[Ag-eq] Taming wild yeasties

[dogwood farm]

Tracy,

I don't know much about wild yeast except when it comes to fruit wines
and some beers that are brewed in Germany.  However, reference yeast
starters for breads, you need to put your starter in a warm place and
covered.  Matt puts his starter in a container with an airtight lid.
This traps the heat from the yeast as it firments and that also helps
keep it warm.  His starters, which have different names depending on
the process and what kind of bread he is making.

Susan
dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com

On 12/14/18, Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I'm having some fun, running experiments in microbiology, aka creating my
> own sourdough starter, trying to convince wild yeasts to come play with me.
>
> I have a guidebook, The Sullivan Street Bakery cookbook.  It describes well
> how the starter should smell and taste when it's ready to use.  I thought
> mine could be ready to go, but it didn't actually leaven, so I added some
> store-bought yeast and made bread anyway.  Even so, it added a nice taste
> to
> the bread.
>
> The book says that, when the yeasts have done their thing, there will be a
> foamy residue of flour on the side of the jar.  I thought I could feel
> that,
> but maybe I'm mistaken.
>
> The book also says that I could catch more yeast by getting some off leaves
> in the garden, like kale or cabbage leaves.  It says the yeast is a
> powdery,
> water-resistant layer on the underside of a leaf, but I'm not sure how to
> tell that from dirt or whatever.  Not to mention that most of my leaves
> have
> now frozen.  I'm sure the cold isn't helping my experiments, even inside.
>
> However, it's a small investment in time and flour, so I'll keep carrying
> on.  According to the book, I can create a starter that is to my taste, and
> not as sour and sharp as the stuff sold commercially.
>
> Tracy
>
>
>
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