April 9, 2009 - 8:04pm
Using hops
My mother used hops to make yeast, and I would like to try this method. I remember the hops as looking like dried flower petals. Beer brewing suppliers have a variety of hops, are these the ones to use? Any suggestions would be apprected. Abigail.
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Used hops to *make* yeast? I must confess, I have no idea what you're talking about, here... hops is a plant/compound/herb/whatever added to beer which imparts upon the beer a distinctive bitter flavour while also extending its shelf life. What does that have to do with yeast and growing it, aside from the fact that both are used in beer making?
An inidication of how much has been forgotten. I'm fairly certain that this may be another method for obtaining a sourdough culture but with a malt twist. I haven't tried this yet but it comes from a fairly reputable source in the form of Paul Richard's in his 1907 "Paul Richards' Pastry Book", beginning on page 99 here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=H4YPAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Richard%27s+book+of+pastries#PPA99,M1
The entire book can be downloaded gratis Google Books. . . ,
+Wild-yeast
Google also has a copy of an Army field manual for bakers with an extensive section on creating and maintaining yeast sources that involve hops. There are a lot of additional references available on the Web. The hops solution used in the yeast formulas seems to have been used to stall the growth of bacteria that would otherwise give the bread a sour flavor. That favored the growth of yeast, resulting in a "sweet" bread. Apparently sourdough was not a favored product.
Paul
Yes this is oe of the ways it used to be done. Lots of recipes from old 1910 or thereabouts cookbooks.
A recipe here
link
That's pretty fascinating that somehow there is probably wild yeast on the hops or malt that somehow survives all the boiling. I think the hops are acidic and perhaps that kills off bad stuff to create the right ph so that the yeast can survive. I'll have to run this by my husband who is a home brewer.