Yeast. It’s all around us. Two popular uses of yeast are for beermaking and breadmaking. Playing With Food went on a hunt for local wild yeast and has produced a segment on each. This one is about making bread with wild yeast…specifically wild yeast captured near poison oak, which is how this segment got its name. This is how we did it.
Playing With Food: Poison oak, yeast and bread
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Wort in a jar with a cheesecloth covering is put out into the wild in order to capture native yeast. This one is very near a poison oak bush.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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Once captured and found to be viable, the yester must be cultured in a petri dish.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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Chip Nasser at Night Lizard Brewing Company propagated the yeast in order to have enough for both beer and bread.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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Fr. Ian's first attempt at making bread with wild yeast, Night Lizard's first capture. It was rock hard, and later converted into beer.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The poison oak yeast came as a slurry. The yeast settled to the bottom, leaving liquid at the top. A loaf each was made from the slurry, the yeast and the liquid.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The loaf made from the slurry overproofed twice, was very wet, and turned out flat, but not hard as a rock.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The loaves made with the liquid and with the settled yeast yielded beautiful doughs.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The two different doughts are ready to be baked.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The loaves turned out really well.
Fr. Ian Delinger
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The three loaves made with the poison oak yeast were tasted side-by-side. The beer made from the first loaf accompanied them.
Fr. Ian Delinger
