Cultivating wild yeast

Clay Q · February 2007

Anybody interested in rustic sourdough breads? I'm in day 7 of a sourdough starter and although it's moving along slowly I have signs of life that tell me its alive. Got a good hooch going, small bubbles indicate wild yeast are feeding and producing alcohol(I can smell and see the alcohol on top, yahoooooo) so I just started feeding every day to build up a starter that is fully active and ready for rustic bread baking in the egg. This might take another week of cultivation, I'll see what happens. (fingers crossed) [p]Temprature of the starter is critical, needs to be warm enough to allow growth but not above 100 degrees F where yeast is killed. So I found a place that has constant warmth; on top of the tv cable box. I'm careful of not giving the starter a lot of warmth so that would conclude why developement is moving along slowly. I'm hopeful that with time and daily feedings I'll have a fully active starter.[p]Last year I developed a starter with the help of commercial yeast. This time around I'm using wild yeast found in stone ground rye flour. Something about rye that makes it a better source for wild yeast so I made a mix of 50% rye with 50% wheat flour to begin the starter. I added a dash of sugar (food) and warmed artesian spring water to make a smooth batter in a small glass bowl, covered with plasic wrap then cloth towel and set it on top of the cable box off to the cooler side, just to be safe so it don't get too warm. [p]Now that I have active yeast I need to feed once a day by removing half of the starter and adding fresh bread flour and warm spring water. The feeding will keep the yeast active and the starter should get better as the days go on. I'm hopeful I'll have a good report in the near future.[p]I have a new setup in the egg in anticipation for hearth bread baking and I'll post some pic's soon. I guess I can eggsperiment with commercial yeast bread this weekend to see how this new setup works. [p]As a self-taught bread baker I'm in the school of hard knocks and I know this forum has a good share of knoweldge. Any tips or suggestions on sourdough breads is appreciated.
Clay [p]

Topo Gigio · February 2007

ClayQ, see the link for a good readers digest version of wild yeast.
[ul][li]http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm[/ul]

Essex County · February 2007

ClayQ,
Wow, this brings back memories. There was a stretch of a year or two back in the 80s when we made sourdough bread a couple of times a week. I think our starter died once during that stretch. It was neglected for a couple of weeks while we were away. Our starter was less adventurous than yours. I think we just fermented a flour and sugar mixture to get it going. Maybe fed it a few grapes once in a while. But it would really get some character after it had a few months to develop. I look forward to seeing your results.
Paul

icemncmth · February 2007

ClayQ,[p]Well it just so happens I keep a couple of starters going all the time...[p]One of my starters is well over 60 years old..It thrives ...[p]the other one is a simple starter the other a milk starter..[p]So lets get going with the simple things first...don't add surgar...[p]All you are doing is giving the yeast a reason to make alcohol. Since you have already started your starter and you see some action..you need to start feeding the little buggers..[p]If you see hooch then then you need to feed![p]Now the best food for yeast is ...plain old white flour..half water half flour.[p]Since this is a new starter you need to watch and feed probably every 4 hours!!!!!![p]this is very important...repeat..don't let the yeast starve and form hooch....every 4 hours or so...!!!!!!![p]once you have done that for a day you are good and can dump most of it down the drain or use it. I keep 4 jars of starter in the fridge at all times. I feed them once a month. I drain off the hooch and add the mix and let and do this until I have to feed the yeast every 4 hours or so. [p]
Once you have your yeast really rolling you need to dry some so that if something happens you don'e have to go throuh the pain of starting all over again. You take some of your starter...smear it on some wax paper and put is someplace to dry. It usually takes a day or so to dry. then
you take the dryed yeast and put it in zip bags or foodsaver and put in freezer...I do this a couple of times a year and keep some at my mother's house just in case...[p]This might sound funny but just think about having a starter that is over a 100 years old ( I have one) ...if the fridge goes out it is lost![p]Now as for cooking...[p]Take any bread recipe and what you do is the standard 1 cup method. Take one cup of active starter and use it in the recipe. The only thing you need to do is adjust the amount of water the recipe has by 1/2 cup...[p]OR you can do it my way...[p]Remember the amount of starter or yeast isn't important ..the time factor is. You can take any bread recipe and just dip a spoon in the active starter and add that to the recipe. Then you take the dough and put it in the fridge for lets say 6 days. Then you pull it out and set it on the counter and wait until it doubles...could take a day..[p]Punch down and wait again.....[p]You will have some great sourdough..[p]If you really need some great information email me and I will send you a text file that is great and wasn't written by me...[p]icemncmth@gmail.com

AZ Traveler · February 2007

icemncmth,
I sent you an e-mail

Clay Q · February 2007

ClayQ,
This is like taking care of a baby,--- feeding, bubbles, gas. Ok, no more sugar. I promise not to drink the hooch, although it smells good. Might be 10%. I don't like to dump half of the starter down the drain every time I feed but I guess that's what I got to do. The good news is that I have activity but not full blown, let's make bread activity. I'll feed again tonight with one bowl as a proofing bowl to see if I can make a boule or two tomorrow. As backups I have two other starters going and will continue to feed those also.
Thanks for all the help, good sites and great advice.
This is fun.
Clay

icemncmth · February 2007

ClayQ,[p]One little trick is once you do have it really going...take a small amount out, teaspoon and put that in a 1/4 up flour and water...wait for that to bubble and just go with 1/4 cups...then you don't have to dump down the drain ..you can keep doing this until you have what you need..

Clay Q · February 2007

icemncmth,
Gave a feeding this morning. One batch I made into a dough to test proofing. Might be to soon, only little bubbles in the starter but I'm anxious to see if it takes off. I'll let it sit, sometimes proofing takes quite a while to develope. One starter batch smells more like a beer than others, I have high hopes for that one. Not using sugar, just flour and warm spring water to feed, thanks for the tip. My wild yeast is alive and growing but it's taking a long time to become fully active. Might be it's not warm enough....or too warm???? I should take a temp reading....why didn't I think of that before? Or the wild yeast just takes longer to develop as a active starter and I have to be patient.
Clay

Clay Q · February 2007

Topo Gigio,
Good reading and info. I have a long way to go learning about traditional breads, hearth breads and sourdough but I'm on my way.
Thanks,
Clay

Clay Q · February 2007

Essex County,
I read about using grapes, something about the acid wakes up wild yeast....or wild yeast was on the grape skins....or both? When I get a good starter I'm going to dry some for safe keeping, just in case the live starter goes bad I have a backup. My starter is alive but slow moving, but I think I'll get there and have a good batch to make bread. One way or another sourdough is going to land on my cutting board, he he.
I'll keep posting my adventures.
Clay

Cultivating wild yeast

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