Baking with wild yeast

[jana]

It has been quite a while since I last updated this blog but that doesn't mean I've given up on it. It's just that life and all tends to get in the way for me from time to time.

So, ready to try your hands at baking with wild yeast? You can get some real good results with wild yeast - the bread is very tasty and, more importantly, not too dry and crumbly on the inside. And the best part is that no kneading is required, all you need is time and patience.

Ingredients wild yeast

• ca 12 dried figs
• 2 Tbs Honey
• 1 1/4 Tbs Sugar
• 2 1/2 dl (250 ml) hand-warm water

From ingredients to wild yeast

Day 1: Dissolve honey and sugar in water, put figs in a big jar, then pour the sugar/honey/water mixture over the figs.

Put the jar on top of your fridge (or any other warm draft-free space). Let sit for 4-5 days. Make sure the lid isn't tightly closed, but partially cover the jar with the lid.

Day 2-4(5): Shake the mixture gently once or twice a day.

Day 4 (or 5): As you can see, the water mixture has developed lots of fine bubbles and foam. Now you can start preparing your starter dough!

You only need 2 Tbs wild yeast, so remove the figs and transfer the rest of the water to a small jar and keep it in the refrigerator. You can keep it there for at least 2-3 months.

Please don't throw the figs away, it would be such a waste. They're quite tasty in a simple sugar cake, or you could serve them with some ice cream, or...

Baking with wild yeast (or preparing your starter dough)

Step 1

• 2 Tbs wild yeast
• 1/2-1 Tbs hand-warm water
• 1/2 dl (50 ml) white, protein-rich flour

Step 2

• Dough mixture from above
• 1/4-1/2 dl (25-50 ml) Tbs hand-warm water
• 1/2 dl (50 ml) white, protein-rich flour

Step 1: Mix the wild yeast, water and flour until the dough is relatively smooth and elastic. How much water you need depends on the kind of flour you use (you can always add more water later on, so err on the side of caution).

Wrap in clingfilm and let sit in a warm draft-free space for at least 8-10 hours. I usually make the mixture right before bedtime.

Step 2: Add 1/2 dl (50 ml) white, protein-rich flour and 1/4-1/2 dl (25-50 ml) hand-warm water to the dough. Mix ingredients well until the dough is relatively smooth and elastic.

Let sit in a warm draft-free space for at least another 8-10 hours. After 8-10 hours, you can see how lots of small bubbles have developed (as in the picture above).

Now you can start baking. Recipe for breakfast buns/one loaf of bread coming up soon! EDIT: Recipe available here.