I must have gotten lucky because I bought two packages the other day and they had a ton of it at ALDI.

I have a couple of sourdough starters, so don't need to extend my commercial yeast, but I do like commercial yeast. I love just deciding to bake and being done in a few hours, rather than taking a couple of days. :) But there's no need to run out of yeast if you have some.

Yeah, I have two pounds in the refrigerator, the problem here is flour. So, it's back to baking with home ground wheat, which I lost patience with in the past but I'd better get back to it.

I can't seem to keep a sourdough starter, I kill 'em as fast as I can mix them up. Good think I don't like the "tang" of sourdough anyway!

Annie

I managed to kill 'Beasley' .... a starter I got from a friend. Time to create a new one ... used it for a pizza dough that I really liked ... but she didn't [until I put some sauerkraut on the zoid]

Wild yeast breads don't have to be sour. If you keep your starter happy and fed it'll be sweet. In addition, if you feed up a large amount of starter and go for a shorter fermentation, it won't be sour.

The way I kept my first starter alive was by treating it as a pet. In the fridge, it gets benign neglect, which I think makes it stronger, but it needs a lot of feeding when it comes out, unlike when I was baking with it at least weekly.

Other choices for yeast-less bread are Irish Soda Bread (or bread made with baking powder instead of soda), Self-Rising Flour Bread like Damper Bread, and Flour or Corn Tortillas. There's always Southern Cornbread, Indian Parathas, Pita, GF Cloud Bread, or Quick Breads using additions such as Bara Brith and Banana Bread.

I've seen some posts about using potato and water in place of yeast. I haven't heard of it before, nor tried it.

Yeast is a shortage here, no one has it.

This thread just reminded me of a book on sourdough that jerzeegirl recommended. I never finished it; that’s something I can do to kill time.

Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson. Easy, enjoyable read. Free on Kindle for Prime members:

http://a.co/aTjFKmw

plllog, it always seemed to me that you should be able to grow your own regular bread yeast. But I have not found easy to understand info. How would you do it?

Also, can one "stretch" their yeast by using purchased yeast to quickly grow more on baking day? Or use less in a recipe and have a longer rising time? I've only followed recipes and not experimented with yeast breads. They are about the only recipes I follow closely :)

This is where it gets a bit complicated. Yes, with provisos, you can skimp yeast and your bread will still rise. The question is your tolerance for experimentation. Any simple bread recipe--flour, water, yeast, salt, flavoring---can be adapted. If you're staying home, presumably you have time. That's the big difference. Most common American bread recipes are geared toward an hour rise, shape less than an hour rise. Use have as much yeast and you have to let it rise in its own time. Look for doubled.

Bread machine recipes need fresh instant yeast. A good number of our group use a bread machine to mix and knead the bread, but make and bake they're own loaves. That shouldn't depend on instant yeast.

I have a 2 quart covered measuring jug for rising single loaf bread in, because the dishwasher saves wash water. I use a bit of masking tape on the outside to see the rise on long rising bread. You can mark any mixing bowl, however, or take a picture with your phone. With a long rise, sometimes memory isn't adequate.

One thing which will help with shorting the yeast is if you make a preferment. Put the yeast and some of the flour and water in a small bowl--maybe a quarter of the flour and enough of the water to make a pliable ball.. I would dissolve the yeast granules in the water before adding the flour. This gives the yeast a chance to replicate and grow. It depends on how lively your yeast is and how much it likes your flour, to say how long to let it ferment. it could take an hour or eight. Look for it to be well risen. Add it to the rest of your recipe, and use the doubling standard (for white flour, whole wheat is more like 1.5x than 2x) rather than time.

Make a starter the same way. Equal parts flour and water, and the yeast. Keep it in the fridge. You can adjust the amounts to what's comfortable for you, but remember how much flour and how much water you have, exactly. Equal parts is easiest on the math. :) To use it, feed it with the same amount of flour and water and let it warm up, Put half back in the fridge, and bake with the rest.

Basically, what you're doing is making a starter equivalent to a sourdough starter, but with commercial yeast, rather than wild yeast. If it's a fresh, lively yeast, it should be stronger than the wild yeast, but I don't know how it will work long term. It should live and keep on rising if you feed it flour and water every so often (and separate out some to use, keeping the part you keep at a constant quantity). For sure, it should help you get through the next while.

Jasdip, to the best of my knowledge, there's only one kind of wild yeast you can get from foods. Potatoes are a new one on me. Most bakers use whole rye berries or grapes. You can use whole wheat berries. If you have rye or whole wheat flour, if it hasn't be heated in processing or milling, you might catch a starter from that. For grapes, wait until they develop must--that white kind of a film. That's where the yeast is.

The thing about baking powder is that it isn't self replicating. If you have a lot of baking soda, extras in your pantry or big boxes for cleaning, you can use that with an acid to create loft. (Acids include cream of tartar, which will be most like baking powder, buttermilk, vinegar and lemon juice.) It'll be single acting, and require some experimentation, but if you're brave, it can work.

It's a good idea to test your soda first. You can look up how.

Ina has a good soda bread recipe and I did see lots of soda bread muffins.

My 'the small organic farm' book has a potato starter recipe though have never tried it...after cooking potatoes for a meal, let cool one and one half cup potato water. Add one tbsp sugar, stir, then add enough flour to make a paste. Cover with cloth and sit out on your counter. Next day, it should be bubbly and ready to use. If not, start over.

Just a guess, the starchy water and sugar will feed the natural yeast in the flour and/or grab yeast from your environment. My be important to grind your own organic flour. (not a scientific book, lol. Hippie stuff.) Basically say that many things on your farm will provide yeast for bread baking. Sourdough the most popular, and no, it does not need to be sour at all. That is determined by the way it is tended. As already said by plllog.

I do know organic is important. Especially in regards to fruit yeasts. Many fruits will make a starter. Unwashed wild or organic grapes and most fruits you grow yourself have natural yeasts. Store bought, even organic, may not.

I don't know much about yeast on potatoes, but any existing will be killed by boiling. And possibly a cut/cubed potato, skin or peeled, will obviously create and starchier water. No idea if that is important. Though skin-on will be less so.

I don't know for sure, but the potato water process as described by Sleevendog definitely sounds like the yeast is not coming from the potato water, as she said. For something to do with potato water, it's a fine crafts project. The starch can feed the yeasts, but they're most likely coming from the flour, especially if it's uncleaned organic, and maybe some from the air. I was kind of suspicious about potato because as a root vegetable, I didn't know if it would have the ri

Any grapes will develop must, so they're one of the easiest. Apple can work if they're not waxed. Set one out for awhile.

Also mentioned, to boost your instant yeast if running low, use half as much and add potato flake or starch to your proof.

Our focaccia recipe has a small diced boiled potato added to the dough. It bubbles very active!

Lots of interesting methods to try are coming from the bakers here. Thanks, I have time to play...er...experiment.

That is really cool!!

That was cool.

And this sounds promising if out of yeast but still have lots of flour...

You could make a poolish or biga, use most of it for a dough, then mix the leftovers with more flour and water, essentially treating it the same as you would a sourdough starter. In fact, over a week or two of daily maintenance, the wild yeast and bacteria will colonize it and turn it into a sourdough starter. If you want to maintain it longer as just a baker's yeast culture, keep it in the fridge between uses.

Or, if you have lots of flour and no yeast, and are most comfortable using active dry yeast, pm me your address and I will sent you some. I have a pound bag in the freezer. (I trade tomato seed all over the place so I'm used to that)

There is a lot of yeast in potatoes! And many online how-to's as to how to develop or 'grow your own' potato yeast if processed yeast not available.