My kitchen windowsill is one of the busiest traffic patterns in my house. Just now it is hosting a jade tree rooting, a sourdough starter, two basil rootings, and three Colorado columbines started from seed.
My husband and I are intrigued by the invisible phenomena of wild yeast. We had not yet heard that there be “wild yeast” having only been introduced to the yeast found in little foil packets at the grocery store, so we set a trap to hunt the invisible guests floating though our airwaves.
Following information on Pinterest I mixed 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten with 1/4 cup distilled water. It was important to use filtered water as the chlorine in tap water kills the airborne yeast that we are trying to capture in the flour and water mixture. I didn’t have any cheesecloth, so I used a coffee filter secured with a rubber band on the jar mouth to keep marauding insects or dirt from harassing my wild yeast.
Sure enough, the next day saw our trap bubbling with yeasty bubbles. Of course, once captured I was responsible for feeding the little critters just like any other pet with a daily ration of ¼ flour and ¼ cup distilled water stirred into the existing concoction. I fed the mixture for seven days. The wild yeast needs food to digest every day to continue producing yeast.
My water distiller that I purchased years ago provided the filtered water needed. The aquifer that provides our town water is filled with minerals and then chlorinated by the city, so the distiller has been instrumental in providing water for drinking and hunting wild yeast.
Our counter top water distiller has saved us hundreds of dollars over the years. The average person drinks ½ gallon of water daily, so I figure that between my husband and myself we drink 365 gallons of water a year. If purchased, the water would cost about $325 a year. We’ve saved enough money distilling our own water to go on a safari to hunt wild yeast.
After 12-16 hours, scoop the sourdough mixture onto a well-floured counter and gently fold flour into dough until it does not stick to the floured surface. The outside of the dough should not be sticky although the middle dough may be somewhat sticky. This process may take up to 1 cup of flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack before slicing.
After seven days of feeding, I removed ¼ cup of the yeast mixture, placed it in a clean jar, and fed it with ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup distilled water to start a new batch of sourdough, I placed the new starter in a warm counter location, and turned my attention to making bread.
I used the 4 Ingredient Sourdough Bread recipe from the Practical Stewardship blog. The recipe calls for ¼ cup of starter, 2 cups flour (and more for kneading), 1 ½ cup distilled water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix these four ingredients together in a glass bowl, cover with plastic or a dishtowel, and place in a warm spot overnight. The sourdough mixture will look somewhat sponge-like after rising overnight.
The remaining sourdough starter may be used as it is in recipes for waffles, pancakes, muffins, or disposed of if unneeded.
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