Wild Yeasts!

I just have to tell you about this...

You can make a yeast starter out of thin air.

I'm not kidding.

My sister and I were moving me out of my SF apartment to spend some time at my parents' in SoCal. We had the podcasts playing, because learning while driving for 6 hours is THE way to travel. We listened to one podcast in particular which described the study of bread baking in Ancient Egypt called Gastroegyptology. The ologist made bread with the yeast from an ancient Egyptian pot. They have fancy scientific tools to ensure the yeast were of the same genetic material as the yeast found in the pot. Keep in mind these buggers are so tiny you need high power magnification to see them! Even the yeast in the air could have interfered and taken over, but they kept the whole thing sterile to ensure their setup would work, and it did!

Yeast...omg ignore that well-stocked bar in the background

If you've read my previous blog about Steamed Buns, then you know how much I love that bread yeast smell. It's been a real bummer not having yeast around due to the Covid-19 outbreak. We are four months into quarantine. Flour was nowhere to be seen for a good two months in the city. No baking. It was tragic. When flour did appear on the shelves labeled "harina" I was like, "Hallelujah! Ummm where's the yeast?"

What.the.heck? We still can't get yeast!

Ok Ok Ok, we can fix this. If you have flour, you have the power to grow your own yeast from the wild. Yes, and it doesn't take any hunting skills whatsoever. Set the trap, keep feeding the wild yeasts, and unlike those leprechaun traps you made in elementary school, the yeasts will be captured. 

What you'll need:

• Flour
• Water
• A cup
• A towel/dishcloth

Start with 1/4 Cup of flour in a cup that's big enough to allow for growth. Add 1/4 Cup of water and mix. Cover the cup with a dishcloth and leave it. If you want to speed up the process, you can keep the cup in a warmer area. Every day for 5 days feed the yeast twice a day. So that means in the morning you'll add 1 Tablespoon of flour and 1 Tablespoon of water and mix. Then do the same thing in the evening. You can stir it whenever you see it or just twice a day, it doesn't hurt to mix, but be sure to do it at least twice a day. On the fifth day, it should be ready to bake with!

I also want to mention that by Day 3 my cup of yeast smelled like cheese. This is fine, just keep going. By Day 5 it will smell different, more like bread! 

I've been told that yeast tastes different depending on where you capture and grow it. We made it in our kitchen in SoCal in the summer. It didn't really have a particular taste. We made homemade pretzels with ours and they were delicious! The dough rose just as it should. Success. 

I want to try making regular bread with this yeast recipe while I have access to all of my mom's gadgets. From what I've read, they say this is a sourdough yeast starter, but the pretzels didn't really taste sour. I'll have to get back to you on this.

So if you are trying to make those steamed buns and don't have store-bought yeast, make your own, and in five days give it a try! Let me know how they taste.