Bread type question

[GotGarlic]

Depending where you live, if it is temperate enough, there are wild yeast spores floating around in the air. Simply make a thick paste of flour, water, and a bit of sugar. This is kept in a glass jar, or crock. place cheesecloth over the opening and place on a window sill. The yeast spores will make their way into the paste (slurry) and begin ot multiply. After a few days, you will have sourdough starter. The reason sourdough is sour is that the wild yeast can withstand a more acidic environment than can commercial yeast. Acid s sour.

As yeast gobbles up sugars and starches, they produce CO2 and acid. The CO2 leavens the dough, while the acid flavors the bread. So, if you can't get your hands on packets, or containers of store-bought yeast, it is naturally present in the air. Live yeast spores have even been found in the vacuum of space, alive and well.

Once your sourdough has started, you have an inexhaustible source of yeast, as long as you feed it and take care of it.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

It's my understanding that the yeast also comes from the flour, so there doesn't have to be a temperate climate to get it going.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

It's my understanding that the yeast also comes from the flour, so there doesn't have to be a temperate climate to get it going.

From what I understand, there is yeast in all climates, floating around in the air. They are just more numerous in warmer weather. I have successfully started sourdough in the winter, and here in Michigan's U.P., it gets very cold. Since yeast is so well dispersed, there may well be natural yeast spores in flour. Households that do a lot of baking have a lot of yeast spores floating around. In any case, I hope that not being able to purchase yeast at the store doesn't stop anyone from making bread.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[GimmeAnother1]

if you do get your hands on some yeast (dry is fine) then i would suggest adding Kaiser Rolls to the list. made them recently and they weren't really hard to make.

 

[pepperhead212]

I have kept my yeast in the fridge for ages - way past expiry dates. I buy in a foil bag which I divy up into an old jar of yeast. I use the jar constantly and the foil pack is sealed in a plastic zip ock with most of the air removed. Has never failed me.

In other words - don't throw out your yeast just because it is 'past BBF'.

Test it, no guarantees but you might be surprised.

I have never had yeast totally die on me, but it will usually get slower, as I reach the last quarter cup or so in the jar (a 3 c jar I keep in the fridge). I am down to about that now, so out of curiosity, I compared the fresh - a 16 oz bag of SAF regular instant - with the old, which was the same, opened in Feb of 2018, expired in Dec of 2019. I put ½ tsp of old and new in 2 separate cups, each with ½ tsp of sugar, and 2 tb of water, at 80°, stirring to dissolve. I was surprised that there was almost no difference! The new one only had a foam that was very slightly faster than the old. I have had it get a lot older, however, when I got a double 1 lb pack of Fleischmann's yeast, from BJ's!

 

[GotGarlic]

I've only bought yeast by the 4-oz. jar. What do you all consider a good price for yeast by the pound?

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I bought a 1# saf-instant yeast in OH Amish country for around $4. King Arthur's website has it for $5.95.

 

[pepperhead212]

KAF is where I've gotten it the last two times, at $5.95. I've made sure the deals included free shipping!

 

[Kevin86]

I found yeast at the bulk barn. We made some homemade buns!!! They’re delicious

 

[RCJoe]

Even if you have an OLD envelope of yeast you can try to renew it by putting it into an old mayo jar along with a little sugar & flour. Much like starting Sour Dough culture. You just have to keep feeding it each week with a little more flour & sugar. Once the yeast, water, and a little sugar start to bubble, give it a teaspoon of sugar & flour. Keep with it until it becomes quite active and then store it in the refrigerator. Just keep up the feeding so you'll have plenty of yeast for your baking. If it fails, try again with another sample of old yeast.

My favorite soft sandwich bread is "Buttermilk Bread"

You can get butter milk in powdered form but it doesn't keep too long. I put mine in a zip lock plastic bag and stow it in the fridge.

A simple bread is "Peasant Bread" (5 ingredients)

3 1/2 C bread flour
2 C water
1 TB sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt

Knead as any other bread dough. This is much like the
Italian or French bread you see in the stores. Perhaps a bit lighter.

A Book I borrow from the Library (a favorite) is "Beard on Bread" by James Beard.

https://www.amazon.com/Beard-Bread-James/dp/0679755047

If you don't have yeast this link will offer some ideas.

Three best substitutes for yeast to help you in a pinch

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/yeast-substitute#3.-Sourdough-starter"]

 

[DaveSoMD]

I finally found yeast and flour this morning at BJs!! Score!!! That stuff is as hard to find as toilet paper and spray lysol!!! Lol

 

[4food]

$6 per pound seams to be the fair going price, but there is some price gouging right now.

The yeast as was referring to on my earlier post https://amzn.to/3dBEqNc, was $11.28 per 2lbs when I bought it 3 month ago, now its $30 the 2 lb.

 

[GotGarlic]

$6 per pound seams to be the fair going price, but there is some price gouging right now.

The yeast as was referring to on my earlier post https://amzn.to/3dBEqNc, was $11.28 per 2lbs when I bought it 3 month ago, now its $30 the 2 lb.

Yes! I was looking on Amazon, too, and the SAF yeast people mentioned is around $25 per pound! I got lucky, though - a Facebook friend, whom I have known for over 20 years but have never met, found a one-pound bag of yeast in her freezer and she doesn't bake! She was offering it to friends and I asked for some, so she's sending some of it to me. I'll send her some of our backyard honey in return.

 

[pepperhead212]

Isn't that ridiculous?! Price gouging, for sure. Some of those third party sellers on Amazon. I've seen some other items like that, in this pandemic.