically dissolved in warm water before mixing, and dried yeast often added directly or rehydrated according to instructions.

Linguistic usage: In recipes, hiivaa is used as the implied object of action, as in “Lisää hiivaa taikinaan” meaning “Add yeast to the dough.” The related forms include hiivan (genitive) and hiivat (plural). This form-focused usage reflects Finnish grammar, where the word’s form changes with case and number.