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Yeast for Bread
Yeast for bread is a wonderful thing to always have on hand.
If you purchase your yeast in bulk along with buying wheat in bulk and buy a hand-operated grain mill , you will be serving homemade bread to your family for a very long time, no matter what disaster strikes your area.
But what if you can no longer purchase yeast?
Are you doomed to make bricks for the rest of your life?
I ran across an intriguing article that talked about making yeast from fruit (you can read it here), and it spurred me to do my own research about yeast.
About Yeast for Bread
Yeast is a spore that can be found everywhere, including in the air we breathe and even in our own bodies.
Long ago, it was discovered that if you crushed fruit and covered it, after a few days it would begin to bubble up.
Add that mixture to flour, water and salt, and the mixture would produce softer bread.
A hand operated grain mill is a great way to have bread in an emergency.
Still, different yeasts produce different flavors, and not all of them were enjoyable.
The lucky family that stumbled onto a yeast batch that produced tasty bread, kept it alive for years by adding a cup of flour and a cup of water to it on a daily basis.
These yeasts were treasured family secrets, passed on from generation to generation.
But without a starter, it was nearly impossible to produce a consistent yeast batch.
If that yeast batch you got from Grandma died, and Grandma wasn't around to give you any more, you would never be able to make that yummy buttermilk whole wheat bread that Grandma used to make.
It would never taste the same, and depending on your yeast batch, it could taste downright awful.
Louis Pasteur and
Manufacturing Yeast for Bread
When stored in your freezer, bulk yeast
can last ten years or longer and is a huge savings.
It wasn't until Louis Pasteur discovered that yeast grows the most efficiently when it has sufficient oxygen or respiration that yeast could be manufactured consistently.
By bubbling air through a nutrient solution in a highly controlled environment, commercial manufacturers are able to consistently produce yeast that makes delicious bread without a nasty aftertaste.
And nowadays, you can purchase yeast in one pound, vacuum-sealed packages
for a very reasonable price.
When kept unopened in your freezer, your bulk yeast will last ten years or more.
Once opened, the yeast will be good on a shelf in your cabinet for about a year, or if you keep it in your freezer, it will last far longer.
If You Can't Buy Yeast for Bread
If you are unable to purchase yeast for bread, you can keep the yeast you have going by mixing a teaspoon of your yeast and a teaspoon of sugar with one cup of flour and one cup of water in a nonmetal bowl.
Cover the bowl and set it on your counter.
Every day add a cup of flour and water and then toss out a cup of starter (or use it to make bread).
If you are able to keep your starter in the refrigerator, you only need to do this once a week.
Sourdough Starter
With a very small amount of yeast (just a couple of granules), you can also make your own sourdough starter.
I got this recipe from the excellent Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book
.
Sourdough Starter Recipe:
- 1 cup rye berries OR 1 1/2 cups whole rye flour
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon milk
- 1 grain of yeast
I learn how to bake bread using this excellent book.
In a nonmetal container, mix all the ingredients together until the mixture is very smooth and is like a pancake batter.
Cover it and keep it at a warm room temperature of between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit for three to five days, stirring it twice a day.
By the end of that time it should give off a nice, sourdough fragrance.
If it smells too sour, you have let it get too warm.
Throw it out and start over again.
Store this mixture in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
To make bread, set the mixture on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature.
Then take out 3/4 cup for your bread recipe and then add 3/4 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water before returning it to the refrigerator.
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Invest in good health and some of the best bread available with a good quality grain mill.
You can beat frugal cooking both for the excellent nutrition and savings.
Learn why cooking from scratch is so important by clicking here.
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