How To Create Unlimited Yeast - Oooooooh, Baby I Like It Sour!

in #howto7 years ago

Photo on 2017-07-19 at 11.27 AM #2.jpg

Before I can teach you how to make sourdough bread you first have to make, or obtain, a sourdough starter.

I was super lucky and a friend gave me some of hers, which was given to her by a baker, and I have since shared mine as well. I have been working with the same sourdough starter for 3 months now, and have managed not to kill it. From what I read though, this beautiful natural yeast is very hard to kill.

If you can't find a friend or baker to get a bit from, here's where you can buy some sourdough starter or make your own from scratch!

Now that you have your starter you need to learn how to feed it and care for it.

The starter I was given was refrigerated. I first had to bring it out of hibernation so that it would be proofed and ready to make bread with. If you are planning on not using your starter very much I suggest keeping it in the fridge because you will need to feed it only once a week. If you have it on the counter like me, it needs to be fed 3 times a day or more, depending on how hot it is out. READ: How to bring sourdough starter out of hibernation.

Feeding refrigerated sourdough starter:

If you keep your starter in the fridge, all that is required is that once a week you take it out of the fridge, pour a little of the starter into the garbage or compost, and add in flour (equal to the amount of starter you have) and half the amount of water as flour. So if you put in 2 tablespoons of flour, you just add one tablespoon of water. Mix well so there are no lumps or clumps. Voila, your work for the week is done.

Note: Be sure to change containers each time. If you find a brown liquid (hooch) on top of your starter skim it off and garbage it.

Feeding countertop sourdough starter:

NOTE: If you keep it on the counter, you will have a lot more than if you keep it in the fridge. I would recommend only keeping your fridge starter at 1/4 cup. As you bring it out of hibernation that's the time to grow it by adding more flour and water than you would if it were to stay in the fridge.

Get a new container, your counter starter, flour and about half the water as the flour.

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Mix thoroughly, leaving no lumps or clumps. It should end up as a nice slurry, not too thick but not too thin. If it is too thick, add a bit more water, and if it's too thin, add a bit more flour.

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NOTE: Always leave at least half your container empty, the starter will GROW to at least double.

I made sure to mark it for you, so you can see what happens in 4-6 hours! It usually takes 8-12 hours to proof in the winter.

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4 hours later...BOOM!

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Now I will test it to see if it is proofed (ready to make bread with). Just put a little spoonful in a glass of water and see if it floats.

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Yeah, she's good to go! I already knew it would be though because I've gotten the hang of just being able to look at the starter and can tell when she's proofed. Will be nice, bubbly and thin just like this:

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I am making sourdough bread today, so I take out what my recipe needs, and feed the remaining starter again.

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Always, always use a fresh container each time you feed. Your starter can get a very paint thinner type smell if you don't.

Here you can see the difference between proofed starter, and my just mixed starter.

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I hope I didn't make things too complicated or overwhelming for you. It truly isn't that tough, it's all about timing, getting used to working with this baby, and a bit of care and attention. I joke that my starter is my 4th child.

So you may wonder, what do I use all this starter for. Do I make 3 loaves of sourdough bread a day?

Not at all. Even though each time you feed your starter you have to pour some out, I never throw mine in the compost or garbage, I use it! You can make anything that takes flour and water in the recipe, with sourdough starter. I make the most delicious pancakes in the world with this stuff! Biscuits, long rise buns, even scones.

I will be sharing my recipes next, I felt that this post would be too lengthly if I included them here, plus, you have to get busy making or obtaining your first sourdough starter!

Happy Proofing :)

<3 @LyndsayBowes

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Sourdough is my favorite. I've got to try that pancake idea.

4th child - that's hilarious. At least you don't have to worry about sending this one to college! (Unless it spontaneously develops intelligence and demands to be let out of the fridge. Now there's a sci-fi idea.)

HHAHAAAAA!! What timing, I just received this message from a girlfriend on fb: "You guys can make a horror movie where you are trapped by a sourdough blob and must be saved by 100 chickens LOL"

Yesss!! Get making your starter, the pancake recipe is beautifully easy, and the best part of using extra starter for other baking is that it doesn't need to be proofed! So all your mistakes while waiting for perfect proofed starter to use for bread, can be used with these. Anything with baking soda, rises, the soda mixes with the starter and makes it double in size!!

2 cups starter (can be unproofed)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1TBSP Honey.

BOOM!! Best pancakes ever cause they don't have so many shit ingredients in it~~

I'd watch that movie - especially if it was done claymation style as a sequel to Chicken Run.

Bwa hhahahahaaaa the challenge would be making the plot last longer than 2 minutes, maybe we'll just have to do a funny movie trailer. :D

Omg I love sourdough bread!! My mouth is watering :Q__
Thanks for sharing this I have been wondering how to make sourdough bread at home. I used to eat just plain sourdough bread with butter for breakfast and never get tired of it and treated it as if it was the best breakfast every time. It truly is a perfect combination, when the butter melts and seeps into the holes of the perfectly toasted crunchy and salty yet slightly sour bread biting into it is so amazing haha. Unfortunately where I live sourdough is unheard of and I haven't had any in years, maybe that's why im being so poetic right now Lol. Really all I need for a perfect and happy breakfast is sourdough toast and butter. I am archiving this post for future reference, thanks for posting!

Ooh beautiful write up, now I'm wanting to hoard the loaf I just made instead of giving it to my in-laws as promised LOL! I won't though cause I'll just whip up another loaf today. I love it toasted with butter, and lately I've been putting a little honey on one slice too, just love the sweet mixed with the sour! Such a complex taste!

I hope you have success creating your starter! You will love how handy and easy it is to work with once you get used to it, which takes no time at all. Hey, maybe you can even introduce some of your community to the joy and deliciousness of sourdough!!

Very interesting post. Thank you for sharing. X

Thank you very much for reading :)

@lyndsaybowes nice write up. Thou i don't get the mixture yet but i will pass your post to my wife to prepare for my child. What other benefit those a child derive from the food?

If you make sourdough starter, you don't need to buy yeast from the store anymore.

We love all the delicious treats that come from this sour dough starter.