Making your own natural starter (YEAST)

Making own natural yeast has been in my to-do list for a long time. Finally I took my courage and start my natural yeast journey 1 month ago.

First try on apple liquid starter failed, the starter refused to double and bubbly after I tried to feed them flour and water. I am quite sad as 1 week effort didn't paid off. 

BUT I didn't give up,  I continued to do my own read up online and got myself a natural starter book from Popular recently.

Once again I picked up my courage and start growing my liquid starter again. This time, I used dried raisin instead and it succeed.  I am so happy! 

Let me share with you how to grow your own natural yeast at home.

Raisin liquid starter.

Recipe source: Jayeon Bread Book , Youtube abt making natural raisin liquid starter. & Youtube abt making your refreshed starter

Things needed

• A 500ML glass jar 
• 100g of dried raisin.
• 250ml of  water

Steps:

1. Please washed the glass jar clean and cook it in a pot of water (enough to cover the jar) for 5mins. Off the fire and leave it in the pot for 5mins. Remove and drain the jar. Leave it cool on the wire rack.
2. Put the raisins in the sterilized jar.
3. Add in water.
4. Stir and cover the jar loose. (Do not close the jar too tight, it may explode due to the carbon dioxide gas released during fermentation)
5.  Check your raisin liquid starter twice a day. Shake it lightly each time and open the lid to release gas. This is to prevent it to become moldy.
6.  Let it ferment for 4-6 days at room temperature. I hide it in my cupboard which is dark and cosy.
7.  Your raisin natural starter is ready when all the raisins float to the surface and there are many bubbles. It should give a very nice beery smell and fizzing sound.
8.  Strain the liquid with a clean sieve. It is ready for making your very first natural starter.

TAGlicious’s Note:

*Discard the liquid starter if it is too sour, moldy or has a bad smell. You got to start all over again.

* If you are not making your natural starter immediately, the liquid starter can be stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

* I used cooked water at room temperature when mixing with raisins.

* My liquid starter is ready at day 4.

* Please use the right size of  the jar. Raisin + water must filled up to 75% of the Jar.

Making natural starter

Day 1

Things needed:

• 1L clean airtight container
• 100ml of liquid starter
• 100ml of bread flour

 Steps:

1. Put in your liquid starter into the airtight container.
2. Add in the bread flour and mix it until it is well incorporated.
3. Cover it container and let it start fermentation at room temperature for 18-24hrs.
4. The natural starter should double its size after fermentation process and it is ready for 2^nd feed.

Day 2 – 1^st feed

Things needed:

• 100g of starter
• 100g of water
• 100g of flour
• 2g of salt (This will help to slow down the fermentation process)

Steps:

1. When the starter doubled and bubbly, discard or send for adoption half of the mixture and having 100g of starter.
2. Add in water and mix it with the starter until it is dissolved
3.  Add in the bread flour and mix it until it is well incorporated.
4. Cover it container and let it start fermentation at room temperature for 12hrs.
5. The natural starter should double its size and bubbly after fermentation process and it is ready for 3^rdfeed.

Day 2 – 2^nd feed

Things needed:

• 100g of starter
• 100g of water
• 100g of flour
• 2g of salt (This will help to slow down the fermentation process)

Steps

1. When the starter doubled and bubbly, discard or send for adoption half of the mixture and having 100g of starter left for feeding. 
2.   Add in water and mix it with the starter until it is dissolved
3. Add in the bread flour + salt and mix it until it is well incorporated.
4. Cover it container and let it start fermentation at room temperature for 12hr.
5. The natural starter should double its size and bubbly after fermentation process.
6. It is ready to use for bread making using ½ of your natural starter and continue to feed your starter!

TAGlicious’s Note:

* You can continue to feed your natural starter every 12hrs using the same ratio of items if you are baking bread every day.

* Else keep the natural starter in fridge and refreshed it (repeat Day 2 – 2^nd feed)  before you can use to make bread.

* If you are not making bread every week, you still got to feed it weekly (Day 2 – 2^nd feed).

* If your starter failed to doubled it size & bubbly means it is dead. You got to start everything again.

* Understanding from the book, if we keep refreshing the starter from the fridge will cause sourness to the starter. 
* Please browse through the youtube link i share for better understanding. 

I love my natural yeast bread because it give a very nice bread aroma, the bread got nice crust and soft inner. The disadvantages is it may take longer time for the dough to rise as compare to those commercial yeast. I hope to share with some recipe that use natural yeast soon. Stay tuned. 

You need alot of patience, courage, passion in order to start, why not give it a try?

TAGlicious Ciao~

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