Welcome!

Welcome to the Wild Yeast sourdough starter home page. Here you will find all the information you need to fully take advantage of the potential of your Wild Yeast.

Begin with the links on properly caring for your starter. Then browse the mouthwatering recipes and pictures. Finally, if you're heading off on vacation--check out our tips for long term storage of your starter.

Properly cared for your Wild Yeast sourdough starter can provide you with a lifetime of baking yeast.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them!

Bon Appetit * Happy Eating * Guten Appetit

Long Term Storage

A Wild Yeast sourdough starter gives you a lifetime supply of yeast for baking. If you ever are not planning on using any of your Wild Yeast within the next week or so, or you just want to have a back up (in case you forget about your starter in the corner of your kitchen and it goes bad or some other catastrophe strikes) you may want to think about long term storage.

Short Long Term

If you think you will use your starter again within the next few months you can cover with plastic and set in the back corner of your fridge. Remove the starter once a week and feed to roughly double the starter. Store this way for up to two months.

Long Long Term

If you don't plan on using your starter again for a number of months you can freeze your starter up to six months. If you want to store longer than this, pull it out refresh it by feeding it a few days, and then refreeze.

Alternately you can dry the starter (like the Wild Yeast sourdough starter spoons are). You can then reconstitute later with warm water. It may last a very long time this way, however, it could be susceptible to going bad depending on how dry it its stored. I would not suggest this method of storage for longer than 6 months.

Wild Yeast Tips

Starter Tips:

• Keep starter in a glass or plastic container. Use only wooden and plastic utensils while working with it.
  
• Keep starter container covered with plastic wrap or a double layer of cheesecloth to keep out bugs and debris.
• If you aren't covering with plastic the top layer of the starter may get gummy or hard, just peel off that top layer and discard, it does not adversely affect the starter.
• If your starter is growing too fast for you to use, throw out (or give away to friends, or store long term) all but 1/2 cup of the starter, and cultivate from that point.
• When you are getting ready to use your starter for baking, make sure you have enough for your recipe and to have a 1/2 cup leftover to continue feeding.
  

Baking Tips:

• Try using Wild Yeast starter in your favorite recipes. Substitute each tablespoon of active dry yeast with one cup of Wild Yeast starter. Compensate for the flour and water in the starter by using less liquid and flour than is called for in your recipe.
• The best time to use the starter is within 6 hours of feeding the starter.
  
• If you like a more sour taste: For the one feeding before you are going to use the starter use only half of the amount of water and flour that would double the starter.
• If you like a less sour taste: For the one feeding before you bake use one and a half times the amount of flour that would double the starter.
  

Starter Maintenance

Carefree Care and Meticulous Method-
-Also see Wild Yeast Tips



Carefree Care:

Care for your starter based on a simple schedule. Feed your starter once a day. Begin with your 1/2 cup of reconstituted starter.

• For two days feed your starter 1/2 cup flour, and enough water to bring the starter to the consistency of thick pancake batter.
  
• For the next two days feed your starter 1 cup flour and enough water to make it the consistency of thick pancake batter.
  
• For the next two days feed your starter 1 1/2 cups flour and enough water to make it the consistency of pancake batter.

This is almost a week's worth of care--this is the longest I would suggest cultivating your starter without using it. (The starter can very quickly grow to proportions threatening to take over your entire kitchen, so if you don't have plans to use your starter in the next week, consider long-term storage plans.)

Before the end of one week you may have used some of your starter for baking. If that is the case, go back to feeding 1 cup of flour a day, or 1/2 a cup depending on how much starter is remaining. The goal is to roughly double the starter everyday.

A healthy Wild Yeast starter is very forgiving so using this system of feedings should produce fine results even though technically one day you may be more than doubling the starter and the next day not quite doubling it. If you want a more precise method, continue reading to the Meticulous Method.

Meticulous Method:

The meticulous method is in some ways more work than the Carefree Care, but in other ways it is simpler--you don't have to worry about a schedule. You should feed your starter every day, and double it with every feeding this will keep it healthy and not too sour.

Begin by weighing the container you will store your starter in. Then every day weigh your starter and feed it enough to double it's weight. The feeding should be half water and half flour based on weight. If I weigh my starter (subtract the weight of the container) and it weighs one pound--16 ounces--then I will feed my starter 8oz water (1 cup) and 8 oz of flour (by weight this is about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 cups).

Sourdough Corn Bread

1 C. starter
1 1/2 C. evaporated milk
1 1/2 C. cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/4 C. melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix starter, milk, cornmeal, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in butter, salt, and baking soda. Pour into 10" cast-iron skillet. Bake at 450*F for 30 min.

Serve warm with creamed honey butter.

Classic Sourdough Bread

2 1/8 cups Water
1 TBSP Salt
5/8 cup Wild Yeast starter (5oz line in a liquid measure cup)
5-6 cups Bread Flour
1 cup + 1 TBSP Whole Wheat Flour

Pour water salt and starter in a bowl and mix together. Add 3 cups bread flour and 1 cup + 1 Tbl whole wheat flour and mix to incorporate. As needed, add more bread flour up to 6 cups total.

Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes until the dough is springy and tight. Let the dough “rest” for 5 minutes and knead another 5 minutes.
Once the dough is kneaded, divide it into two pieces and lightly round them. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has rested, form it into round loafs. Flour the loaves, put them on a baking sheet and cover them. Allow to rise until at least doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 375F

Put the loaves in the oven. After about 15 minutes, rotate the bread so it bakes evenly. Bake another 15 minutes, check to see if the bread is done. You can tap the bottom of the loaf to hear a hollow sound, or use an instant-read thermometer to check that the bread is above 190F.

Makes 2 loaves

Sourdough English Muffins

The Night Before:
1 C starter
2 tablespoons honey
2 C reconstituted powdered skimmed milk (or whole milk)
4 C unbleached white flour

Mix starter, honey and milk in mixing bowl until smooth. Add 4 C flour, 2 C at a time, and mix in. Cover with clean towel and leave at room temperature.

The Morning of:
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1-2 C unbleached white flour
2 tsp sea salt
cornmeal for sprinkling.

Stir down mixture. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons sea salt over the surface of the dough and work in.

Flour your counter with ½ C of flour. Transfer dough to counter on top of flour pour ½ c flour on top of dough and work flour in. Add up to 1 cup more flour until the dough longer sticks to your hands is stiff enough to roll out. Knead for 5 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper, sprinkle corn meal over both.

Flour counter again and lightly roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Take a 3 inch round cutter and cut as many rounds as you can-rolling out the left over dough and cutting more until the dough is all used.

As you cut each round, place it on the cornmealed wax paper. Don't allow muffins to touch or they will stick. When all rounds are cut, sprinkle corn meal over the tops of the muffins.

Allow to rise in warm place, covered, for about one hour.
Preheat a griddle 300*F or flat pan over medium. Cook one side for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and flip. Cook on other side for about 5 minutes or until done.

Split with a fork and top with a fried egg and cheese or marmalade.

Makes 24 Muffins (Freeze leftovers!)



Recipe adapted from: Bake Your Own Bread & Be Healthier/Stan & Floss Dworkin

Sourdough Oatmeal Muffins

1 egg
1/2 C. oil
1 1/2 C. starter
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. flour
1 tsp salt
1 C. oats

Oil a muffin pan and preheat oven to 375*F.

In a small bowl mix together the egg, oil, and starter; set aside. In a large bowl mix together the brown sugar, flour, salt, and oats. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the wet ingredients in the well and stir just enough to moisten the dry mix. The batter will be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sourdough Waffles

2 cups Wild Yeast sourdough starter

2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ c. vegetable oil

Turn on your waffle iron, then stir down your starter. Measure two cups of starter into a glass or plastic bowl. Add eggs, sugar, salt, and oil. Mix until completely smooth. When the waffle iron is ready, fill according to waffle iron directions. Use up all the batter, and freeze any extra waffles.

Top with your favorite syrup, jam or jelly. Makes a great dessert too. Try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

Serves 4-6

Overnight Sourdough Bread

This bread is a longer process than the other recipe, however the overnight rise helps to develop additional flavor in the bread.

1 cup starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups Flour (21 1/4 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon to 5/8 teaspoon sour salt(citric acid), optional, for extra-sour bread

Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.

Add the remaining ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it's relaxed, smoothed out, and risen a bit. Gently divide the dough in half. Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Recipe from King Arthur.

Sourdough Banana Bread

1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 C. ripe soft bananas, mashed
1 C Wild Yeast sourdough starter
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
(optional 3/4 C walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add egg and mix until well blended. Stir in the bananas, starter and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Create a "well" in the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in. Stir just until combined.

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake one hour, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean

Sourdough Doughnuts

¼ cup Milk
1 cup Sourdough starter
2 Eggs, beaten
¼ cup Oil
⅔ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Baking soda
3½ cup Flour
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix sourdough starter with soda in large bowl. Add milk, sugar, eggs, oil, flour, vanilla, baking powder and spices. Mix well, shape into ball, cover for one hour. Roll out onto a well floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut doughnuts with biscuit cutter. Let sit one hour. Fry in 350-375* oil until golden brown. Turn once when you can see the color coming up the middle of the doughnut. (See bottom doughnut in picture.)


Drain on a cooling rack over a paper towel. Roll in cinnamon-sugar. These are best eaten the same day you make them.