"Homemade" yeast

LaurieLovesLearning
LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
edited November 2020 in Baking

I found this recipe years ago. Credit given at the bottom. You can also use potatoes to do your own liquid yeast (different recipe.)


Comments

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Basically, this is the George Herter (y'all may notice that I reference him a lot....) method of sourdough.... but, it is using dry fruit. That is a good idea. But, you can use fresh fruit, too. Yeasts are all around us in the air. Herter used grapes, apple peelings, etc... then, introduced that to flour and water to make a sourdough starter. His genius was really just tradition of keeping a "biga' or "poolish"... He kept his sourdough in a fairly large volume, in the fridge, in a pitcher. When he wanted to bake, he poured half the starter out to use, added the same amount of flour and water back in and stuck it back in the fridge. This meant no "daily feedings" of sourdough. I kept one going for about 5 years, and made the best bread, pizzas, et ever... the flavor is amazing... kind of gets a sharp cheese richness... but one night I was coming down with the flu and dumped the entire batch into a focaccia dough, in hopes of impressing an Italian girl and her parents. They loved the bread. She actually hid in her bedroom and wouldn't even speak to me, much less go on a date.... which is odd behavior for a young lady in her mid twenties... but I digress…. I came home, puked, had a high fever... and was most upset about wasting my dough starter.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    I wanted to click awesome, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it considering the last part. 😏 I'll do it anyway...

    Wild yeast is good stuff.

  • Megan Venturella
    Megan Venturella Posts: 678 ✭✭✭✭

    But wait!! was the puking related to the sourdough? No, right? because I might have to try that LOL

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin