Posted: 2/10/2009 5:08:36 AM EDT
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I have been trying to find some information about yeast and have run into a roadblock. Typical dry yeast you buy at the store is good for several months depending on the storage conditions and how long the package has been open. So what do we do when we can't run up to the store for more yeast?
Seems like a pretty stupid question, since people have been growing and using yeast for thousands of years. Maybe I am just not looking in the right places. I know it is present all around us and is very common, but how do we get it into a usable form for making bread or beer? How is yeast grown for home use? There is a decent wiki article about how it physically reproduces, however there is no information about how I would do this. So, does anyone know how to make their own yeast? Also, is there any easy way to dry the yeast into something similar to store bought yeast for longer storage? What do you need to start production, how long does it take, and how do you maintain growth for long term production? Thanks! |
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Yeasts, as you've learned take many forms and are used in many food processes.
For the sake of discussion- home uses of yeast take two forms: cultured and rogue (wild). Cultured yeasts are developed (selectively bred) and maintained (stored) for specific uses. A good cheese making yeast can be reliably stored frozen in an airtight container for as long as 2 years. Depending on their form, good beer yeasts might last half that long under ideal conditions. Bread yeasts, as commonly sold are liquids, pastes or dried solids. Any of the yeasts mentioned above can be reliably cultured by you using mildly warm water and sugar. This is also a common practice for activating frozen yeasts. You should be able to culture a suitable yeast from a variety of "original" sources for an intended use. Common among the "beginner's" group in experimenting with practical yeast culturing is growing your own yogurt. Buy a yogurt starter yeast- infect milk with that strain, keep milk warm for a day or two–– cool (refrigerate) when the yogurt is "thickened" to your liking. Make the next batch of yogurt from a portion of the old batch and continue ad infinitum. Generally, you can NOT culture a starter yogurt from most store (especially flavoured) products (Dannon, Yoplait) because they are pasturized (heated to kill bacteria ie yeasts) after processing (growing)... Use that same process with wine, beer, bread (keeping a refrigerated dough portion from the batch in process (baking kills the yeast)), cheese, whiskey wort etc... Lots of books on the topic. Starter books might include: "Cheesemaking Made Easy" "The Joy of Brewing Cookbook" "Alcohol Distillers Manual for Gasahol and Spirits" For bread making start with a good "sourdough" starter and recipe, follow instructions generally included and see how many "generations" of bread you can make before "something" happens to kill your starter... And the thing to remember- no matter where you start–– cleanliness is everything for long term success. Good Luck. |
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Let me just say this: I had 4oz of yeast that I bought from my local supermarket 6 YEARS AGO! I didn't want to throw it away,but was kind of reluctant to use it in any of my beer recipes.
So my cousin gives me an idea to make some "Grape Ape". I just bought a couple of those frozen Welches grape juices and fermented them in one gal. Wouldn't you know it! The yeast was all lively and fermenting happily in there!! I bottled it and it will be ready to drink by this Saturday(I wanted it "sparkling") 
So remember this: Yeast is a very hardy microbe. Hell.I think they even revived some from when Christ was alive. So don't listen to those guys who say you only have a certain amount of time for it. Just use it and ENJOY!! |