Where's the yeast???
04-06-2020, 10:07 PM
#51
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 29
yeast
or.....
make your own
What you’ll need: Jones says that although some recipes you’ll find online call for things like fruit or juice, all you actually need are flour and water. White flour works fine, but whole wheat is best because it has more micronutrients like zinc and iron for the yeast and bacteria. You’ll also need time; it’ll take several days before your starter is ready, so it’s best to plan ahead.
Step 1: Mix together equal parts flour and water in a small bowl. You can start with about a quarter cup of each. Stir well. Water activates the enzyme amylase, which breaks down starch into simple sugars that the yeast and bacteria can eat.
Step 2: Cover the bowl loosely with a lid or towel and leave the mixture on your counter at room temperature. Keeping it in a place that’s a bit warm, but not too hot, will speed up the process of the yeast and bacteria colonizing your batter.
Step 3: Twice a day, in the morning and evening, add one to two tablespoons each of flour and water. By doing this, you’re actually feeding the yeast. In about three to five days, your starter will begin to bubble. This is a good thing: the way yeast makes bread rise is by producing gas, like what you see in the bubbles. After day five, your starter should have at least doubled in volume and will be ready to use. As a rule of thumb, a bit of the starter should float in a glass of water when it’s ready.
Keep in mind that you can’t just swap out store-brought yeast with the same amount of the starter you’ve made. You’ll want to find recipes for baking with a sourdough starter; there are a few on the Bread Lab’s website. If you’re not using it all right away, you can keep feeding it daily or put it in the fridge and feed it once a week.
If you’re feeling at all intimidated, you can take comfort in knowing that people have been making bread this way for thousands of years. There’s very little risk of messing up your starter, according to Jones. It might smell a little “cheesy” around day three or four, but as long as it’s not slimy or smells putrid (this is rare, Jones says), then you’re in the clear. There’s also some flexibility, so none of the measurements Jones gives need to be exact and you won’t have to worry if you forget to “feed” the starter one morning. “We’ve got enough pressure right now,” Jones says. “Take the pressure off yourself and just relax and enjoy.”
or.....
make your own
What you’ll need: Jones says that although some recipes you’ll find online call for things like fruit or juice, all you actually need are flour and water. White flour works fine, but whole wheat is best because it has more micronutrients like zinc and iron for the yeast and bacteria. You’ll also need time; it’ll take several days before your starter is ready, so it’s best to plan ahead.
Step 1: Mix together equal parts flour and water in a small bowl. You can start with about a quarter cup of each. Stir well. Water activates the enzyme amylase, which breaks down starch into simple sugars that the yeast and bacteria can eat.
Step 2: Cover the bowl loosely with a lid or towel and leave the mixture on your counter at room temperature. Keeping it in a place that’s a bit warm, but not too hot, will speed up the process of the yeast and bacteria colonizing your batter.
Step 3: Twice a day, in the morning and evening, add one to two tablespoons each of flour and water. By doing this, you’re actually feeding the yeast. In about three to five days, your starter will begin to bubble. This is a good thing: the way yeast makes bread rise is by producing gas, like what you see in the bubbles. After day five, your starter should have at least doubled in volume and will be ready to use. As a rule of thumb, a bit of the starter should float in a glass of water when it’s ready.
Keep in mind that you can’t just swap out store-brought yeast with the same amount of the starter you’ve made. You’ll want to find recipes for baking with a sourdough starter; there are a few on the Bread Lab’s website. If you’re not using it all right away, you can keep feeding it daily or put it in the fridge and feed it once a week.
If you’re feeling at all intimidated, you can take comfort in knowing that people have been making bread this way for thousands of years. There’s very little risk of messing up your starter, according to Jones. It might smell a little “cheesy” around day three or four, but as long as it’s not slimy or smells putrid (this is rare, Jones says), then you’re in the clear. There’s also some flexibility, so none of the measurements Jones gives need to be exact and you won’t have to worry if you forget to “feed” the starter one morning. “We’ve got enough pressure right now,” Jones says. “Take the pressure off yourself and just relax and enjoy.”
04-07-2020, 02:27 AM
#52
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,184
There is a way to make your own yeast using potatoes: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-...from-potatoes/
I haven't tried it as I still have a jar of dry yeast, but folks on the bread machine Facebook group have found it works.
I haven't tried it as I still have a jar of dry yeast, but folks on the bread machine Facebook group have found it works.
