Yeast Patties
Submitted by twtybrd
Heritage recipe for homemade dried yeast patties made from sourdough starter, rye flour, cornmeal, and ginger. An old-world self-sufficiency skill for bakers who want to make their own leavening from scratch.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
8 hrsCOOK
0 minREADY
8 hrsBefore commercial yeast came in neat little packets, bakers made their own. These yeast patties are a window into that era.
You start with a sourdough starter (or a packet of active dry yeast if you’re just getting going), mix it into a thin batter with rye flour, warm water, shortening, and a sweetener, and let it bubble and rise overnight.
The next morning, you reserve a cup for your ongoing starter. The rest gets thickened with cornmeal and a pinch of ginger, patted into small rounds, and left to air-dry over several days.
Once dried, these patties store for months and can be rehydrated whenever you need leavening for bread. It’s old-fashioned self-reliance at its finest.
Chef Tips
- Turn the patties daily while drying so they dry evenly and don’t develop mold on the bottom
- Store fully dried patties in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They’ll keep for months
- To use, crumble one or two patties into warm water with a pinch of sugar and let them reactivate for about 30 minutes before adding to your bread dough
- Dark rye flour gives a more robust flavor, but light rye works if that’s what you have on hand
Ingredients
Directions
In a warm crock, mix the first six ingredients to a thin batter.
Cover and let rise overnight in a warm place.
The next morning, reserve one cup for future starter, or for current bread-baking.
For the yeast patties, stir into the overnight mixture ¼ t. ginger, enough cornmeal to make a stiff doug, and stir well.
Pat into small, round pattiies (cookie-style), place on a sheet to dry and turn them every day.
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