Re: Can you grow yeast? Or where does it come from

Posted by Kelli on September 09, 2007 at 12:35:20 from (130.157.57.44):

In Reply to: Can you grow yeast? Or where does it come from? posted by SingleMommy on April 12, 2002 at 08:34:18:

According to this one book that I read, I forget the name. You can grow your own yeast, but it is very time consuming. You have probably heard of a sourdough starter, well, keeping that starter alive is the concept of growing yeast, and one of the easier versions. To grow yeast you take some flour, add some sugar and some water. (good idea is to combine these in a large ziplock bag) This mixture should be somewhat runny. And leave it out on the counter to start activating. You can put it in the fridge, but it will produce a slightly sour flavor. There aren't really any specifics on the proportions, because each variation produces a different flavor.
Yeast naturally occurs in flour and in air, by feeding sugar and adding water, you are, in essence, activating the yeast. There are also a lot of other microorganisms that are in the doughlike mixture that the yeast fights off as it grows and ferments. Anyways, you need to add about a tablespoon of sugar to the concoction 3 times a day, unless in the fridge, where you only need to feed it once a day. Once it starts looking too dry you add water. After 3 days of this treatment, the yeast is colonized and ready to be used. The only problem is that the specs for bread recipes and the gloopy glop don't have a conversion factor so you have to experiment with recipes. Oh, don't use all of your "starter" at once, and however much you take away for a recipe, replace with sugar, flour and water, and then don't use it for a day, so that it can regrow itself. Hope this helps.

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