Tag Archives: wild yeast

15 Victorian Bread Baking Secrets – Perfect Bread With Wild Yeast From Scratch

How Victorians baked perfect bread by making their own yeast at home from scratch. 15 Victorian bread baking secrets that are still useful today!

15 Victorian Bread Baking Secrets - Perfect Bread With Wild Yeast From Scratch

The Victorians usually made their own yeast at home from scratch, even if commercial yeast was already available. However, the Victorians believed that wild yeast bread from scratch was better, healthier, more digestible and more flavorful. So they made their own yeast at home with hops, potatoes, flour, peas or grapes. Over the years, I’ve tried different spontaneously fermented bread recipes from the Victorian era: Some failed and some turned out delicious! Continue reading 15 Victorian Bread Baking Secrets – Perfect Bread With Wild Yeast From Scratch

Ancient Grape Must Bread With Grape Yeast Water

Bake ancient Roman grape must bread with only 3 ingredients! This wild yeast bread with grape yeast water is so easy to make and so delicious!

Ancient Grape Must Bread With Grape Yeast Water

Grape must bread is an ancient wild yeast bread recipe: Pliny published it in Naturalis Historia in 77 AD! 😀 Because the Romans didn’t have commercial yeast back then they usually made used must or fresh wine to make their own yeast from scratch. Continue reading Ancient Grape Must Bread With Grape Yeast Water

Hops Yeast Starter – Victorian Wild Yeast Bread

Make delicious wild yeast bread with hops yeast water starter from scratch!

Hops Yeast Starter - Wild Yeast Bread

The Victorians usually made their own yeast at home from scratch, even if commercial yeast was already available back then. But they preferred bread with homemade yeast because it was more flavorful and healthier.

In the Victorian era, homemade yeast from scratch usually contained hops. Just like beer, hops yeast bread tastes bitter because of the hops. This bitter taste is unusual in bread but not in an unpleasant way. And besides the bitter taste, hops yeast bread is also very moist compared to other wild yeast breads. Continue reading Hops Yeast Starter – Victorian Wild Yeast Bread

Sprouted Sourdough Bread From Scratch – No Flour & No Yeast!

This 2-ingredient sprouted sourdough bread from scratch is made without flour! Yes, you read that right! You’ll only need grains and water for the sprouted sourdough bread!

Sprouted Sourdough Bread From Scratch - No Flour No Yeast

After reading about bread history – wild yeast bread, fermented grain drinks, flatbread and sourdough bread – I was interested in trying to make sourdough bread with just grains and water. This sprouted sourdough bread is basically a baked soured grain porridge just like a prehistoric human might have made it.

I couldn’t find a recipe for sprouted sourdough bread made with just grains and water – without yeast and flour – so I came up with this recipe. While the prehistoric human would have used two stones or a mortar to crush the grains I used a blender! 😉 Continue reading Sprouted Sourdough Bread From Scratch – No Flour & No Yeast!

Bread Recipe With Wild Yeast – With Honey Water Or Fruit Yeast

You don’t need commercial yeast to make a delicious loaf of bread! Bake homemade bread with wild yeast from scratch. I’ll show you two alternatives to make wild yeast starter from scratch at home with fermented honey water or fruit yeast water. Bread with wild yeast starter is easy and cheap to make and so delicious – it tastes just like ordinary yeast bread or even better!

How To Make Wild Yeast Bread With Fermented Honey Water Or Fruit Yeast Water

Wild yeast bread is made by spontaneous fermentation involving wild yeasts and lactobacilli. Honey and fruit water is used to catch wild yeasts and lactobacilli which naturally leaven the bread. Wild yeast bread with fermented honey water or fruit yeast water has hardly any taste at all – a sweet and mild taste – like store-bought white bread. So start a fun kitchen science project today and bake bread with wild yeast from scratch! Continue reading Bread Recipe With Wild Yeast – With Honey Water Or Fruit Yeast

Victorian Yeast Substitute

Victorian Yeast Substitute - Homemade Bread

In the Victorian era, yeast was sometimes made at home. The last days I tried out another Victorian yeast substitute recipe. The other Victorian yeast substitute was made with fresh hops, this homemade yeast just needs flour, sugar and water. I made two different yeast starter: one with white flour, and one with whole wheat flour Continue reading Victorian Yeast Substitute

10 Victorian Bread Recipes Without Commercial Yeast

Victorian bread recipes without commercial yeast and without sourdough starter – you don’t need commercial yeast to bake a loaf of bread! In the Victorian era it was quite common to make yeast substitutes at home. Here you’ll find 8 recipes for homemade yeast substitutes: hop yeast, fruit yeast, grape must yeast, flour yeast sponge, pea yeast, bark yeast & salt rising bread.

Victorian Bread Recipes Without Commercial Yeast

I often make homemade sourdough bread, but since I made Victorian Graham bread (with commercial yeast) for the Historical Food Fortnightly two month ago, I was interested in historical homemade bread recipes which were made without commercial yeast. So here I compiled Victorian bread recipes which are all made without commercial yeast and without traditional homemade sourdough starter.

‘Home-made liquid yeast is exceedingly easy to prepare. It simply requires a mixture of water and some material in which the plant cells will rapidly grow.’ (A Handbook Of Invalid Cooking, 1893)

In the Victorian era, yeast was usually made at home with boiled hops and mashed potatoes. But nearly all Victorian yeast recipes made with hops say to add some commercial yeast as well; but finally I found two Victorian yeast recipes without commercial yeast, which you’ll find below. There are also recipes for Victorian salt-risen bread, Roman bread made with grape must, Turkish pea bread and Siberian bark bread. Continue reading 10 Victorian Bread Recipes Without Commercial Yeast

Victorian Nettle Beer And Kvass – Small Beer Recipes – Historical Food Fortnightly

Victorian Nettle Beer Historical Small Beer Recipes

For the Historical Food Fortnightly challenge 17 – Myths and Legends, I made small beer. Small beer was drunk in medieval Europe instead of water, as water wasn’t safe to drink. Small beer contains less alcohol than beer; it was homemade; drunk by all, even children and servants, and the consistency was sometimes rather like porridge. Small beer is mentioned in “The Three Heads of the Well” by Joseph Jacobs published in English Fairy Tales in 1890: The king’s daughter says to the old man: ‘In my bag I have got bread and cheese, and in my bottle good small beer. Would you like to have some?’ Continue reading Victorian Nettle Beer And Kvass – Small Beer Recipes – Historical Food Fortnightly

Homemade Edwardian Apple Vinegar Recipe – Historical Food Fortnightly

Homemade Edwardian Apple Vinegar Recipe

After reading that it’s so easy to make apple cider vinegar at home, I had to try it. 😀 And homemade vinegar made with apple peels and cores is perfect for the Historical Food Fortnightly challenge 14 – Waste not, want not. Continue reading Homemade Edwardian Apple Vinegar Recipe – Historical Food Fortnightly