I have a secret weapon in my kitchen. It makes my daily bread taste amazing (and far more digestible than anything store-bought). As long as I take care of the starter, this weapon is an endless material. And the best part of all? It’s free for the taking. I’m talking about wild yeast — a faithful little organism that can be harnessed by anyone who takes time to get to know it.
Watch The Video
英语单词酵母来自古英语的“gist”和古高地德语的“jesen”,意思是发酵。这种微小的真菌很可能是第一个被驯化的生物,几个世纪以来,它被捕获并被用于为人类制作酒精饮料和面包。没有它,生活将会少很多快乐和更多的饥饿,这是肯定的!
Forming a relationship with wild yeast is a declaration of independence. Once you understand how to use your own locally captured wild yeast strains, you’ll never need to go to the store to buy yeast again, and you’ll have truly unforgettable bread and brews in exchange.
For the purpose of this article, I will be describing the means, method, and maintenance of a sourdough starter; the wild yeast that’s used to bake delicious bread. For those interested in catching wild yeast to make boozy concoctions, I cannot more heartily recommend Pascal Baudar’s bookThe Wildcrafting Brewer.
Where Is Wild Yeast Found?
Defining sources of wild yeast is a bit of a nonspecific endeavor when you think about it, because wild yeasts are everywhere. They form the bloomy layer onwild grapesand blueberries. They can be extracted from pine cones, flowers, or tree leaves. Your skin is even home to different types of yeast.
Wild yeast ubiquity is a confident assurance that you, too, will be able to capture it with ease. As long as you don’t live in an autoclave, you will have wild yeast in your environment. It’s there in your kitchen. You merely need to give it a nice place to colonize and thrive.
How To Capture Wild Yeast
我可能会因为这个部分冒犯某些特定酵母菌株的供应商,但我不介意。来和我一起开始一场起义吧,我会告诉你一个小秘密:野生酵母酵母酵头很容易捕获,一个孩子用罐子、面粉和水就能做到。
Related Post:How To Make Sourdough
你不需要从网上商店购买套件。你不需要在酵母论坛上钻研无穷无尽的线程,试图破解菠萝汁、有机葡萄或乳清的过程。你不需要参加一些研讨会来收集那些被精心保护的,长达一个月的秘密过程,这是那些不烘焙的,无知的民众所不具备的。酸面包的发酵剂非常容易制作和维护,而这一知识从我们的文化中消失只是最近的现象。
I have done a lot of reading on the subject. Baking bread is a daily activity for me, and I have been shocked by how convoluted the process is described in print. Having made dozens of homemade starters over the years that have all produced delicious bread, I am confident that my honed-down, simple process is foolproof for anyone with the attention to see it through.
This is just one of many different methods for catching and using wild yeast, but it works for me as a busy homesteader, and it can work for you too.
Supplies
- 1-quart mason jars (2)
- Non-chlorinated water
- Whole wheat flour or whole rye flour
- Chopstick/non-metal utensil
- Rubber band
- Clean washcloth or double-folded section of cheesecloth big enough to cover the mason jar
- One week of time (or less depending on the weather)
基本的前提是我们要为野生酵母创造一个理想的生存环境,然后维持这个环境。如果你是发酵新手,这将是一个有点狂野的旅程,但坚持住,这是非常值得的。虽然一开始可能会有一些奇怪的气味,但最终的产品将会是愉快的香味,并会提高你的家庭烘焙酸面包。
Day One
In one of the mason jars, use a chopstick to thoroughly mix 1 cup whole grain flour of your choice with 1 cup of NON-CHLORINATED water. If you have city water, this means you can’t run water from your tap straight into the mason jar. The chemicals will kill the wild yeast in your starter.
The whole grains are also important. Though you can technically make a starter with white flour (I’ve never tried it), whole grain flour offers better results as it feeds the yeast more complete nutrition.
这种混合物应该有非常厚的煎饼面糊的稠度,你要在接下来的一周保持这种稠度。用一块布盖上混合物,用橡皮筋固定好,然后把罐子放在厨房里——不要让阳光直射,但要放在你能看到并不会忘记的地方。
Day Two
Compost half the water and flour mix, and then add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of flour, mixing thoroughly with the chopstick and adding more flour or water as needed to regain that pancake batter thickness. What you’ve just done is reduce the yeast population by half and provided food for the yeast that remains. This food is what they’ll use to grow in strength. Cover again.
Day Three
Depending on the ambient temperature of your kitchen, you may or may not start seeing little bubbles form in your starter when you stir it. There may also be a layer of clear liquid starting to form on the top.