How to Make Homemade Yeast
When I started prepping, one of the first things I would store was bulk wheat since it is fairly cheap, has a shelf life of 30+ years and best of all, I love making bread.
However, there was one major thing I overlooked…
Where would I get the yeast?
Although you can store wheat for 30+ years, yeast’s shelf life will only last about a year before it starts to die off and become ineffective. So unless you enjoy eating unleavened Matzah bread, you’ll be forced to consume a lot of bread bricks during a SHTF situation.
This realization led me on a journey to find out how to make homemade yeast or leavened bread without needing a sourdough starter.
For years I had looked around but could never figure it out until I stumbled upon a women who learned how to make natural yeast while over in Japan.
Since then, I’ve been playing around with making natural yeast and have had some great success so in this article, I’d like to go into detail on how you can make your own homemade yeast using common foods found in your home or in the wild.
How to Make Homemade Yeast
What’s surprising is that yeast occurs naturally on the skins most fruits (dried or fresh), vegetables, even herbs found in the wild (like Mint) and can be easily cultivated the same way using the following procedure:
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Step 1: Fill a glass jar up to a quarter to a half full with your sliced fruit, vegetable, or herb (I used apples from my apple tree). If you are using fruits (apples or grapes are both excellent to try first) or vegetables be sure that the skin is not peeled off. |
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Step 2: Fill the rest of the jar up with water until you are about 3/4 of the way full. |
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Step 3: Close the jar and leave in a warm area (in the sun or by a stove) for around 3 days or until a good amount of bubbles start forming (the bubbles indicate that the yeast is reacting with the carbohydrates in your fruit, veggie etc). |
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Here’s a close-up view of the finished yeast water. |
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Step 4: Use your yeast water in place of the water called for in your bread recipe. |
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Step 5: Knead your bread as usual and let it sit… |
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Step 6: Until it rises — just like you were useing commercial yeast! |
| Step 7: Bake and enjoy! | |
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Now it’s Your Turn
Try it out yourself and let me know how it works for you. If you have any comments or questions be sure to leave them in the comments section below and I’ll be glad to help you.
- Posted in Food Storage
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This is a great how-to! I didn’t know it would be that easy! Keep ’em coming! (I’d like to learn a little more about finding and storing the wheat.)
Hey Hurricane,
I think you’ll like what’s coming down the pipeline… It will address this.
Way cool! I’m excited to read this. Will this yeast store in a cool dry place? Or do you just make it as you need it? Just curious.
Thanks!
Any remaining water will store in the fridge. Plus you can add more water and let the yeast do its magic.
Amazing!! I had no idea that you could do this. Thank you so very much for this one.
Alisha,
Once you have your first starter, pinch off some dough and keep it in a crock. Then you have sourdough. Every time you make bread, use a bit of your sourdough starter for the yeast.
That’s how bread was done in the west for a hundred years or better.
Thanks for the great tip Jeff!
Can you keep adding water to the jar to keep a ready supply?
Yes. Although I’m sure the fruit would go bad at some point.
Long time bread makers know that wild yeast occurs naturally on the whole wheat kernel. You can make a good sourdough starter just using FRESH ground whole wheat flour and filtered water. Do the usual stir, feed, stir, feed routine for about a week to get a nice, sour starter going. You can maintain a good starter indefintely. One given to me has been around since the Oregon Trail in the 1800’s. One I personally started has been going seven years now. For the absolute best instructions on doing this, visit Mike Avery at sourdoughhome.com. He has been a professional baker of sourdoughs for years and that is where I learned to make a starter from scratch. The old fortyniners used to put the ball of starter into their flour bag to keep until the next night’s baking needs. And no need to find or use up fresh fruit. Oh, and my wheat is all LDS cannery wheat, so that works fine.
Very cool Carol. I’ll need to try this.
Update: I’m no sourdough expert by any means but I spoke to my friend about the sourdough starter (she does a lot of these) and she mentioned that it has a different (sour) taste that this yeast method does not create in the bread. So, for those who aren’t too keen on a sourdough taste, this may be a better option. Also it is a bit quicker than the 7 day process of making a starter dough — something you may want to consider.
I personally love both sour doughs and normal yeast breads so in SHTF I’ll be happy either way! 🙂 Thanks again for the great comment. Keep ’em coming since it helps us all!
+2
Sounds good I will give it a try and add this data to my prep files. I make my own sourdough starter.
This is essentially what happens when you make wine. You are allowing fermentation to begin. The natural yeast is converting the sugar in the fruit to alcohol and carbon dioxide. By the way, open the jar lid every day to allow the carbon dioxide to escape. Otherwise, the jar could explode. I would imagine this yeast works best right at the 3 day mark. As fermentation continues and the conversion of sugar to alcohol increases, the alcohol will probably get to a point that it kills off the yeast.
oh boy…this is wonderful to know…I preserve my veggies & fruits this way but don’t use until the bubbling/fermenting is done…I am so excited to try this & know it will work as well for me as it obviously did for you…if elevation has any input on it I will post it…I use sourdough that I made my self using the 7 day process with flour & water, & this seems like it will give a whole new taste…again I will let you know the difference~thank you bunches for this tip~
I’d love to hear of your experiences. Thanks!
Is there a point where you need to throw out the water and start again or just keep replenishing it? I was so pleased to learn this and want to try it!
Hi Patricia,
From what I’ve read, I think you can keep replenishing it (this is new to me so I haven’t been able to try that out yet).
i dont know what a starter means …. sorry i am not up on this
Can the jar be filled 3/4 with water again after use and if so how many times? I know it said that the yeast could last only up until a year. I would need about 200-400 times that amount for the vinegar/cider and bread I would need for a year. Harvest time is the right time to make it b/c it is warm then.
Does the fruit/veggie have to be organic or does produce from someplace like Walmart work as well?
Any grocery produce will work fine.
Great how to , I new that yeast is common on many vegetables , like cabbage . Didn’t know about using the water to bake with, that is very good to know. Also I am pretty impressed by the sour dough starter that has been going since the 1800….wow.
We always wash our fruit when we get it home. Willl this wash the yeast off and make it useless for a few days till more yeast can grow back?
I’ve tried it with rinsed fruit (grapes) without any issue. I’m not sure how much rinsing (or scrubbing) it would take to remove the yeast though.
Very intresting, thanks for sharing this.
Thank you so much for the info! I am going to try this as soon as I am done with my coffee. :). Then I am going to use it as sourdough starter. Sweet!
That is awesome! I had no idea sourdough was made like that! thanks for the tip.
thats so cool, good to know …..buy the way thats how you start vinegar………..thanks
We have made yeast water using raisins which we keep in our survival pantry. Raisin water adds an interesting flavor to the bread.
Another option is to make yeast water from a baked potato and a teaspoon of sugar. Potatoes are relatively cheap and easy to grow in an emergency.
I’ve tried with grapes and raisins and both work great. I’ve heard about potatoes but haven’t tried that yet, thanks for the tip!
You were completely awesome this time. This site is so full of awesome that I even forgot about the condom saga, LOL.
My favorites:
– How to choose an outdoors knife
– How to weave paracord into a bracelet
– The food storage series.
Hey the condom article is MY favorite 😉
Here in New Zealand, the indigenous people (Maori) make a Rewena bread using fermented potato as the source of yeast as described above.
This recipe below includes a gluten-free variant.
http://www.maori-in-oz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=75
Hurricane,
You can buy wheat from any LDS cannery (you do not need to be Mormon!) and get it either prepacked in #10 cans with a 30 year shelf life, or buy it in bulk and store it in 5 gallon buckets with gama lids for daily access. Unless you are in wheat country and have access to a grain mill, the LDS canneries have about the best prices, as they do not make any profit on the foods. Look on LDS.org and under the Provident Living site to find a cannery near you and make arrangements to pick up some wheat. They have other great food storage items also, as they are counseled to have one year’s worth of stored food. Remember, wheat kernels will keep pretty indefinitely; just kept cool and dry.
thats sweeet
Thanks I will try it.
Homemade yeast cakes from hops. Boil a handful of the hops in 4c water for 30 minutes. Then mix in 1/2 c whole wheat flour and let cool to lukewarm Now add 3 pkg dry yeast. Let rise until very light. Thicken with cornmeal until stiff. roll thin. cut into 3 inch squares. Dry in the shade in clear, windy weather or in a warm (not hot) oven. Turn often to prevent souring. when dry, tie in a mesh bag and hang in a cool, dry place. To use, soak in warm water, about 2 c. per 3 inch square of homemade yeast cake. When cake is dissolved, go ahead with your recipe.
Nice Nora! Thanks 🙂
What is the time frame for the yeast water to be ready?
Depending on the ambient temperature it averages about 3 days. Basically you want to wait until it bubbles inside with a collection of white bubbles on top (basically it looks kind of like a carbonated drink with the bubbles actively rising in the liquid)
Does that mean LDS cannery-wheat–is fresh?
How long can the yeast cakes be kept for? I actually buy my yeast at the big box places and then store it in the freezer. I have used yeast that is several years old this way with no problems, but with the amount of bread I make I would love a way to keep it longer.
mommanisa,
this doesn’t make yeast cakes but yeast water. I haven’t tried freezing the water but I have successfully refrigerated it for a couple of weeks without issue.
Good site just found it by accident——–oops there are no accidents.
It wasn’t just in the West. This is the way they made bread in Europe too– only it isn’t sour if you use it often enough. The sour taste comes from leaving the starter alone for a while- and stirring the “hooch” back into the starter. My mother came from France, and when she was introduced to sourdough bread, she told us that in France, if your yeast starter turned sour it was thrown out because it had gone bad 😀
Well, I’ll BE!! Thank you so much! And the tip about the sourdough is fabulous. I love reading your site, I’ve gained so many useful tips and tricks…. which in turn means confidence should the S ever H the F. Will be signing up for your Academy this month too, as soon as I can.
Vinegar Cider Bread? Do tell. 🙂 Sounds intriguing.
I have to say you learn something new each & every day. Thank you for posting this great info, going to try this out .
Do I put the jar under direct sunlight or under a shade ?
Suhanah,
It’s better to have a bit of warmth by putting it in the sun (or a warm spot in your home).
Is it possible for it to be too warm? I’ve done the steps and kept on the electric heater (it doesn’t get so hot that you can’t touch it) and its been 4 days and I haven’t seen any of the foam, I do see some bubbles around the apple slices. Do I just have to wait longer?
I tried it and it worked beautifully! It took about 5 – 6 days but I suspect if I had kept my kitchen a bit warmer (it’s in the 30’s outside) it might have accellerated the process. Never-the-less, I made a beautiful and delicious loaf of no-knead bread using my own “homemade yeast”! It rose every bit as well as my normal (instant yeast) breads and also had a slightly sweet, almost fruity taste.
The poor loaf never had a chance though…
The ‘Perpetually-Hungry’ (teenagers) were in the house and homed in on the sweet fresh-bread smell as it came out of the oven…it was gone in an instant! “Make more!”, they screamed!
It’s become a new favorite here! Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome Bart.
Yes, yeast can be too hot. Anything above 120 F will begin to kill the yeast. Try the back corner of your counter near your refrigerator. The heat from the fridge will keep it warm enough, but not too warm.
Yes, yeast can be too hot. Anything above 120 F will begin to kill the yeast. Try the back corner of your counter near your refrigerator. The heat from the fridge will keep it warm enough, but not too warm.
That’s why all the bread recipes start the yeast in lukewarm (110-115F) water. Too hot and the yeast will die and you will have a brick instead of bread.
Many thanks for this.
A little corner of my mind’s been wondering for years on & off about how you’d go about getting yeast if you needed to start from absolute scratch.
I finally decided to look it up this evening, and one thing I’ve learned from a couple of sites is that as CAROL B mentioned, wheat kernels will keep pretty indefinitely – The thing is that apparently the yeast on them will only last for a year or so.
Worth keeping in mind…
can i use this yeast the same as i would for beer? because that would save me tons of money.
home made yeast ok now i got mold on the top of water raisin mix in 3 days is still good use?
i got mold on the top of water raisin mix in 3 days is still good use?
Hi,
I’m not sure why you are getting mold. Are you sure that the fruit is completely covered with water? Also, it helps to put it in a warm area to get the yeast to grow faster (hopefully before the mold kicks in).
like your articles placed a couple of them in my ezine to drive traffic to your site so others can benefit from your articles and book you are offering. A full link to your site is included in my e-zine to make it easy for them to find you
Much appreciated lin
My understanding about sourdough is that the specific bacteria that makes the dough have that distinctive sour taste varies from region to region, and some are quite mild, you’d never know it was ‘sourdough’. San Fransisco area has one of the most distinctive sour flavors, and I think it is the one that most people think of when they think of sourdough. But even a starter from San Francisco will eventually lose it’s distinctive flavor if it is transported elsewhere.
I’ve made the yeast and as we speak have a loaf baking. My question is , Is the bread made by this yeast a heavier bread? It seems to be pretty heavy.
I didn’t know if maybe I didn’t let it rise long enough
I have never made bread so I’m not sure if I did something wrong or if its that I don’t know it’s actually fine!!!
So excited to try this. My grandma used to tell me about “making yeast balls” with her mom; they used mushed potatoes and a little flour, made balls and then let them sit on the back of their wood-burning stove. I never was brave enough to try this, though.
Wonderful site ! I have been a bit down,but after reading this I feel up lifted and want to try this ! God Bless you !
Thank you . susan
You’re very welcome Susan.
This is great information. Tell me, where did you buy your “buckets of wheat given that are relatively cheap and have a shelf life of 30+ years.”? I’ve wanted to buy some for bread but the sellers I find are rather expensive. I’ve got a bag of 20 pound flour from my local Sam’s Club but will have to use it in the next year. Sealed wheat would be great. Also, can you grind the wheat with a meat grinder and get it powdery enough or do I need to buy something to grind the wheat too? thanks for all the helpful information!
Kathy
Kathy,
I get mine primarily through the LDS Storehouses. VERY cheap. You can read more about them here: http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/lds-storehouses.htm
If you keep a sour starter, you can add just a small bit (1/8 to 1/4 cup size) to a ‘fresh’ flour and water mix and it will breed up in a day. It doesn’t have time to get sour, but it makes plenty of yeast for your bread!
And rye grains carry A LOT more yeast than regular wheat.
BUT, I wouldn’t count on stored wheat (or rye) to have yeast…long term storage might kill it off too. Will have to check on that.
Fortunately wild yeast is EVERYWHERE… simply leaving fresh flour out on the counter for a day or two should attract plenty. Add equal parts water and cover… if you get bubbles, you have yeast! Now keep feeding it!
Great tips Sue, thanks!
I think the same thing might work with potato water. I have pdf’s of a lot of antique cookbooks, and they talk about making yeast from water in which potatoes have been boiled.
Yes, goo point Heather, potato water does work.
Thank you sooo much
After learning that there is human hair in bread, I turned to look for ways of how to make my own bread, including yeast, you have helped me greatly.
You’re welcome. Yeah, homemade is always a better option if you can swing it.
can’t you, make some normal dough out of flour and water. and use it’s water as yeast??? by letting the dough in water for 3 days… im not sure but i think i was taught this at school last year……
I am so excited to try this today! Thank you. I am woring on becoming self sufficient for my family of 7 before I HAVE to know this stuff. And we make a lot of bread!
On sourdough: I found an organization that has kept a sourdough starter going since the Oregon Trail days and gives it away for free. They do accept donations. go to http://www.carlsfriends.net to see more. I just got mine in the mail and can’t wait to get it going!
Thank you so much for this posting. I just came back from Japan and I learned about making healthier yeast at home from my mom but she did not know how. I’m going to make it now. Thank you so much again.
You’re very welcome Nusha. Natural yeast making is a common thing in Japan.
Thank you for this information. Looks doable for me a novice prepper like me.
Thanks! It works! It is so nice since I can’t have regular yeast bc it is grown on what I am allergic to!
What about making Wine Yeast ? Would that be the apple or Grape fruit ?
Thanks
Rob~
Do you store in a crock inside or out of fridge?
actually 104F or 40C is the best.. see this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24rohmXrxC4
I would try & use organic if possible otherwise who knows what you might be growing & eating…..
hey cai i use this yest to make alchoal if yes then how please reply
hi i loved the idea of making homemade yeast so i tried your recipe out and it had the same amount of bubbles at day 3 but my bread didnt rise alot it was just a little of rising , did it not rise as much because im using natural yeast or what?
Technically that little phase where the water was turning orange and the fruit was fermenting was already creating alcohol.
If I’m going into the wilderness for several years, what would be the best way to make yeast? I will not have wheat berries but whole wheat flour. Can not depend on fresh fruit (especially in the winter) but will have dried fruit. Could I take whole wheat flour that has been stored for years in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber and leave it out on the table for a few days in the winter with only heat during the day and no heat at night and then mix it with water like was mentioned? Are there wild yeast in the winter time that would be able to get into the flour I leave out? Could I use raisons, dehydrated veggies, or instant potatoes that have been stored in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber for years? Or will all the yeast be dead in these cases? Also, I cannot depend on fresh veggies to work with(especially in winter). I could try to use a piece of dough from my last batch to start the next, but I don’t want to be dependent on it. Yeast that is vacuum packed only lasts about 3 years from what I have studied. I will have no refrigeration. I am concerned about how to make it after the yeast runs out. HELP!
My dough also didn’t rise as much as I had expected. It’s fourth day on my yeast, there are alot of bubbles, so I am assuming it’s ready. It smells little bit like apple wine. Maybe I did something something wrong…
flour and water with a little sugar will grow yeast if you aren’t in too cold a weather. The natural yeast is in the air. dried potatoes and water should also work. give it a try now to be sure.
@Raven
I had mixed results with apple (despite the bubbles). Sometimes it worked great, other times not. On the other hand I’ve had consistently good results with grapes. You might want to try that next.
– Erich
Thank you so much for giving us this recipe. I never stopped to remember the fact that yeast only lasts about a year, and unless I find an alternative, it would be Matzo bread for the rest of time!! Ugh….. we don’t mind occasional Matzo with margarine and preserves, but NOT Matzo sandwiches for eternity!
Thanks again and keep the great ideas coming!
I’ve been trying another method to grow my yeast and it’s stinking up my kitchen. I can’t seem to find enough info on how to do it. This method sounds like a much better alternative. How about the bread’s flavor after using this yeast?
Kimber,
The bread seems to take on the “essence” of whatever yeast you use. If it’s grape or raisin yeast, it has a slight grape or raisin taste. Carrot yeast…slight carrot taste etc.
It’s really not bad at all. In fact I like the slight flavors these kind of yeasts produce.
– Erich
How long does it take from step 1 to the final step?
I want do an experiment for school : make yeast and test it by making a bread. Please, can anyone give us a few tips?
I found an LDS cannery here in Orlando FL, but they wouldn’t let me access it because I was a not a member. : (
example
Find a member who can access for you.
Comment was for Deb.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but my rolls never did raise.
I make yeast by putting some white flour in warm water and leaving it in the windowsill, lightly covered. When there’s small bubbles in the water, there’s yeast. I just don’t like the idea of fruity tasting bread.
After coming across this article about a couple months ago, I finally tried it, but I don’t think I did it right. First of all, I don’t think I used enough apples. (I forgot the jar needed to be half full.) I’m going to try it again, though. But I do have a question or two. If I can’t get the water in a warm spot for three continuous days, will the same affect happen if the water is in a warm climate for days periodically until it gets really bubbly. Or is it better to have it somewhere warm continuously. Second, does there still need to be something sugary added to the bread dough? We’ve always added honey to activate our dry yeast, but since this is active yeast, does it still require the sugar?
I strive to either grow what we eat or find or barter. Making honey wines this summer I found that all the recipes included some special store bought yeast so I began looking around for information on what folks did prior to the availability of packaged yeasts and stumbled upon this site. Though not about wine yeast, it is still helpful to our ends. I haven’t tried this yet, but it has made the list. Our stove’s oven doesn’t work, so I just have to figure out how to bake off a loaf small enough to do in the little toaster oven. On a fire pit, a cast iron dutch oven would work just fine. Thanks a bunch!
Hi,
I’ve been looking for this a long time so thanks a lot, but doesn’t the bread taste sour using this? Because it does when you use flower and water, the only difference here is that you use veggies instead of flower.
Thanks a lot! I hope somebody can answer my question.
Hey intresting i have been curious about this.. I discovered this technic the other day and tried with some pineapple ( thoufh if irndoesnt work at least i have some tasty tepache) followed the process waited 3 days till really bubbling and almost blowing top off but still bread did not rise even after letting sit next heater overnight and half of next day…
Can you recommend about proportion?
I have a question regarding making yeast with a baked potato and a spoonful of sugar How do you mix it? I am so happy to have found this site! I believe I will be learning quite a lot here!
Rhonda in Oklahoma
I have read so many articles or reviews about the blogger lovers
but this post is actually a pleasant article, keep it
up.
Do you mean dough from your first bread making? and then store it in the frig?
would be the same as yeast balls