Yeast starter has been the project of my kitchen efforts lately. Mundane, perhaps, but intriguing in possibilities. Yeast-risen chocolate cake? Yeast-risen apple muffins? Tried. Failed. But the results were interesting. The chocolate cake was delivered and eaten up. I even checked the trash can, which did not contain 12 pieces of chocolate cake with two bites taken out. The apple muffins were offered to a friend in a personal crisis. I described then as "Shitty Muffins" because, in my mind, they were. Also all eaten up. Either I'm a better cook than I thought I was, or other people's standards are way lower than I thought they would be.
Why yeast starter versus baking powder or baking soda? Well, it all started when I discovered aluminum-free baking powder. "Hum," I thought. "Aluminum is certainly not a good thing to be eaten," so I bought it. However, aluminum-free baking powder could also be described as "Shitty Baking Powder". It kind of does the job. Kind of. But it also requires all kinds of changes in steps when you're mixing your ingredients to avoid the same effect as if you had not added any baking powder, shitty or not. And that effect still does sometimes occur. Baking soda, on the other hand, has more reliable results, but also has its signature taste, which I shall describe as "salty tin cans." Yes, if you are masterful at measuring things exactly, like Grandmom, you do not run into this problem with your caraway seed scones with the real butter in them. (Why is it always when I use really good ingredients that things go horribly wrong?)
So, all that being said, I decided to get inventive with yeast. Here is my recipe, only requires a bought yeast infusion once, at the start, and which rises admirably albeit slowly by today's standards-- according to Julia Child in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" each rising of a bread recipe should take 5 hours, which is about how long this recipe takes. Quick yeast bread? No. Bread dough you can let rise overnight or while you're at work all day, care free? Yes indeed.
Homemade Yeast Starter
1 package dry yeast of your preference
2 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
Mix all together, let sit in a warm place in a loosely-covered container. (Unless you want your container to burst eventually and spew starter everywhere. Then, by all means, firmly affix the lid-- the tigher, the better!) Shake or stir the contents about once every third day. Use about half of the starter no less frequently than once every 6th day. Whenever you do use it, use about half of it. Replenish the remaining volume with half the amount of the ingredients above except, of course, for the packaged yeast. Then you must do something totally countercultural (at least if you're an American). Leave the yeast starter container uncovered in its warm place for about 12 hours. Why? You're collecting free yeast from the environment. (The first time I explained this, the person I was talking to responded after a pregnant pause with "Did you just say 'collect yeast from the environment' ?") And get THIS! The free-range yeast outperform the packaged kind. So basically, the reason you add the packaged yeast in the first place is to get things going on a good footing by creating the kind of environment that a yeast would like. Then you basically encourage it to get roommates from the wide world. And they are the best roommates. At least when it comes to bread.
Why yeast starter versus baking powder or baking soda? Well, it all started when I discovered aluminum-free baking powder. "Hum," I thought. "Aluminum is certainly not a good thing to be eaten," so I bought it. However, aluminum-free baking powder could also be described as "Shitty Baking Powder". It kind of does the job. Kind of. But it also requires all kinds of changes in steps when you're mixing your ingredients to avoid the same effect as if you had not added any baking powder, shitty or not. And that effect still does sometimes occur. Baking soda, on the other hand, has more reliable results, but also has its signature taste, which I shall describe as "salty tin cans." Yes, if you are masterful at measuring things exactly, like Grandmom, you do not run into this problem with your caraway seed scones with the real butter in them. (Why is it always when I use really good ingredients that things go horribly wrong?)
So, all that being said, I decided to get inventive with yeast. Here is my recipe, only requires a bought yeast infusion once, at the start, and which rises admirably albeit slowly by today's standards-- according to Julia Child in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" each rising of a bread recipe should take 5 hours, which is about how long this recipe takes. Quick yeast bread? No. Bread dough you can let rise overnight or while you're at work all day, care free? Yes indeed.
Homemade Yeast Starter
1 package dry yeast of your preference
2 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
Mix all together, let sit in a warm place in a loosely-covered container. (Unless you want your container to burst eventually and spew starter everywhere. Then, by all means, firmly affix the lid-- the tigher, the better!) Shake or stir the contents about once every third day. Use about half of the starter no less frequently than once every 6th day. Whenever you do use it, use about half of it. Replenish the remaining volume with half the amount of the ingredients above except, of course, for the packaged yeast. Then you must do something totally countercultural (at least if you're an American). Leave the yeast starter container uncovered in its warm place for about 12 hours. Why? You're collecting free yeast from the environment. (The first time I explained this, the person I was talking to responded after a pregnant pause with "Did you just say 'collect yeast from the environment' ?") And get THIS! The free-range yeast outperform the packaged kind. So basically, the reason you add the packaged yeast in the first place is to get things going on a good footing by creating the kind of environment that a yeast would like. Then you basically encourage it to get roommates from the wide world. And they are the best roommates. At least when it comes to bread.
