Dairy-Free, Egg Free, Natural Yeast Dinner Rolls

I've been trying to figure out how to make soft, fluffy dinner rolls from natural yeast for over a year. All the recipes I've found call for milk, eggs and butter which are ingredients I try to avoid for those I know with food allergies. But it seems those were the only things that made the rolls truly light and delicious. Until Now! I experimented with coconut milk and a little extra sweetener. The flavor was perfect but the rolls turned out a little heavy. That's when I decided to try baking them on a cookie sheet instead of a muffin tin. Hallelujah! They turned out perfect! Here's the recipe.

Natural Yeast Dinner Rolls

1 1/2 C water
1 1/2 C coconut milk (I like So Delicious brand)
2 C natural yeast
2 C freshly ground hard white spring wheat
5 C plus 1 C unbleached unbromated white flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 C honey
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
optional 2 teaspoons baking soda to cut sourdough flavor

In a large mixing bowl or bosch combine the water and coconut milk. Add your natural yeast to the liquid. Then add the wheat flour and 5 cups of the white flour. Mix for a minute or two until ingredients are combined. Let sit for 5 min or so to autolyze.

Add the remaining ingredients including one additional cup of flour. Mix on a medium speed for 8 to 10 min. until the dough is sticky to the touch but not wet and has a good stretch to it. Place dough in a pre-greased large plastic bowl and cover with pre-greased wax paper and a towel. Leave on the counter for 6 to 12 hours depending on the temperature of your home. My home is about 67 degrees right now and the dough takes a full 12 hours to rise.

When the dough is ready divide into three separate sections weighing about 32 oz. each. Each of these sections should make 12 rolls weighing on average 2.5 oz. Knead each section of dough for a minute or two before cutting into smaller sizes for rolls. In the meantime keep the other sections covered.

There is a top and a bottom to your dough. the smooth side of each section is the top. This should be the top of your rolls also after they've been cut. Pull the top side down and tuck underneath forming a nice tight ball. Place each ball on a pre-greased cookie sheet and keep covered. Once all the balls have been formed let rise for one hour. I was able to fit 24 rolls onto a large cookie sheet. With my last section of dough I chose to roll it out and make one loaf of cinnamon raisin bread but you can also make 12 more rolls.

After the rolls have risen for an hour bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until the reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees. As soon as they come out of the oven brush the tops with melted coconut oil or butter.

Let the rolls cool completely and then cover with a light towel until your ready to eat. Any leftover rolls should be placed in a plastic bag.

Natural Yeast Outback Steakhouse Bread

A friend mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she made her own Outback Steakhouse bread and I instantly thought, "I wonder if I can make that with Natural Yeast?" Well, the short answer is absolutely! And it tastes like Heaven!!!

Here's my recipe:

3 Cups water
1 jar (about 2 cups white flour natural yeast)
3 Cups whole wheat flour
4-5 Cups unbleached unbromated white flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons coconut oil (or softened butter)
1/2 Cup honey
4 Tablespoons molasses

Here's how I made it:

In my bosch I combined the water, yeast, 3 Cups wheat flour and 3 Cups white flour. I mixed it for about two minutes and let it sit to autolyse for about 10 minutes.

Then I added the rest of the ingredients (don't forget to add 1 more cup of white flour or more as needed) and mixed it on speed setting 2 for between 8-10 min. Stopping occasionally to check and see if it needed more white flour.

Next I get my fingers a little wet and pull the dough out of the bowl. I fold it into itself by pulling from the top and tucking under the bottom until it forms a nice ball then drop it into my pregreased large bowl. I cover with greased wax paper and a towel and let sit on the counter for at least 6 hours and no more than 12 hours. (It all depends on the temperature of your house how fast your yeast rises).

Divide the dough into 12 6"x2" loaves and roll in cornmeal. (Although I actually rolled these in almond meal because it's what I had on hand and it turned out great too). Cover the dough with greased wax paper and let rise for another hour. Bake at 350 degrees (I always convection bake at 375 degrees) for 20 min or until the center of the loaf reaches 180 degrees. Let cool before cutting so it can finish cooking.

Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about this or any other recipe. I would love to share ideas!

An Important Discovery

I am constantly trying to improve my bread and one of the most common criticisms I received (not that there have been very many) has been from people not liking the sour flavor. They say my husband likes it a lot but I just don't like the sour taste or my kids don't like it, etc. The sour flavor of the bread is of course a result of the yeast. It can be affected by the type of flour you feed your yeast, your home environment, and how long you let it sit out on the counter. Sourdough from San Francisco tastes different than sourdough from Utah because the environment is different.

I made a discovery a few months ago that I've been meaning to share. I apologize it has taken so long. It's very simple. To counteract the sour flavor in your dough add baking soda. That's it. Easy peasy. So I now add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to my Honey Whole Wheat bread dough and voila! It's not sour. I add it to my pizza dough recipe along with a little coconut oil and maple syrup and voila! I have a wonderful donut dough perfect for frying or baking. But I never add it to pizza dough or my baguettes because I like them sour.

I hope this helps any of you that may have some picky eaters in your family. ;)

What's In The Water?

Water is a key factor in creating and maintaining a healthy starter. It may seem like no big deal but the kind of water you use in feeding your starter and baking your bread can have a great effect on your success. I learned early on that tap water prohibited my yeast from rising but I also discovered that I had little success using my filtered water from the fridge. I began buying bottled water from the store and have been using that ever since. I leave it on my counter because it seems my yeast performs the best when the water is at room temperature.

For Christmas my husband purchased a great book for me, Bread, A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman (you can purchase it here from Amazon). This book has been an excellent resource for me as a novice baker. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of information and even recipes using a levain or sourdough starter. I'm still experimenting with some of his methods and techniques and will share what I learn later on but he had an interesting section on water that answered some of the mystery for me about water:

1. It is in the presence of water that gluten forms

2. Water serves as a solvent and dispersing agent (for salt, sugar, and yeast)

3. Water is necessary for yeast fermentation and reproduction (and softer doughs will ferment more quickly than dry doughs).

4. Water is responsible for the consistency of bread dough.

5. The temperature of water can be varied in order to obtain dough at the correct temperature.

The degree of hardness in water is an indication of the amount of calcium and magnesium ions present, expressed in parts per million (ppm). Soft water has less than 50 ppm, while hard water has more than 200 ppm. Generally, water of medium hardness, with about 100 to 150 ppm, is best suited to bread baking.

These minerals provide food for the yeast, and therefore can benefit fermentation. If water is excessively hard, however, there is a tightening effect on the gluten, as well as a decrease in the fermentation rate (the minerals make water absorbtion more difficult for the proteins in the flour). On the other hand, if water is excessively soft, the lack of minerals results in sticky, slack dough. Generally speaking, most water is not extreme in either direction, and if water is potable, it is suitable for bread baking.

In the creation of a sourdough  or levain culture, there is another consideration (for water). If the water is too highly chlorinated, the chlorine can have a negative impact on the culture by inhibiting the metabolism of the developing microorganisms. In this case, simply leave a bucket or jar of water out overnight, uncovered. By the next day, most all the chlorine will have dissipated. Alternatively, filtered water can be used.

The amount of acidity in water, expressed as pH (potential hydrogen), also has an effect on fermentation, Hard water is generally more alkaline than soft water, and can decrease the the activity of yeast. Water that is slightly acid (pH a little below 7) is preferred for bread making.

So it seems that my tap water didn't work because it was too highly chlorinated and my filtered fridge water didn't work because it contained too much soft water. It makes me feel a little like Goldilocks but I'm happy I found a bottled water that seems to fit just right.

One more note:

My sister made a discovery of her own, not in regards to water but in regards to chlorine and harsh cleaning chemicals. Over the past year I have given her several sourdough starts which she had trouble keeping alive. She learned that distilled water didn't work nor did her tap water but even after she bought bottled water she was still having trouble. Then in a moment of inspiration she purchased new jars for her starter and voila, that did the trick. She suspects that the cleaning agent she uses in her dishwasher remained on the inside of her jars even after being rinsed and dried and that it was prohibiting her starter from rising. She now washes her jars by hand. I haven't experienced this problem myself but it was interesting and may be helpful to someone else so I thought I would share.

A Little Support Goes A Long Way

My Dad sent me this cute email yesterday,

Hey Daughter,

Hope you're having a good day.  I had a head cold in January and had been better for about two weeks and now I have it again, only this time it's worse.  Poor me.

Our little librarian, Bre, suggested that my wife might like to read, "Cinnamon and Gunpowder", by Eli Brown.  So, I picked it up at the library and read it myself (she was finishing something else).  The story is:  (read the red line)
A gripping adventure, a seaborne romance, and a twist on the tale of Scheherazade—with the best food ever served aboard a pirate’s ship

The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail.

To appease the red-haired captain, Wedgwood gets cracking with the meager supplies on board. His first triumph at sea is actual bread, made from a sourdough starter that he leavens in a tin under his shirt throughout a roaring battle, as men are cutlassed all around him. Soon he’s making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

But Mabbot—who exerts a curious draw on the chef—is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur hidden on her ship, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. As Wedgwood begins to sense a method to Mabbot’s madness, he must rely on the bizarre crewmembers he once feared: Mr. Apples, the fearsome giant who loves to knit; Feng and Bai, martial arts masters sworn to defend their captain; and Joshua, the deaf cabin boy who becomes the son Wedgwood never had.

     Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a swashbuckling epicure’s adventure simmered over a surprisingly touching love story—with a dash of the strangest, most delightful cookbook never written. Eli Brown has crafted a uniquely entertaining novel full of adventure: the Scheherazade story turned on its head, at sea, with food.

I thought the story started slow and was a little weird, but finally it took off and I enjoyed it.  But I thought of you as I read the part about cook having to get his own yeast started - just like you did it.

Later,  Dad

Next to my husband, my Dad has been my greatest support as I have learned and experimented with Natural Yeast. He would call and ask how it was coming, if the yeast was rising, how the bread was turning out. He cheers me on when I'm successful and encourages me when I've failed. When I had my first successful loaf of bread last year I called him way past his bed time to tell him how wonderful it was and how delicious it tasted. I heard him groan and made note of his quiet comment that if he didn't live so far away he would have come right over to try some. A few weeks later I FedEx'd a fresh loaf to my Dad. It was so fun to call him and tell him there was a package on his front door.

Every adventurer has to have someone behind them cheering them on. I have family members and dear friends who are encouraging and supportive. Just this morning my sister reminded me that I still have so much to share and encouraged me to keep adding things to this blog. So with some fresh encouragement behind me I will continue to post my adventures and discoveries.

Natural Yeast Sourdough Baguettes

I've been experimenting with different ways to make a super soft baguette that has a crispy crust and big holes inside using natural yeast. I thought the trick was in using instant yeast because it rose quickly but I have since learned that the trick is actually in how you knead the dough. As nice as it is to use a mixer, the trick here is to knead it by hand! Here is a simple recipe and a great tutorial on kneading by Chef Tess.

The Recipe:

6 C unbleached unbromated flour, or artisan flour
1 T salt
1 T sugar, optional (Chef Tess uses the sugar to help the instant yeast. I used it just as an experiment. All I can say is the bread turned out great. But it might be just as good without the sugar.)
2 - 2 1/4 C water

Combine the water and your natural yeast (2-3 C depending on how much is in your jar. I always just use the whole jar, leaving only about 1/4 C to feed and grow). I used a danish dough whisk to mix my ingredients.

Next add the sugar and salt and then 6 Cups sifted flour.

Mix as well as you can with the whisk. Then dump it all onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for just a few minutes, only until the ingredients are well combined. Leave it on the counter to autolyze for 10 min. This is where the video comes in handy. Watch Chef Tess here. You will notice that Chef Tess mixes her ingredients in a different order than I recommend. That is because we are using natural yeast. I appreciate her recipe but I was mostly interested in her demonstration of the autolyze method and how she kneads her dough.

After the dough has sat for 10 minutes knead it by hand for another 8 minutes. Then put it in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it sit for at least 6 hours. The goal is for it to more than double in size.

I apologize but I didn't get a picture of the dough after it had risen because I was in a hurry. I rolled out my dough following Chef Tess's method, dividing it into thirds and forming baguette loaves then placed each loaf on a baguette pan that I purchased here. I covered my dough with lightly greased wax paper and let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Just before baking score the top of your loaves with a lame. I purchased mine from weekendbakery.com. They also have great tutorials on how to score your bread. (And they sell the extra large plastic bowl that you see pictured above).

Bake the loaves in an oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees. Don't decrease the temperature after putting the loaves in. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a loaf reads 180 degrees.

The result was a beautiful baguette that was crispy on the outside but divinely soft and light on the inside. I wasn't too thrilled with the baguette pan though because the loaves rose into each other. I think next time I will try a cookie sheet like Chef Tess uses. I will keep experimenting but in the meantime please feel free to share any hints or tips you might have for making a great baguette!

Easy Honey Whole Wheat Bread with Steel Cut Oats

I've been making this recipe for a few months now and really love it so I thought I would share. It's very similar to the Honey Whole Wheat recipe except I've omitted the eggs and added steel cut oats. I've also added a new step, autolysis, which I'll explain in a moment.

Here's the recipe:

3 C water
2 C or all of your natural yeast
2 t salt
2/3 C or less local honey
8 T or less coconut oil
1 C steel cut oats
about 9 C total flour (I use 2 C sifted unbleached unbromated flour and about 7 C freshly ground hard white wheat)

In my bosch I combine the water and yeast. Then I add about 5 C of the flour. I cover and mix it on the second speed setting for just a few min then leave it covered and let it sit for about 30 min. This is the autolyse stage.

Here are a few good explanations I found online for Autolyse.

1. Web Definition: In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes. It may also refer to the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme.

2. This comment was posted in response to a question about autolysis on seriouseats.com:

"It's more than just gluten development. Flour does not immediately absorb water and the waiting period is necessary to allow for full saturation. It's a lot like pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. At first the outside of the cereal may be wet, but it is still crunchy inside. It takes 15 to 20 minutes for the cereal to become soggy. Now imagine the individual grains of flour as tiny little balls. When you mix them with water they will be coated at first, but it takes time for them to soak through."

3. From a site called abreadaday.com I found another great explanation for the whole process:

"Let me explain what exactly “autolyse” means.  Etymologically speaking, it’s the French word for the biological term “autolysis”, which is from the Greek words meaning “self” and “splitting”.  Huh?  What’s that got to do with bread?

Well, autolysis refers to the destruction of a cell by its own enzymes, or “self-splitting”.  In baking, this means that enzymes in flour (amylase and protease, if you really want to know) begin to break down the starch and protein in the flour.  The starch gets converted to sugar, and the protein gets reformed as gluten.

Why would you want to do this?  When you knead the dough, aren’t you just trying to do the same thing – form gluten?  Well, yes, ultimately; but when you knead dough, you also oxidize it (expose it to oxygen).  Over-oxidized (or, over-kneaded) dough results in color and flavor loss in a finished bread, which means it’s pale and tasteless.  By giving the mixed flour and water time to go through autolysis on their own, you achieve the same result, but without any of the unpleasant effects of oxidation.  Additionally, an autolyse period gives the flour time to soak up all the moisture, resulting in more orderly gluten formation (um, long story short).

What this all means for your bread is that your dough will be easier to handle before it’s baked, and the end product will taste better, have better texture, look better, and have better keeping qualities.  What’s not to love?"

In most explanations for Autolyse the method is to combine the flour and water, let it rest for 20 - 30 min and then add the rest of your ingredients, including instant yeast. For this recipe, though, I added the natural yeast to my water like I always do and then added about 5 Cups of the flour. I mixed it as I mentioned and then let it sit covered in the bosch for 30 min. (I think I will try just mixing the flour and water sometime in the near future and then adding the yeast after autolyse. I'll let you know how that turns out.)

Then I added the rest of the ingredients and mixed it in my bosch for about 8 min. The dough should not be too dry and it's ok if it's a little more on the sticky side. I put it in a large greased bowl, covered it and let it sit for 12 hours.

The next morning I divided my dough into 3 32 ounce loaves (it helps to have a food scale to measure the dough in order to get even sized loaves) and put them into greased baking pans. I covered these and let them sit for 1 1/2 hours. In the meantime I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. After putting the loaves into the oven I turned the heat down to 350 degrees and baked them for about 30 min. I do have a convection oven and I always use that setting when baking my bread. I also put a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack in the oven as it's preheating.

The result was a light, airy loaf with incredible flavor and a slightly crunchy crust. It's heavenly.

Naturally Leavened Bread Makes a Difference

I really appreciated this article by Jacques de Langre. In a very scientific way he is explaining some of the things I have already learned about natural yeast. I am copying his article below in case we ever lose the link to the original.

Naturally Leavened Bread Makes a Difference

by Jacques de Langre

From the files of Jacques de Langre, founder of our company, we present a researched lecture regarding the difference between yeasted breads and naturally leavened breads. Although written in the 1980’s, this information is more than ever important for us to consider in our search for good health. Interestingly, more and more bakers across the U.S. are becoming interested in naturally leavened bread.

Natural Leaven or Commercial Baker’s Yeast?

There are two methods for leavening bread and they differ totally in the way they act on the flour, as well as on the taste and nutritional effect of the resulting bread and, in the end, on the health of the consumer. The aim of bread fermentation is to transform the various nutrients freed by the milling of the grain and to modify them for optimum assimilation during digestion.

A Definition of Natural Leaven

Wild yeast, or multi-micro flora are the natural air-borne ferments that are generated or seeded in a dough left exposed to a clean and cool atmosphere under specific conditions of moisture and temperature and the exclusion of larger specimen. Within that fertile medium, lactic bacteria of the various beneficial types are found: B. Pastorianum, B. Delbrucki, B.Ternoas well as saccharomyces such as S.Pastorianus, and S. Cervisiae. This type of microflora consumes little energy and multiplies quite slowly. Its growth duplicates the cycle of human breathing and that of wheat embryo germination. Wild yeast also naturally enriches the bread, due to an additional development of nutrients by the beneficial enzymes and ferments.

Baking by Principle

In baking as in all natural processes, the laws of life must be respected; it is vital for the fermented bread to retain the dynamic character that originally develops within the wheat berry as it evolves toward its germination. Just as the breathing cycle consists of an oxidation, followed by a reduction, the same cycle is reproduced in the five day cycle of the germination of wheat. Natural leavened bread (seeded with wild yeast or natural leaven) also duplicates this cycle: The rising of the dough corresponds to an oxidation (like wheat germ growth), followed by a reduction (during the baking of the loaf) identical to the development of the miniature sprout of wheat. We readily see that of the two methods available for leavening bread, only natural leaven faithfully follows God’s laws of the universe.

Beware of White Sourdough

There is also the question of sifting out the bran: Today, many loaves of sourdough ‘French’ bread are being offered but they are made with white flours that are almost totally demineralized. The pseudo mycelium (vegetative part of the thallus of the fungi, composed of several filaments) cannot feed on such debilitated flours and the bread tastes excessively sour which tells us that, besides lacking the essential nutrients, it is unfavorable to the digestive process.

Another problem sometimes occurs in natural baking: An excess of lactic bacteria may develop and give the bread a definite sourness. Although these bacteria are natural, they have proliferated in excess because the starter or sour dough sponge was not cared for daily. Excess proliferation is a result of a lack of aeration or scrupulous daily feeding (refreshing) or else is due to the storage of the starter in warm areas or areas contaminated with vinegar or other acetic acid products. Since lactic bacteria are anaerobic, they can only develop in the absence of air. When these have exceeded their limit, a “lactic bread” or “acetic bread” is obtained, excessively sour that becomes more sour with aging, with definitely harmful results.

How Baker’s Yeast Works

Commercial yeast is an isolate “mushroom-type” microorganism whose cells are high in moisture and consist of vacuolated protoplasm. Their reproduction cycle is extremely rapid and thus one gram of compressed yeast contains several trillions of yeast cells. In a dough seeded with 1% of commercial yeast, the number of these cells can double in 6 hours at 80 degree Fahrenheit. If the fermentation is allowed to continue, the proliferation will reach a concentration of 150,000,000 cells per cubic centimeter regardless of how little seeding was done at the start.

With commercial yeast, rising of the dough is lightning fast, coupled with a reduction (baker’s yeast is a strong reducer), followed by a strong oxidation during the baking and often accompanied by an alkalinization. This is increased even more when a portion or all of the bran is removed. We witness here a phenomenon totally opposed to the normal laws of life. The end result of this biological decay (staling of bread), is a deficient oxidative energy that changes into a glycolysed energy, as evidenced by monster, or anarchistic, cells that are an exact duplicate of human cancer cells, according to the research of Dr. Warbourg, M.D.

Candida and Anemia are Related to the Consumption of Yeasted Bread

Rickets and anemia can be caused by the consumption of yeasted whole wheat bread. These chronic calcium deficiencies are corrected and even totally eliminated when the whole wheat bread is naturally leavened. In the natural leavening process, the phytic acid and the phytates are hydrolysed by the phytases of the bran in an acid environment and transformed into phytin and soluble phosphatic acids of magnesium, calcium and iron which are totally assimilable and beneficial.

In the case of yeasted bread, with a pH varying from 5.9 to 6.5, the reduction by hydrolysis of the toxic phytic compounds is insufficient, no better than 50%, a level that causes yeasted bread to be detrimental, especially for anemic people.

A full hydrolysis is possible only when the pH remains between 4 and 5.6 maximum, which is the case for natural leaven bread. At the median pH of 4.8 in a dough kept at a temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit; there remain only 0.78% (less than 1%) of the phytic acid compounds, which is a totally safe amount.

Sweet Tasting Bread Made with Sourdough Starter

It is quite easy to obtain a sweet tasting bread with a natural leaven fermentation for a base. The slower proofing of the dough at temperatures between 62 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit, made from a leaven always stored at low temperatures of 47 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and regularly refreshed, will totally prevent the characteristic sour dough taste often associated with natural leavened bread.

Two Extra Benefits from the Natural Leaven Process

The limited growth of friendly lactic bacteria and the presence of other micro-organisms will add little to the acidity, yet will create a good swelling of the gluten as evidenced by small but regular air cells in the crumb. As it ages, natural leavened bread will retain its moisture and keep well without refrigeration, quite opposed from the yeasted bread that stales and dries out within hours after its baking. With natural leaven, no dried out bread need ever to be thrown out.

Bran Value

The high mineral and enzymatic value of bran is widely known and needs little elaboration. It is necessary however, to discuss the little known phytic acid and its detrimental effects on the body metabolism. Phytic acid is inherently present in whole rice and whole wheat and it can cause allergies and other severe illnesses. This toxic substance can only be neutralized and eliminated by the skillful fermentation of those cereal grains through highly principled baking. Thus, the natural baking method that drastically reduces phytic acid must be adopted universally if one is to obtain the most beneficial bread.

Digestibility

Bread and grain-based diets, especially at the beginning, give the illusion that they do not readily digest. Natural leaven bread, because of its inherent beneficial ferments, slowly recreates the population of friendly lactobacillus digestive bacteria in the absorption tract. The end result is a recovery of digestion and proper elimination by the effective action of friendly bacteria. Natural leaven bread provides more stable nutrition than that obtained mechanically by non-fermented (and thus non- pre-digested) bran and other raw or cooked roughage diets, since these only succeed in physically abrading and irritating the colon.

Feeding Your Natural Yeast

In a previous post I showed how to make yeast from raisin water. Raisin water yeast has a nice flavor and makes delicious bread but I've noticed that it only seems to last for two batches of bread and then it dies. However the sourdough starter has been very hardy and almost impossible to kill. For those of you, (like me) who might feel like you struggle to keep even the strongest house plant alive this might be a better option to use to make bread. I've met people who have sourdough starter that their pioneer ancestors brought across the plains. It's easy to feed and easy to keep and particularly patient if ever neglected (we all need a vacation now and then).

This post is a step by step for taking care of your sourdough yeast. I keep two kinds of natural yeast in my fridge. The first is a little more sour and I feed it unbleached unbromated white flour. The second is sweeter (less counter time) and I feed it freshly ground whole wheat flour. I feed both of them with the same system but have pictures of both below so you can see the difference between the two.

Here is my white flour starter—fresh out of the fridge. After the last feeding it was double in size but having been in the fridge for a few days it shrunk back down almost to where it was right after I fed it. This is normal and just a sign that you need to feed your yeast. But it can stay at this state for up to a week without being fed. If you notice liquid at the top or the starter has turned a dark color at the top, just scrape it off and throw it away. The liquid is alcohol, a byproduct of yeast. I haven't figured out what the dark stuff is but the starter underneath is perfectly safe to use.

This is my whole wheat starter out of the fridge.

A peek inside the white flour starter before I fed it.

Since the starter measured 1/2 cup I added 1/2 cup water. I always use bottled water from the store. I have tried using water from the tap but it totally killed my yeast and I have tried using filtered water from the fridge and again, no bubbles. Having no bubbles is the only time you can be sure your yeast is dead. Although, even then it can often be revived with a little patience and tlc. Back to the water dilemma, it seems water that has been softened through a water softener system is not good for the yeast and the same goes for distilled water. I just purchase a gallon of water for $1 at the local grocery store.

I have found it important to stir the water in thoroughly.

Next I added 1/2 Cup unbleached unbromated flour. It is helpful to feed your yeast with the type of flour you plan on using in your bread dough. I keep this white flour starter for making boules and pizza dough.

I stir in the white flour until I have a somewhat thick oatmeal like consistency. This often requires me to add a little bit more flour to get it right. It should be wet and sticky but not runny. It takes practice but you don't want it too wet or too dry. Think lumpy oatmeal.

I set the lid back on my jar lightly so it can still get air then leave it on the counter. I also mark the jar with a rubberband to show where the dough is at after I feed it.

Next I fed my whole wheat starter with freshly ground white winter wheat. I added 1/2 cup water and a little bit more than 1/2 cup flour. Note: I occasionally feed this starter with freshly ground rye flour. It seems to perk it up. I have yet to experiment with other flours but will let you know when I do.

 Here is the white flour starter after about 5-6 hours. It will double faster in the summer and slower in the winter depending on the temperature and humidity in your home. This is the optimal time to use your starter to make dough. If you won't be using it right away then put it in the fridge. If you are waiting several days before using it you will need to throw away about half of it and feed it several hours before you plan on making your dough.

Here is the whole wheat starter after several hours.

I decided to use the whole wheat starter to make dough so I didn't refrigerate it. Since I didn't get to it right away it began to shrink. As long as it doesn't shrink too much you can still use it to make bread dough.

I use almost everything in the jar to make my dough. I dump it into my bosch but don't scrape the sides. As I make the dough I let what's left in the jar settle toward the bottom. It measures about 1/4 cup.

So I added 1/4 cup water, stirred well, then added 1/4 cup or so flour.

I marked it, covered it with a lid and then left it on the counter to double. Then I put it back in the fridge.

Natural Yeast Sourdough Loaves

I've been experimenting with different recipes and forms for my dough lately. Here are two boules I made with a lame (bread scoring tool) that I ordered from weekendbakery.com. which happens to be located in the Netherlands. I ended up ordering some very large plastic bowls from them too because I needed larger bowls for my dough to rise in and couldn't find any on amazon or any other place here in the states. Anyway, check out their website. They have great tips and recipes.

I also made these boules with a sourdough starter that I left out on my counter a little extra long and mixed with white flour instead of whole wheat. These loaves have 4 cups white flour and 2 cups whole wheat, 2 1/2 cups water, some salt and a little coconut oil, along with the sourdough starter of course. It's a fast and simple recipe but they were light and fluffy and definitely sour. They were a big hit.

Some Things I've Learned About Wheat and Natural Yeast

This is a hard blog to post because I don't know how to convey everything I've learned about wheat and natural yeast in a simple blog post. There are books about these things. But there are some things that I've learned that I feel are important enough to try to share. I will try to post links to sites or give the name of books that provide more information.

First of all, in my journey to find the best flour to feed my little yeast sample I went to a kitchen store. They told me I needed to use unbleached, unbromated flour. I had no idea what that meant but I said ok and went home and did my research. If you check the first link you will learn that all flour is bleached through a chlorine gas bath that was held unfit for human consumption back in 1910 but the ban was never enforced. The chlorine combines with proteins in the flour to produce Alloxan which is a known carcinogen and has been known to induce diabetes in lab rats. It has not been proven safe for humans.

Here is a quote from the first article about bromated flour:

"Bromated flour has been treated with potassium bromate to improve dough elasticity, allow it to stand up to commercial baking practices, and produce a higher rising bread. Potassium bromate is a potential carcinogen that may be harmful when consumed and is outlawed in the U.K. It has been associated with thyroid dysfunction. Some states but not all require that potassium bromate be disclosed on food labels."

Next in my journey I learned about wheat. I learned that wheat berries (the grains) are full of nutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphate. But wheat has a self preservation mechanism called Phytic Acid. The role of phytic acid is to not release any of the nutrients in the wheat until an enzyme called Phytase is present. Phytase essentially convinces the wheat that it's been planted and it is free to release the nutrients it has been storing. When wheat is ground into flour some of the chains of phytic acid are broken and some nutrients are released. Here is an interesting quote from the book The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast,

"While the wheat flour moves through our digestive tract, phytic acid panics and runs around snatching up all nutrients that fit the description of the ones he was holding on to.... He does such a good job that he snatches up nutrients from other foods we've been eating. We never even realize we've been robbed." Or do we? How many of us are nutrient deprived and feel it in many different ways from sleep deprivation, to lack of energy, to chronic illness?

So how do we get phytic acid to release the nutrients in wheat? I'm going to quote the book again.

We use natural yeast  to "trick" phytase into thinking the seed has been planted and it's time for the nutrients to go to work. This is because natural yeast starters are acidic, low in PH, and moist - just like soil.

When we work our starter into a dough, phytase recognizes the change in environment and gives the all clear for nutrients to be released. On the average, this process takes at least six hours, as the starter reproduces and spreads throughout the dough, neutralizing the phytic acid as it goes.

... Once phytic acid has completed his assignment, he gets a new one. He runs around with his empty chains and snatches up cancer-causing free-radicals. So the good stuff gets to us, and the bad gets carried out.

In our effort to make our lives easier, faster, and more efficient we have robbed ourselves of the processes necessary to digest foods and absorb the vital nutrients therein. It's not completely our fault. Science and innovation have made mass producing breadmakers rich and huge corporations don't really care about what you eat and how it affects you.

But I believe God does.

Natural yeast is all around us. It is in the air we breathe and settles on the foods we eat. The white chalky stuff on grapes is Yeast! There are many websites that show how to make yeast from apples, potatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables. This is where everything clicked for me. Wheat is for man and I can eat it if I make it the way God intended it to be made.

I read another amazing book, Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. He uses a two day process to make his whole grain breads because he discovered that if he soaks his dough and his yeast overnight, the flavors are greatly enhanced. Although, he does these separately and combines them in the morning and adds instant yeast later to help with the rise. I think he was on to the right idea. It is important to let your dough set for several hours 6 to 12 in order for the yeast to work through and for phytase to unlock the nutrients. At least, this is how I've been doing it and I feel great. It is not convenient but it is still inexpensive and relatively simple (once you get the overall concept down).

One more thing about whole wheat. There are three parts to a wheat berry; the Endosperm, the Bran and the Germ. Modern day milling discards the bran and the germ leaving us with a white flour that is mostly starch (sugar) and protein. Wheat bran has some essential nutrients like soluble and insoluble fiber which help to lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar, help slow digestion for better nutrient absorption, control the PH balance of the intestines, move food through the intestines, regulate bowel movements and pull toxins from the body. The wheat germ contains vitamin E, phytic acid, and folate (folic acid). Although small, it is packed with the nutrients the wheat berry needs to start new life. Don't forget that phytic acid isn't the enemy. We need it to help remove those free-radicals.

Whole wheat flour is essential to a healthy diet. But don't give in to the temptation to buy whole grain bread at the store. Just because it says it is whole grain doesn't guarantee it is made with 100% whole wheat. Most people would have belly aches trying to digest whole wheat bread without natural yeast and the overnight Soak (letting the dough rise).

I prefer to grind my own wheat. It allows me to store large amounts of wheat at a low cost (a 50lb bag is only $17) and to grind other grains to use in my flours. But mostly it is because within 24 hours of being milled whole wheat flour loses as much as 45 percent of its nutrients to oxidation. And in only three days, 90 percent of the nutrients are lost.

There are many kinds of wheats and grains. Here is a brief explanation of a few. Peter Reinhart's book has a great explanation of all the grains. But this is what I needed to know to get started.

Hard winter red wheat: most of the wheat in the US comes from this. It is high in protein and used mostly in all purpose flour and bread flour. It has a robust, almost bitter flavor that some people love.

Hard spring red wheat: has the same flavor profile but is one of the hardest wheats and thus has the highest amount of protein.

Hard white winter wheat: sweeter and lighter in color with a protein profile similar to hard winter red wheat. It is increasing in popularity due to it's gentler flavor. (I use hard spring white wheat).

Soft winter red wheat: lower in protein making it better for pastries

Soft spring white wheat: also lower in protein but has a slightly sweeter flavor. Also good for making pastries.

Some of the other grains available for making bread are: Durum Wheat, Einkorn, Emmer, Kamut, Spelt, Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat (which is actually a plant related to rhubarb and not a wheat), Cassava, Corn, Millet, Oats, Potato Starch, Quinoa, Rice, Rye, Sorghum, Teff, Triticale, and Wild Rice. Who knew?

This experience has been a real adventure to me. I have learned so much and know there is still so much more I want to learn. I will try to keep sharing.

Natural Yeast, Honey Whole Wheat Bread

You may not understand all the science behind natural yeast. You just know that it's good for you and you want to make bread. Here's a step by step to making delicious, light, beautiful bread with natural yeast.

According to my previous post, you've come to this point with your Raisin water starter and you're ready to bake with it. If not, see my previous post on how to make Raisin water yeast.

The first thing to do now is prepare your wheat. You can buy whole wheat at the store but I recommend grinding your own wheat with a wheat grinder. Whole wheat flour loses 45% of its nutrients to oxidation within 24 hours and in only 3 days it loses up to 90 percent of its nutrients. I grind my wheat and bake with it immediately.

I prefer Hard White Wheat as opposed to Hard Red Wheat. They are both cultivated wheats and equal in protein and nutrients. Hard Red Wheat has a more robust flavor that I found to be a little too strong for my tastes. Hard White Wheat depending on whether it is spring wheat or winter wheat is lighter in color and more closely resembles the white bread we're used to eating (in case you have picky eaters that balk at the idea of eating whole wheat bread).

One cup of hard wheat makes a cup and a half of flour.

The Wonder Mill works great but you need to remember to turn it on before putting the grain in and let it run for a few seconds after the grain has all gone through.

Tap the sides of your flour container to help the flour settle before taking the lid off.

Here is the recipe we will be using:

2 C room temperature bottled water
All of your starter
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 C honey (I prefer local if you can find it)
2/3 C coconut oil
3 eggs (I'm thinking you could do without this but I haven't tried it yet to see what affect it will have)
7 C flour at first, then 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups more as needed

If you have a Kitchen Aid or a Bosch it will make your experience much easier.

First I blend the water and starter with the whisk or paddle blade of my Kitchen Aid. I actually think the paddle blade is better.

I use all of my yeast. It can range from 2 cups to 3 cups. I pour it into the bowl and leave whatever is left in the jar to settle at the bottom. It will measure about a 1/4 cup so then I will feed it 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup flour and voila your starter is ready to grow again.

Add the honey,

And the coconut oil.

If your oil is firm melt it for a few seconds in the microwave, otherwise you will have large chunks in your dough.

Add the eggs.

I've seen many recipes that don't call for eggs. I may start leaving them out and see what affect that has. I will post about it when I do.

I mix all of this for just a minute or two so it is well blended.

Then I remove my whisk blade and replace it with my dough blade. I mix 7 cups of flour on my lowest speed just to incorporate all of the ingredients. If the dough is still really wet I add another cup or so. Here is the trick, depending on how much yeast you used you need to adjust for how much flour you need to add later. If you used 3 cups of yeast it already has quite a bit of flour in it so you may not need to add as much. If you only had 1 1/2 cups yeast or 2 cups you will want to use a total of 8 to 8 1/2 cups of flour.

The goal is to have the dough be really sticky once the ingredients have all been incorporated. Then run your mixer on the next speed up (number 2 on the Kitchen Aid) for a full 10 minutes. You want the dough to stick to the sides of the bowl for the first few minutes. As the yeast activates with the gluten in the wheat it will begin to bind and stretch, tightening your dough.

I took this picture a little late in the mixing process. It will be more sticky than this for the first few minutes.

While your dough is mixing grease a large bowl. I have a lid for this bowl that I also grease and will seal halfway on top of my bowl after I put the bread in.

At the end of 10 minutes your dough will clean the sides of the bowl and stick together as a tight ball. If you've added too much flour this will happen within the first few minutes of kneading. That will make for a dryer loaf. If you haven't added enough flour your dough will still stick to the sides of the bowl and may turn out crumbly after baking. Try not to stress out. This just takes practice. If you can watch someone do this once it may help a great deal. I would be happy to show you. (But note, I am by no means an expert).

Here is another important note. Natural Yeast needs moisture to keep it active. As you handle your dough dip your fingers in a bowl of bottled or distilled water. You do not need extra flour to handle your dough. It's a brave new concept but it works.

Dip your fingers in some water and scoop your dough out of the mixing bowl into your greased bowl.

Cover it with a wet towel, saran wrap, or a lid half way sealed, and let sit for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. This one sat for about 8 and a half hours.

On a wet surface divide your dough into 2 or 3 loaves. It is a very wet dough. There isn't much playing around you can do with it (I will work on recipes for artisan breads later). You can shape it a little in your wet hands so you have a smooth side and then drop it into a greased loaf pan.

Cover it with greased wax paper and let it sit for another 2-2 1/2 hours. My dough was really small in these pans. It doubled in size in that time. Although it looks small here it still rose in the oven when I baked it. I could have just used 2 loaf pans but I don't care for giant sized loaves.

Bake your loaves in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Bake them for 25-30 min. Once the bread has pulled away from the sides of the pan it's done.

I remove my bread from the pans right away and set them on a cooling rack. You need to let the loaves cool completely before cutting into them. They will continue to cook until they are completely cool. If you cut into them too early the centers will still be doughy.

This is how the bread looked when we cut into it the next morning. The raisin water yeast gives it such a wonderful flavor.

Another suggestion is to make your dough at night and let it rise while you're sleeping and then divide it in the morning and bake it after it's risen for 2 hours. I started this one in the morning because I was so excited my yeast had risen I didn't want to wait until that night to start using it. I'm not the most patient person.