I received The Bread Bible for the holidays and have read it cover to cover a few times already! And have made the Basic Hearth bread twice. I do have a few questions about the yeasts the books recommends, though. I see that Rose prefers instant yeasts, so I used “Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise” as recommended on p561. But, this is difficult to get a hold of for me, and is expensive.
I have a 2-lb bag of “Fleishmann’s Instant Dry Yeast” I would like to start using instead. Does that get substituted in a 1:1 ratio, or is it a 1:1.25 ratio like suggested for regular active dry?
Also, does the “Fleishmann’s Instant Dry Yeast” need to be proofed, or is it combined into the starter/dough just like Rapid Rise?

Sammi, I believe that Rapid Rise and Instant Dry Yeast are interchangable and do not need proofing.  Only Active Dry needs proofing.

Instant dry is the favourite of many bakers now because it combines the convenience of dry with the performance of fresh. It can and should be added directly to dough without first hydrating in water. If you do hydrate it for some reason, keep the temperature lower than you would for fresh or active dry. No higher than 95F.

Thanks everyone! I was confused and wanted to make sure I got everything right before proceeding!