The Fresh Loaf

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Jump starting yeast water.

MonkeyDaddy's picture
MonkeyDaddy

Jump starting yeast water.

Hi All, 

     I haven't posted for a while - hope everybody's doing well.

I've read through about 80% of RonRay's posts about yeast water and I was curious about one of the techniques he mentioned.  He said a very tiny quantity of sourdough culture (I think it was 1/4 teaspoon) could be added to the water and dissolved when the fruit is added to get the yeast culture going.

My question is, what happens to the LAB?  Does the fruit substrate not support them and they die off, or do they stick around and give the yeast water the same sour taste as the sourdough?

Has anybody tried jumpstarting their yeast water in this way?

  --Mike

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

It is so easy to start your yeast water with apples. Way easier even than with raisins which I found to be problematic. It only takes a nice warm ,85 degrees or so, area and 4-5 days and you will have a really lovely sweet smelling AYW. Then take some of it and add it to some of your culture and voila you have a wonderful levain to use to make bread. You can also use the AYW alone to raise your bread. You can make a levain with your yeast water alone with flour and also make one feeding your starter with AYW and make a double levain bread. The possibilities are so great. 

The one thing you absolutely do not need to do is " kickstart" your yeast water with your culture. Nope...forget the raisins and try apples. You will love it!  Have fun ! c

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Don/t ever put SD starter in your YW.

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

After reading of others' successful use of AYW, I set off to start my own and read whatever I could find online about doing it. I saw RonRay's suggestion, but the purist in me resisted the opportunity. The only fruit I had on hand were cherries, so clean jar, clear water and in they went, loosely capped. I watched, I shook, I sniffed, and the brew began to cloud and darken, the fruit variously tried to float and sank, and it developed a cider-ey aroma. And though I was convinced it had fermented, I wasn't sure whether this murky mix was yeasty or something not so nice. Ultimately, after about a week, I called off the experiment, vowing to find out more and try again.

And that is where I am today, still curious as to what it should look like and most of all, how wonderful it will be to use once I have some of my own. Trailrunner makes it sound easy, and the barrier to entry is low, I think it's time to have faith and try again. Wish me luck.

Cathy

 

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

YW Primer.  Use apples they are the best to start a batch.  The key is getting the temperature wasm 78 F.  Your cherry batch sounded about right amd ready to go!

Good Luck

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

One organic apple....wash off lightly. Chop in to 2" segments, leave on peel. Leave core. Place in sterile qt mason jar. Add water about 2/3 up.Cover .  Shake and place in a warm area...80's degree. Take out and shake and open top a few times a day, In about 4 days you should see lots of bubbles and it should smell like cider. Take about 50g and mix with 50 grams rye or unbleached flour. Place that mix. in a warm place...80's ( YW likes much warmer temps than your standard sourdough) If it rises appropriately in a few hours time then it is ready to raise bread .

There are many recipes and ways to utilize it. YW by itself  added to the formula in place of all or part of the water. Make a levain with YW and flour use in place of your usual SD levain. Some of your levain mixed with some of your YW to make a levain. Do both types of levains and have a mixed levain bread. Can't make a mistake unless you contaminate your primary  YW with your primary  SD starter or vs/vs. Never do that. Enjoy ! c

I forgot when and if you want to convert it to another fruit just begin feeding it the new fruit instead of apples at your weekly feeding. Simple and will always work. Just like converting your SD to another flour...a few feedings and you are good to go...cherries or whatever. 

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

Gentlemen, thank you for your guidance and support, and thank you, Mike for allowing me to barge in. I hope you'll try it, too, and let's each post a sample of our success!

Cathy