With so many of us heeding orders to stay at home in these times, a lot of us are rediscovering — or learning for the first time about — kitchen basics. We’re cooking and baking in greater numbers now than we have in decades. And not without reason.
We all have to eat.
I’m going to start to share daily cooking and baking posts, along with handy kitchen tips. Whether you’re new to the kitchen, or feel a bit rusty when it comes to a particular skill or technique, I hope to help with these posts. And if you’re looking for any particular information or recipe, contact me and I’ll do my best to help you out, or point you to the right resource. You can reach me at: noelle@noellecarterfood.com.
A little over a week ago, I checked the freezer for yeast as I thought I’d make some bread. If, like me, you’ve been following the interwebs lately, it seems a lot of people are making bread. Why? It’s soothing, nourishing, and it keeps us occupied so we don’t have to think what’s going on outside our homes.
And then I realized I had only two packets of active dry yeast left. Talk about frustration.
What to do?
Multiply the yeast by drawing out the natural yeast from the atmosphere. In short, I needed a sourdough starter.
Incidentally, I have one, but I left it in the fridge last time I visited family in Sacramento, and I’m certainly not going to Sacramento any time soon (I live in Los Angeles).
Search online, and you’ll see countless methods for getting your own starter going. Some call for using grapes, others call for other fruits. Some call for special types of flour, liquids (pineapple juice is popular), secret ingredients, and/or prayers and incantations. Others call for a simple mixture of flour and water, with maybe a little sugar to tempt the yeast to create a home.
I’ve tried countless methods. Most often? All I seem to draw out of the atmosphere is frustration after days of waiting for a starter to appear, only to see it to go bad. Except for one.
The sourdough starter method found on the Red Yeast website. It’s never failed me:
2 cups water
3½ cups (about 15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 package (2¼ tsp, ¼oz, 7g) RED STAR Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
The method is simple: In a non-reactive container, combine the water with flour, yeast and sugar, loosely cover, then set aside in a warm place for a few days, stirring it two to three times a day to show it you care. The starter will rise and fall over those few days, and will start to take on a subtle sourdough smell. You can find the recipe here.
I know what you’re thinking: That isn’t homemade! Where’s the wild yeast? Or, worse yet: What if I don’t have any yeast packets?!?
About the first thought, while the starter yeast is originally comprised of commercial yeast, wild yeast will eventually take over, giving the starter a distinct flavor unique to where you live (this is why, even if you acquire a special starter from San Francisco, Alaska, or wherever, it eventually changes in flavor and style — local wild yeasts will eventually take over and populate your starter, regardless of its history or origins).
About the second thought, if you don’t have any yeast, I recommend the pineapple juice method. Without getting wonky, there are components in the pineapple juice that keep bad actors out of the starter, preventing it from going bad. If you don’t have pineapple juice (who among us has pineapple juice in our #pandemicpantry ?), use the simple flour and water method. It’s temperamental, but can work. There are a variety of methods online. You can also email me if you have any questions.
Pain au levain loaves. (Noelle Carter)
Yesterday, I baked my first batch of bread from the yeast. I baked a couple of loaves of pain au levain using the recipe found in “The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion” cookbook, an excellent baking primer if you’re looking for one. You can find the recipe here.
While I’ve had and used a homemade sourdough starter for years, I’ll admit that I’m not as familiar, or comfortable, with it as I am with using commercial yeast. But as I familiarize myself more, I’ll share more recipes. If you have a starter, or any good recipes, comment below or shoot me an email. We bakers always love to learn new recipes and tricks! Otherwise, I hope you and yours are safe and well.