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How to bake with little yeast - and even without it

2020-04-07T03:27:58.758Z


Yeast became a scarce commodity in the corona crisis. But that's why nobody has to do without baking at home - you can also make yeast yourself.


Yeast became a scarce commodity in the corona crisis. But that's why nobody has to do without baking at home - you can also make yeast yourself.

Bonn / Weinheim (dpa / tmn) - No toilet paper, no kitchen rolls: During these Corona crisis days, some shelves in the supermarkets are swept empty. This also applies to the racks on which packets of yeast are stored - regularly in abundance, currently: often sold out quickly.

That gets traders on the scene. On online marketplaces, they offer yeast at exorbitant prices: seven grams for ten euros, plus shipping costs. Consumer advocates advise you to stay away from such offers. Because of the lack of yeast, nobody has to do without cake, bread and pizza baking. Because there are alternatives.

Yeast lets the dough rise and makes it fluffy. The baking ingredient consists of yeast. They sprout, they split and multiply. In addition to fresh yeast, there is also dry yeast. "The main difference between the two is the water content," says Maximiliane Overhage from the German Association of the Yeast Industry in Bonn.

Dry yeast has a longer shelf life

While fresh yeast has a water content of around 70 percent, this water is extracted from the dry yeast. Dry yeast is therefore more durable. But because it is also currently sold out quickly, fresh yeast has to be produced - and you can make it yourself.

Wild yeasts are found everywhere in nature. "They can be harvested from raisins, for example," says Bernd Kütscher, head of the Academy of the German Bakery in Weinheim. His tip: to cultivate wild yeast, put 200 grams of warm water with 45 grams of raisins and 20 grams of sugar in a clean glass bottle, keep it warm at 24 to 26 degrees and shake it twice a day.

"The bottle should never be closed with a lid, but with an inflated balloon, otherwise there is a risk of explosion," warns Kütscher. The natural process of propagation usually takes three to four days, according to him.

Waiting for the normal smell of yeast

As soon as many gases have formed, sieve the fruits and add another 200 grams of warm water and 20 grams of sugar. "This is also allowed to ferment intensively, it takes another one to three days," explains Kütscher. As soon as the water has a normal yeast smell, it can be sieved and mixed with flour to make a pre-dough, which you will later add to the actual dough. "If there is no normal yeast smell, there have been incorrect fermentations and unfortunately you have to start again."

Can you freeze a rest of yeast? "It is possible with fresh yeast," says Overhage. However, after some time you have to reckon with a loss in quality, because frozen yeast loses its driving force.

If you still have yeast at home, you can easily increase its motive power. "You can do this by mixing the yeast with flour and water into a dough," explains Kütscher. Once the dough has doubled, increase it by adding flour and water. This can be continued.

Get whole sourdough from the baker to bake bread

This dough - it is called a yeast piece - can now be added to the dough in portions or refrigerated for later. "For baking bread, I recommend getting a little sourdough from the baker instead and multiplying it with flour and water," says Kütscher. According to him, sourdoughs contain natural yeasts. So sourdough can be an alternative to fresh yeast. For sweet pastries, yeast can be replaced by baking powder if necessary.

For all those who have yeast and don't want to do without it when baking, bread blogger and author Lutz Geißler has a tip: take little of it, i.e. reduce the amount of yeast when baking. "In return, the dough is left to stand longer, for example overnight," explains the author. According to him, ten grams of yeast are sufficient for one kilogram of flour, the dough should then rest for three to four hours. "Even with a pea-sized amount of yeast, the dough rises and becomes nice and loose, it may have to ripen 24 hours."

Wait until the dough smells fruity and sour

Which also speaks for the use of less yeast: "The time factor brings more aroma and digestibility," explains Kütscher. And without fresh yeast, you can use sourdough.

Geißler has a recipe for this: mix 50 grams of whole rye flour with 50 to 60 grams of warm water and let it rest at 28 to 30 degrees for 24 hours. Then add another 50 grams of flour and water and let it stand until the volume has approximately doubled. Now take 10 grams of the leaven and mix it with 50 grams of whole rye flour and water. Double again. Mix in a ratio of 10-50-50 and let it ripen until the dough smells fruity and sour.

You can put this sourdough in the fridge at five to seven degrees and use it as a so-called item for a recipe for baking bread within a week. You have to "refresh" the sourdough again after a week at the latest in a ratio of 10-50-50, let it ripen to just under twice the volume in the warm and then again: in the fridge! "So you have the basis for a variety of crispy, delicious breads," says Geißler.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2020-04-07

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