Before you tell me I should post this in the Natural Medicine community, or maybe that it's TMI and I shouldn't post it at all, my problem isn't too much yeast in all the wrong places, my problem is I Cannot find the shit ANYPLACE! And I'm not the only one experiencing this problem, it's apparently affecting many countries..
Of course I'm referring to dry active yeast. I use it all the time for baking my buns, I do around 60 buns per week. The grocery stores around here haven't had any for over a month, and now, they don't even have flour.
Oh but of course they're stocked to the tits with Wonderbread and other nasty, processed, chemical ridden garbage I can feed my family.
I managed to find flour through a local restaurant, and they did have yeast, for 1 day...and then it was all sold out. Word travels damn fast right now.
Enter...Sourdough Starter! AKA: Natural Yeast
I've always been very afraid to try and create my own starter. I've read before that it's pretty fickle. Needs to be at exactly 70 degrees F all the time, takes a week etc etc.
I started almost 2 weeks ago. I can testify that it is indeed fickle. It doesn't help that I'm trying it in a cool month. We don't get anywhere near 70 F in my house. Which is 22 C.
Here is my trial and error so far:
Day 1: The first recipe I tried starts with 3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP white flour and 1/2 Cup Water.
Mix it up, cover loosely with plastic wrap or towel and leave in a warm place (70 F) for 24 hours.
I decided the top of the fridge would possibly be the warmest and most consistent temperature in my house. After 24 hours I saw some bubbles and got pretty excited!
- Day 2: Again add 3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP Flour and 1/2 Cup Water. Mix it up and leave for another 24 hours.
I've had sourdough starter before, I got it from a friend a couple years ago, and managed to keep it alive for a long time until one dreadful day when I accidentally killed it by making pancake batter, in the effing sourdough starter container!
I was so tired I forgot to set a little of the starter aside first 😱 The point of this rant is, that I know what an active sourdough starter smells like and behaves like.
- Day 4: I was getting some good different sized bubbles, it smells good-sour, but still not active at all (the starter wouldn't grow).
- Day 5: I decided to switch containers to one I know would be 100% food grade plastic. I also poured out a bunch of the starter before feeding it (which the recipe didn't ask me to do, but that's how I usually feed starters and I thought it was weird that the recipe just wanted me to add and add and add.)
- Day 7: Hooch. Okay, now I know the starter is definitely fermenting, I have the telltale hooch on top! It smells like sourdough yet, the starter is still not active. Hmmm....
This goes on and on for days, until I have so much inactive starter that I decide I'm going to bake biscuits with it and try a new strategy...
Sourdough Biscuits
My new strategy was to say fuck it to using recipes and just go by look and feel with my flour/water mixtures and experiment with some variables!
I switched to using glass. One container has a metal lid, one has plastic wrap.
I have one container with white flour and a smidge of whole wheat, and the other is whole wheat flour with a tad of white.
And probably the most important thing I changed was to stop being such a cheap bastard and get some consistent heat by my starter babies!
It's ALIVE!!!!!
Lo and Behold the whole wheat starter grew today! It is becoming active y'all!!!!! Oooh such a good feeling. After I fed it, it grew about 1 centimetre! AHHAAA!! I know it doesn't seem like much but that's the best result I've had by far.
I'm thinking that after I feed it tonight, and tomorrow morning, I may have the longed for DOUBLING! (When it doubles in size, it is finally active.)
Thank you for coming on this rambling journey with me today #HIVEfam. I know I don't have a recipe for you, or any expert advice. I guess if I have any advice it's to just go for it! I was scared for so long to try and create sourdough starter, yet it's really kind of fun experimenting and trying to get it to become active.
I know once I reach success it will be one of the best feelings in the world.
I am naming my starter this time too! (The one I had all those years ago, had no name.)
Do you have any name suggestions, or is it bad luck to name a starter before it is born? 😂
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No way! You got Wonderbread?!? LOL I grew up on that stuff and have not had it since Hostess went bankrupt. Used to be everywhere here, now I never see it. Really weird. I will have to check on the yeast. I think we have flour and all the carb stuff but running out of chicken and pork. I get my beef from a local farmer.
Oh ya, we got wonderbread here, whole wheat, white, hot dog and hamburger buns. Weird that you don't have it in the US!
You are too funny. XD
Mmmmmmmmmmmm, crap. LOL
Yeah I'm mostly allergic to all the processed crap, so it's doubly problematic. I know one type of one brand of slider rolls (never any loaves, just this one brand of mini hamburger buns) that is actually allergen-free, and that's about it. XD
I'm so glad your new batch is ALIIIIIIIIIIIVE! But also HOW COLD IS IT IN YOUR HOUSE?? I would die there. I set my heater to 80 motherfucking degrees, thank you very much. XD
Our house is 64 during the day and 62 at night. Bwa hahhaaaa 😃 Worst part is, I sweat like crazy at night... I could have the heat a lot lower if it was just me.
Oh, you popsicle people! puts on another sweater
Hah same problems here no dry active yeast to be found everywhere.
Ugh...sorry to hear that my friend!
One of my coworkers is a sourdough expert, he's been fiddling around with it for years, now he is mad that everyone else is discovering it and taking all the ingredients from the store.
Like creating a monster but a good one...:-)
YASSSSS!!!!!
Lol... Starters can be pretty tricky sometimes. Maybe the whole wheat worked better because it was pure, unadulterated? I never seem to have a problem with the 'Heckler' brand (unbleached) flour.
Also...a 'loose' lid or covering helps, because there are yeast spores in the air.
Another way to grow yeast, is to use grape juice from fresh, organic grapes, which you can squeeze out in some cheesecloth or other suitable material. I leave mine out for only one day, then put it in the refrigerator for adding additional flour or pure water each day as needed. I think the sugar in the juice, helps grow the yeast a bit quicker? If I leave it out in hot weather...it develops 'mold'.
When I've failed...it is usually from some sort of contaminant I failed to consider.
I worked at an old German Bake Shop many years ago, and their starter was carried over to the U.S.from Germany by grandparents (early 1900's) and they kept it going through 1966 + for the 'best' Rye Bread I've ever eaten :>)
Ahh thank you for the tips, I'll go loosen the lids a bit right now. I have never heard of using grape juice, I will look up more about that as well! Appreciated @angryman!
:>) Main key I think, is to make sure flour and water are as pure as possible. I've known people who used 'self-rising flour' with baking powder in it, by mistake.
Have 'fun'....
Damn, didn't realize there was so much involved. Them biscuits look like they would be perfect under a nice breakfast gravy. My mom used to make drop biscuits, but these look yummier.
Mmmmmmm breakfast gravy .... *drools and I don't even know what it is but it sounds like HEAVEN 😍
Many people use sausage in it, but I have an aversion to it as my dad let me think our pigs were pets like the cats, dogs, chickens and horse and one morning they were in the breakfast gravy. It traumatized my little 5 year old self, lol.
https://www.centercutcook.com/breakfast-gravy/
You can add bacon or anything else, or nothing as I usually do when I have it. I know, bacon comes from the same animal, but it was sausage in that gravy and they let me eat it before my older sister began teasing me with the knowledge of its origin.
Ahhh that is such a sad story 😱 Ya...it may have been good to know in advance what your pig friend were for, faaak... I couldn't even imagine if some day for breakfast I found out it was my kitty or dog I was eating. From my sibling no less! Sorry that you went through that, I'm sending love to your 5 year old self my friend.
That recipe is totally doable, thank you for the idea. I have a few biscuits left and I'm pulling a pack of bacon out of the freezer tonight! I believe my eldest son will be fighting me for the last of the breakfast gravy 😁
Found you! ❤️
YAYYYYYY @tremendospercy is in da #HIVE!!!
I didn’t know it was even a thing I was trying to track you down and realised it’s some kind of fork, I’ve been so out of touch with stuff lately.
I assume this is happened after utter cunt Justin Sun took over Steemit.
Oooh how I have missed you Ser!
Ditto ❤️
I got a badge for flagging the twat! 😂😂😂
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Yes, major milestone badge! I loved that one 😘 By the way, what used to be steemitboard is on hive, and are called @hivebuzz now!
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I know little about baking but chuckling over the title :D
NOICe hahaha glad the content wasn't as cringy as title implied I bet!
Hey I sent a million pounds of baking powder O___O
I can work with that 😍 Hahahaa, thank you!!
Keepin' er #POSH ::