Feeding The Yeast

In the old days, my grandaunts did not have the luxury of using instant yeast. Back then, you had to buy fresh yeast from somebody. And if you use yeast frequently, you could maintain a supply of yeast by cultivating it yourself. You can cultivate your own renewable supply of yeast at home from dried instant yeast.

My grandaunts use this fresh yeast mainly to make "Roti Paung". If you are from Terengganu or have been to Terengganu, you will know what these are. "Roti Paung" will be featured in my next post and I will show you how to make the yeast mixture first.

You may ask, why? Can't we just use instant yeast? Of course you can, but the "Roti Paung" made using yeast prepared this way has a more intense aroma. Besides, it is interesting to learn how to cultivate yeast and keep it alive for future use.

Please note that I am no expert on this matter and what I am sharing with you here is from my own experience and observations. And I will be referring to the yeast cultivated using this method as fresh yeast. I welcome comments and please do correct my errors in the ways of the yeast :)

This recipe and method was given to me by my Aunt who got it from her friend.

Ingredients (Part 1):

7 spoons plain flour

2 spoons sugar

1 spoon instant yeast (I use the whole packet of 11 grams)

Some warm water

The spoon used here is the Chinese soup spoon.

Method :

1. Mix the above ingredients and make into a paste.

2. Set aside until mixture doubles in volume.

Ingredients (Part 2)

1 spoon plain flour

1 spoon sugar

Some warm water
1 spoon of yeast mixture from part 1

Method :

1. Mix the flour, sugar and water into a paste.

2. Add 1 spoon of the first yeast mixture into the paste. Stir to mix.

3. Set aside until mixture doubles in volume.

Ingredients (Part 3)

1 spoon plain flour

1 spoon sugar

Some warm water
1 spoon yeast mixture from part 2

Method :

1. Mix the flour, sugar and water into a paste.
2. Add 1 spoon of the second yeast mixture into the paste. Stir to mix.
3. Set aside until mixture doubles in volume.

This part 3 yeast is the one that is used to make the Roti Paung.

What do you do with the yeast mixture in Part 1 and Part 2 ? According to my Aunt, you throw it away. But I find this quite wasteful. I experimented by using up all the mixture to make a few batches of the part 3 yeast. I put them in individual air tight containers (1 spoonful each) and I kept some in the fridge and some in the freezer.

The one kept in the fridge is still potent up to 1 week only. Take it out to room temperature and let it sit overnight before using. What I do is open the container lid and put it back on loosely. The next day, if your yeast is alive, there will be bubbles on the surface. Of course, if you do not bake buns very frequently then you would most likely end up with dead yeast in the fridge.

As for the frozen yeast, defrost and let it stand at room temperature overnight. Same as above, I open the container lid and put it back on loosely. There will be bubbles on the surface which indicate that the yeast is alive.

A word on the proofing time. With the refrigerated and frozen yeast, it will take about 12 hours for your dough to proof and approximately the same length of time for the second proof. That's my experience so far. This long proofing time may not be convenient for most of you. For me, I like it because I can just take my time and do other stuff while the yeast does it's thing.

However, if your are using the yeast fresh after making it (ie not refrigerated or frozen) then the proofing time is about 8 hours for first proof and 4 to 6 hours for the second proof.

As of now, my frozen yeast which is more than 1 month old still works. So I am continuing to test every month to see how it goes.

How long will the process from Part 1 to Part 3 take ? About 6 hours, and I recommend that the final yeast mixture be left overnight at room temperature before using.