The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Local Raw Honey Wild Yeast Bread

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Local Raw Honey Wild Yeast Bread

Hi Everyone..

Life's been complicated the past many months as I've been caring for my mom as she's approaching the end of her life. She's approaching the final runway and talking to the control tower waiting for the all clear. It's been a long journey and most of the joy in life has been zapped out of me for now while we go through this.. so I've not been making much bread and don't recall that last loaf I made at some point in the spring. Reading everyone's bread forum entries has been a good distraction this summer - you're all to be applauded for your enthusiasm and dedication to the craft of bread baking.  I'm posting tonight because I've just pulled one out of the oven a few minutes ago and wanted to share the story behind it..

Long before my mom's health turned for the worse early in the year I committed to becoming a beekeeper to offset the routine of life as a corporate suit with a part time bread passion.. I signed up for a local apprenticeship program and not being one to take it slow decided I may as well get my own hives right out of the gate.. (not exactly the best way to go about this as a novice - but it's been very rewarding and honey bees are good teachers!).

First up.. my two hives after being installed.. they sit on a roof top over-looking a cricket pitch..

The colorful painting of the honey supers (the upper boxes on each hive) was done by my daughter.. This picture was taken just after the hives were installed.

A few months later (about two weeks ago) I pulled a few honey frames out to extract some honey.  Admittedly a bit premature (not all cells were caped in the frames) given it was their first year, but I really wanted to taste early summer honey (lighter colored and more delicate tasting than fall honey). So I only pulled out three frames..

I spun them out at a friends place and they yielded some great tasting honey! Did you know that in it's lifetime, the average honey bee can only produce about a teaspoon of honey?

But here's the thing.. the honey that was spun out gets poured into a food grade white pail from which I filled up my jars. And as I was trying to pour out the last bit of honey int he pail, there still was a thin coating of honey on it that the spatula left behind.  I didn't want to just wash it out - thinking about how hard those bees worked to make this honey. So I spontaneously decided to add a few cups of water to the pale to rinse out and collect that honey which I then poured into a clean mason jar. I put the cap on it and left it by the kitchen window to see if I could get some wild yeast to develop. I've never made raisin water and figured this would be sort-of the same idea. About five days later I had some great smelling hooch!  The honey started fermenting (this is how they make honey wine), some bubbles started forming and it gave off the sweetest smell of peach blended with alcohol. In the picture below I swirled the water a few times so you could see the yeasty bits float around.

At this point I took about 100g of this water and mixed it with 100g of whole wheat flour and left it over night. It definitely started to develop as I had some rise the next morning. I then refreshed this starter and gave it another 50g each of more water and flour and had a triple before noon. And with that I had a peachy, honey, alcohol smelling starter on my hands.. (sorry no pics of it).. I then followed this recipe https://www.sourdoughandolives.com/recipe/how-to-make-and-bake-with-raisin-yeast/ I found online to make a levain (without the use of raisins of course) and made some bread dough.. I mixed the levain Saturday and made the final bread dough yesterday. Life got in the way again and I had to leave the dough in the fridge overnight for an extended bulk and only earlier tonight did I have a chance to shape it and let it proof at room temp. I didn't get a full double of the dough in the proof basket (maybe about 50%).. so it's a bit over proofed.. but here was the final bread just before I pulled it from the oven..

I don't suspect the crumb will be much to look at, but I'm looking forward to giving it a taste to see if any honey flavor was passed along in the process.. This was a good experiment and proved to me that there's never an excuse for not making bread when you can harvest wild yeast so easily!

Bake happy.. bread1965!

 

 

Comments

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

on how this loaf became to be. It looks wonderful and I hope that you have a happy surprise when you cut into it to check out the crumb. 

I also want to say that I am sorry about your mom. This is such a difficult time for you and your family. I am thinking of you. *hugs*

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thank you Danni. I very much enjoyed the experiment. Big hug back - frank

pul's picture
pul

That is nice way to use natural yeasts. Do you think this yeast is in the honey itself or pollen that bees collect in the neighborhood? Amazing creatures and your daughter has done some nice art work on the hives.

My thoughts go to your family, and keep baking please!

peter

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Peter

Thank you. It’s only honey that was extracted, so the yeast must be in the honey.  Noy sure I understand the science of it. One more thing to read up on. ..frank

Abe's picture
Abe (not verified)

Alcohol made from honey is meade, no? Or at least what you've made is something akin to meade. Interestingly enough it's perhaps the oldest alcoholic drink.

Whatever it is you've made a lovely bread out of it.

Wishing you and your family well through this difficult time.

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Yes, it’s mead - sort of. True mead uses much more honey. I’m going to filter out the yeast bits floating about the jar tonight and take a swig. It ahould be interesting!  I think this will be more akin to kambucha!  

Thank you - frank

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

What a wonderful testament to what the bees have to teach us. I have walked the path you are walking and the baking was definitely a release and teacher as well during the difficult times. Will send Metta to you and your Mother each day as we sit. c 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

and is diastatic too.  When I replenish my YW's with new fruit, I always put a teaspoon of honey in it for food.  YW loves the stuff.  Nice hobby to go with bread making!  Talk about real wee beasties! The bread looks pretty good for a first YW loaf too.

All the best for you and yours.  

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Dab... you are a wealth of knowledge!  Diastatic too?  I’ll read up on that. Thank you - frank

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

yesterday:-)  With all the knowledge here, you can know just about everything about bread after 6 years!  It helps to have a good memory and the time to read all the posts and comments ----and lots of red wine, bread and cheese! 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thank’s Danni. Much appreciated. I enjoyed the experiment. Big hug back - frank

PalwithnoovenP's picture
PalwithnoovenP

Thanks for sharing. The bread and the boxes painted by your daughter are beautiful. Your description of peachy smell in the starter makes me want to try it myself.

My heart goes out to you and your family. 

hreik's picture
hreik

Hat tip for the mom-care..... It's a hard job, what you are doing.  I know, I did it for 8 years. 

Well done, in every way.

hester

bread1965's picture
bread1965

I’ll see your eight years and raise you a few decades. I think my first specialiat appointment with her was at the age of around 8 or 10 to act as a backup translator!  But the last years have been much more intense. It is what it is..  Thank you for your note. Bake happy.. 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

So sorry to hear about your Mom. It's not something anyone wants to go through.

Great experiment with the honey YW.  I usually add honey to my YW when building it up and refreshing, so no doubt it would work as well as it did.

All the best to you and your family.

Ian

bread1965's picture
bread1965

I’ll have to try making more YW breads. It’s a new and interesting aspect of bread baking I’ve never explored. Will have to try again with fruit one day. 

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I too looked after my Dad for a short time - will be thinking of you. 

The bread looks lovely and I love your write up and rationale behind your honey yeast water, can we call it that? interesting that it has peachy overtones.

Bake happy Frank

Leslie

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

to see if real honey and water (a rather heavy mix of honey) could make me a yeast starter ready to go into a dough to raise it.  I was pillaging through the fridge and found my honey yeast, dated May 2020.  Hmmm.  Opened the top and it fizzed like champagne!  Tasted like honey beer?  So I just hydrated 500g bread flour with 250g water and 70g honey effervescent water and about 10g salt.  And while it hydrates, enjoying a nice Austrian beer.  Maybe I should have made a sponge first.

Mini 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Knowing you Mini - you'll make it work! Let us know!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

the yeasts were too worn out from the long cold spell with no extra food.  I was surprised how thin the honey became after all those months.  

So After 30 hrs of waiting for at least one tiny little bubble, I spread out the dough sprinkled with 7 g instant yeast, sprayed with water and rubbed the yeast to a paste before kneading it in.  Sat down and fell asleep. Yup. 

Woke up with over fermented dough.  Got it spread out to shape but it wouldn't hold its shape.  I tightened the skin several times with the bench scraper but, na ya, whoops. >> Ok quick save mode. << Turned my smallest oven on high, greased a bread pan keeping it close and did another tightening with the bench scraper. The whoops de whoops into the pan before it could puddle.  Sticky stuff.  In 15 minutes with a little rise it was in the oven.  Good spring for the situation and I got bread.  A tad heavy but very moist and tasty.  No trace of honey flavours.  Happy dance.

Merry Christmas!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

A+ for creatively trying to salvage a bake!!! Will have to revisit honey water leavening at some point! Yet one more thing for the baking bucket list! Hope you had a fantastic Christmas! Best for the new year! And from my dough kitchen to yours, thank you for all of your contributions to this site! You're a wealth of experience and information!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

looking for past adventures (cleaning out the fridge) found that little bottle of May 2020 yeast water.  Clear as glass and popped the top off.  Ooooo so bubbly!  No way I'm doing anything with this until I taste it. That was yesterday and I'm still here. :)

Taste test. Wish I had made a few liters of it.  Excellent light honey champagne.  The yeast is resting still on the bottom. Forget meade, this is an A+ accompaniment for the fancy foods!  

Only 200 ml.  :(     Do I share it or hog it all to myself?  Better go take a picture first.