# Making the mother...



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

This has been a topic that has long been a mystery to me, but one that I should probably finally get some schooling on.
Up until now, when I've tried my hand at breadmaking, I have always started with a dried and active yeast from a jar, bought at a store. While this is wonderfully convenient in good times, I am curious to know how this will be useful in bad times.
Once opened, the jar states that it should be refrigerated. Is that true?
Assuming the worst, and I can no longer keep the jar cool, or perhaps that I run out, I've wondered how/if this might be used to create a "mother" yeast from which I can make future baked goodies.

Does anyone here use their own mother? How did you start it, and how do you keep it in good shape? Does it need to stay moist? Can it be dried? How do you feed it to keep it active?
Any tips and tricks are welcome.

I know that this used to be a tribal secret back in the nomad days, with the mother being kept safe and secure by a trusted tribe member. It literally meant life or death for the whole tribe at times, and was a prized possession. It was even a prized reward for attacking tribes. Often worn in a pouch around the neck to keep it safe, though I'm at a loss for how this was done in a time when refrigeration was centuries away.
Can you imagine a time when breadmaking was literally a skill required to keep your entire community alive? We can't even connect with that kind of struggle today.


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

This lady seems to have some good ideas: https://www.ilariasperfectrecipes.com/mother-yeast-recipe/


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

I kept a sourdough jar on the freezer for over a year, . . . never could convince my wife to like it, . . . gave up.

Got packets and jars of yeast now, . . . 

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

If you drink good beer, usually the last tablespoon or so at the bottom of the bottle will have some of the brewers yeast left in it that you can cultivate. Just put it in a bowl with warm sugar water and it should grow. I have made beer from it and Mrs Inor has made bread from it. It works just fine, but might take a day or two to develop enough to use.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Inor said:


> If you drink good beer, usually the last tablespoon or so at the bottom of the bottle will have some of the brewers yeast left in it that you can cultivate. Just put it in a bowl with warm sugar water and it should grow. I have made beer from it and Mrs Inor has made bread from it. It works just fine, but might take a day or two to develop enough to use.


I don't drink, but that is good to know. I'm sure there are lots of folks that would be willing to offer their last swig for the common good. :laugh:


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Mrs Slippy has dabbled in making Sourdough Starter (she used the term "Starter" instead of "Mother").

From what she just told me, all she does is take a certain type of unbleached AP Flour, adds distilled water (very important) and set it out on the counter to attract natural yeasts. She messes with it quite regularly, splits it then feeds it by adding more flour and sets it on the counter etc. She puts a rubber band around where the mixture is and hopes it attracts natural yeasts and rises. Then after 10 days or so she puts it in the fridge and its ready to make bread. 

I'll be honest with you, the bread that it produces is OK, not bad not great just OK. Seems like her time might be better spent fetchin' me some vittles, delivery pizzas or lounging around in Lingerie or some such nonsense! :vs_lol:


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> This has been a topic that has long been a mystery to me, but one that I should probably finally get some schooling on.
> Up until now, when I've tried my hand at breadmaking, I have always started with a dried and active yeast from a jar, bought at a store. While this is wonderfully convenient in good times, I am curious to know how this will be useful in bad times.
> Once opened, the jar states that it should be refrigerated. Is that true?
> Assuming the worst, and I can no longer keep the jar cool, or perhaps that I run out, I've wondered how/if this might be used to create a "mother" yeast from which I can make future baked goodies.
> ...


Glad you axed about that cause us old hill billy people know how to do it. Get half a cup of warm water to which has been added a table spoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of flour or cornmeal and a touch of whatever crappy yeast you think that might be needed. Its used for making good mashes and washes in the moon shine hobby. They even have a name for it. Hmmm. In the meantime the Frugal Perverts recipe for Irish Soda Bread tastes surprisingly like bread to me.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Bread
Ingredients:
6 cups all purpose flour
2 teasp baking soda
2 teasp baking powder
3 tblsp cornstarch
2 teasp sugar
l teasp salt
2 l/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
All all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well. Pour all of the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir, using a wooden spoon, just til a soft dough is formed. Pour the contents of the bowl onto a plastic counter and knead for a minute or so till everything comes together.
Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with some addition flour on the top of each loaf and, using a sharp paring knife, make the sign of a Cross in slashes on the top of each.
Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack for 40 mins or till the loaves are golden brown and done to taste.

This is from the Frugal Gourmets Immigrant Ancestors Cookbook He has another recipe for Irish Dark Soda Bread which uses 3 cups all purpose flour 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 teasp baking soda, l tblsp baking powder, 2 tblsp brown sugar and 2 l/4 cups buttermilk. Process as the other bread, being careful to break up any lumps of brown sugar. This is divided into 2 loaves and baked at 400 for about 45 mins.

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13914/irish-soda-bread.html


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Slippy said:


> Mrs Slippy has dabbled in making Sourdough Starter (she used the term "Starter" instead of "Mother").
> 
> From what she just told me, all she does is take a certain type of unbleached AP Flour, adds distilled water (very important) and set it out on the counter to attract natural yeasts. She messes with it quite regularly, splits it then feeds it by adding more flour and sets it on the counter etc. She puts a rubber band around where the mixture is and hopes it attracts natural yeasts and rises. Then after 10 days or so she puts it in the fridge and its ready to make bread.
> 
> I'll be honest with you, the bread that it produces is OK, not bad not great just OK. Seems like her time might be better spent fetchin' me some vittles, delivery pizzas or lounging around in Lingerie or some such nonsense! :vs_lol:


Yeppers, natural yeast is in the air..it just takes a little longer for it to gather/show up.

And btw, Slippy? When there's not much left to eat and you're real hungry - that bread will taste like heaven. 
So be grateful that she knows how to do it, ya lazy hoser! :vs_smirk:


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Slippy said:


> Mrs Slippy has dabbled in making Sourdough Starter (she used the term "Starter" instead of "Mother").
> 
> From what she just told me, all she does is take a certain type of unbleached AP Flour, adds distilled water (very important) and set it out on the counter to attract natural yeasts. She messes with it quite regularly, splits it then feeds it by adding more flour and sets it on the counter etc. She puts a rubber band around where the mixture is and hopes it attracts natural yeasts and rises. Then after 10 days or so she puts it in the fridge and its ready to make bread.
> 
> I'll be honest with you, the bread that it produces is OK, not bad not great just OK. Seems like her time might be better spent fetchin' me some vittles, delivery pizzas or lounging around in Lingerie or some such nonsense! :vs_lol:


This leads me to believe that what we call "yeast" is just bacteria, plain and simple. There are various kinds, but the function seems the same. Bacteria in the air finds a cozy spot to settle down and start its utopian existence of eating, breeding, and excreting. The goal is to provide an environment suitable for such decadence. After sufficient time has passed, and the colony becomes substantial, its out-gassing produces the "rise" we want in our bread dough.
Is that about right, or is it more specific than that?

I've heard of people using the wash water from wild potatoes to make make starter yeast. Does anyone know how the different types of yeast bacteria change the taste of bread, if at all?


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> This leads me to believe that what we call "yeast" is just bacteria, plain and simple. There are various kinds, but the function seems the same. Bacteria in the air finds a cozy spot to settle down and start its utopian existence of eating, breeding, and excreting. The goal is to provide an environment suitable for such decadence. After sufficient time has passed, and the colony becomes substantial, its out-gassing produces the "rise" we want in our bread dough.
> Is that about right, or is it more specific than that?
> 
> I've heard of people using the wash water from wild potatoes to make make starter yeast. Does anyone know how the different types of yeast bacteria change the taste of bread, if at all?


Yeast is a fungus, which is why a yeast infection can't be cured with an antibiotic.

To make a sourdough starter, the flour/water mixture doesn't need to be exposed to the air. All the yeast needed is already present on the flour. This explains why whole wheat flour makes a better starter than unbleached white flour, and why bleached white flour might not work at all.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

paulag1955 said:


> Yeast is a fungus, which is why a yeast infection can't be cured with an antibiotic.
> 
> To make a sourdough starter, the flour/water mixture doesn't need to be exposed to the air. All the yeast needed is already present on the flour. This explains why whole wheat flour makes a better starter than unbleached white flour, and why bleached white flour might not work at all.


Dangit, I knew that... High school biology might have been a breeze, but the memory fails me sometimes, haha.

Good to know about flour having all the needed ingredients. I was under the impression that additional sugar should be added, since "proofing" always calls for sugar.
Is there a ratio of flour to water that should be maintained?
Not needing to be exposed to air makes sense, but should the container be airtight? Will the out-gassing produce a high enough pressure to cause any problems?

I'm learning so much!!!


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

It sounds like you might be looking for Amish Friendship Bread  or Padre Pio Bread. The idea is to make the starter before you run out of yeast, and keep it going from there, passing some along to a friend. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

I buy the large bricks of yeast from Costco. One's in the fridge and there's two more in the freezer. Then there's always flat breads such as tortillas in a pinch.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Kauboy said:


> Can you imagine a time when breadmaking was literally a skill required to keep your entire community alive? We can't even connect with that kind of struggle today.


Kauboy, I feel I'm living those times right now. Ever since "shelter in place" You have no idea what it's like over here. Between the french bread and the muffins I can hardly get out of the kitchen these days.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Dangit, I knew that... High school biology might have been a breeze, but the memory fails me sometimes, haha.
> 
> Good to know about flour having all the needed ingredients. I was under the impression that additional sugar should be added, since "proofing" always calls for sugar.
> Is there a ratio of flour to water that should be maintained?
> ...


You don't need to add sugar because the yeast consume the carbohydrate in the flour. You add sugar for proofing when you make bread because you want more, faster growth. I'm not an expert on sourdough by any means...I'm having a hard time keeping a starter alive and I think it's related to how much starter to dump when I feed it, so maybe someone else will chime in on the water to flour ratio. You definitely don't want an air tight container. I have my starter in a quart jar with one of these fermenting nipples on it.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

We haven't even gotten a strict "shelter in place" order yet and I already feel like I'm trapped in the kitchen. Yesterday I made yogurt and started a new batch of sauerkraut. Today I'll be making sourdough biscuits. Tomorrow, I'll be making bread again.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

paulag1955 said:


> We haven't even gotten a strict "shelter in place" order yet and I already feel like I'm trapped in the kitchen. Yesterday I made yogurt and started a new batch of sauerkraut. Today I'll be making sourdough biscuits. Tomorrow, I'll be making bread again.


You're not trapped ((hugs)) you're learning how to _live_.
Bravo!!


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Kauboy said:


> Dangit, I knew that... High school biology might have been a breeze, but the memory fails me sometimes, haha.
> 
> Good to know about flour having all the needed ingredients. I was under the impression that additional sugar should be added, since "proofing" always calls for sugar.
> Is there a ratio of flour to water that should be maintained?
> ...


Forgot to add this and just confirmed wit Mrs S , she puts a piece of "tea cloth" over her starter and secures it with a rubber band.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

MountainGirl said:


> You're not trapped ((hugs)) you're learning how to _live_.
> Bravo!!


I'm good as long as I'm baking or futzing around with my sourdough starter, but I HATE to cook.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

paulag1955 said:


> I'm good as long as I'm baking or futzing around with my sourdough starter, but I HATE to cook.


I like to put favorite music on and light some candles. Fix a cuppa sump thin. ETA: tell myself I'm lovin' it.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Sour dough bread, pancakes, scones you can not keep me away.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

As I said, I've been having difficulty keeping a starter going. I have finally worked out why and thought I'd share it here. When feeding the starter, I wasn't adding enough flour for the amount of starter I was keeping. I have since worked out that I should keep only about a half cup of starter when feeding, and feed it a scant one cup of flour. I figured this out by reading an article on the King Arthur flour website. So, yes, I'm throwing out (or using) more starter than I'm keeping. Basically, I was starving my starter.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Annie said:


> It sounds like you might be looking for Amish Friendship Bread  or Padre Pio Bread. The idea is to make the starter before you run out of yeast, and keep it going from there, passing some along to a friend. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
> 
> I buy the large bricks of yeast from Costco. One's in the fridge and there's two more in the freezer. Then there's always flat breads such as tortillas in a pinch.


Great video.Thanks. Made tons of those things back in the old bread machine days. Takes all the work out of it. I am either aklrergic to Canola or maybe its poison for everybody. Also never put any baking powder in it. That might be a commie plot lol. They are yummy with some cow butter and salt.


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