How to Convert Sourdough Recipes to Wild Yeast Water

Wild Yeast Water baking is simpler than sourdough! Why? Because once you’ve made your first jar of Yeast Water, it is always ready for baking without feeding or restarting or waiting until ‘ripened’.

You read that right — no ‘knead’ for feeding and you can ditch the discard! This post explains how to convert sourdough starter recipes to yeast water in a simple no-knead method, and my favorite ‘2.0 method’ with a yeast water preferment, also called a levain. Levain raises bread dough as does sourdough starter. Except this starter starts with yeast water and flour, and does not need to be kept alive between bread bakes.

What is Wild Yeast Water?

Wild Yeast Water is live yeast molecules in water (without flour) similar to sourdough starter minus the sour lactic acid bacteria. Since there is no flour in yeast water, that means it can also be used for gluten-free breads. But that’s a discussion for another time; or message me and I’ll explain.

The ingredients to make Yeast Water are water and dried or fresh fruit, or even flowers, herbs, and tea that are allowed to ferment in water with their naturally occurring yeasts. This process yields a bubbly, carbonated liquid full of active yeast, which is used to create a wild yeast starter for bread dough.

I’ve kept my Yeast Water active with dates and raisins for the past 6 years. I rotate several waters (I am really into this!) and sometimes the waters are not used for 3-4 months. When kept refrigerated they still work in my breads every time!

I recently started a cherry Yeast Water which has become my favorite. Although dried cherries cost more than raisins and dates and the baked bread does not taste like cherries, the cherry water generally activates dough faster and the scent is delightful. The water could even be used in a cocktail! I’m still testing results to determined why cherry water seems to react faster than raisin or date water, so if you have a scientific answer please tell.

Baking with Wild Yeast Water

Yeast Water makes up about 20% of the total water weight in my bread recipes. The remaining hydration is tap water. That small amount of Yeast Water is enough to activate fermentation and leaven the dough.

I like making a Yeast Water preferment (like a levain or starter), which enhances the dough for a longer shelf-life bread with improved interior crumb. I think it makes a very bakery quality bread. It could be called my 2.0 version, as described in this post, and is my most frequent way to bake bread.

Or, you can skip the preferment, (as I do when in a hurry) and make the 1.0 version using Yeast Water as part of the total water in a No Knead Overnight method. With or without preferment, both methods produce a crusty long-rise bread that I think will delight!

How to convert sourdough recipes to Wild Yeast Water

Most sourdough starters are made of equal weight flour and water. It’s simple math:
If the recipe calls for 100 grams of sourdough starter, replace the starter with 50 grams Yeast Water and 50 grams flour. Then let that mixture ferment as shown above. I usually use a whole grain flour or a blend of whole grain and rye plus bread flour in the preferment, for a more active fermentation. But if you want plain white bread, then white bread flour will work fine.

For what I call the 1.0 or one-step no-knead bread method, the sourdough replacement amounts become part of the flour and water measurements and all the ingredients are stirred together at once. Like my Super Simple Wild Yeast Water Bread. It also works to include preferment in this method, but try that after you master the 1.0!

For the 2.0 method with a preferment starter, the sourdough replacement amounts are combined and allowed to ferment at 75-80F until bubbly and about 2x the volume. See photos above. This is the method used in my Yeast Water Artisan Bread.

Surprisingly, I’ve found that more Yeast Water in either method does not make the dough rise significantly more or faster. Yeast Water is a live substance and strength varies based on age, fermentation ingredients, and temperature, just like sourdough starter. So you may need to adjust your amounts and fermentation time to your environment or schedule. My recipes provide starting points which have worked repeatedly in my baking.

Bread baking is part science and part intuition learned with practice. We are not making machine-made breads so there will be variations to the process and results. With experience, you’ll be able to adjust to changes in weather, different flours, and scheduling around your own timetable. We learn something with each bake. Just do it, have fun, and enjoy eating and gifting bread!

Basic No Knead Bread Conversion from sourdough Example:

Basic Sourdough Bread ingredients makes one loaf 80%hydration

100g ripe sourdough starter
350g bread flour
100g whole wheat flour
350g water
10g KOSHER Salt

Total weight 910 grams

Basic yeast water Bread Ingredients makes one loaf 80%hydration

400 grams bread flour
100 gRAMS whole wheat flour
350 gRAMS water
50 gRAMS Yeast water
10 gRAMS KOSHER Salt

Total weight 910 grams
notice that 50 grams yeast water and 50 grams additional flour replace the sourdough starter

My Overnight No-Knead Yeast Water Bread and Super Simple Wild Yeast Water Bread use the method above.

Yeast Water Bread with Preferment (levain) Conversion from sourdough

yeast water Bread with Preferment Makes two loaves, 80%hydration
200 GRAMS PREFERMENT -made with 100GRAMS YEAST WATER AND 100GRAMS FLOUR
(this replaces 200g sourdough starter)

700 grams bread flour
200 grams whole wheat flour
600 grams water
100 grams Yeast water
20 GRAMS KOSHER Salt

Total weight 1820 grams
notice that 100 grams yeast water and 100 grams flour in the preferment replaces sourdough starter

Instructions to replace the sourdough starter in traditional sourdough recipe:

This is the method I use in my Simpler than Sourdough Artisan Yeast Water Bread

1. Stir together 100 grams yeast water and 100 grams bread flour, whole grain, rye, or AP flour. I place the
   100 grams Yeast Water and 100 grams flour in a pint jar which is the right size for the mixture to double. Any type of flour will work if the water is active — even rice flour for gluten free bread. But that’s discussion for another time, or write to me and I’ll explain.
2. Cover the jar or container, and let the preferment stand in a warm place, ideally 75-80F, until doubled, about 8-12 hours. It’s helpful to put a rubber band around the jar at the level of the mixture when stirred so you can see how much it rises over time. Since my house isn’t that warm except in summer, it usually takes 12 hours. Or I use my Brod and Taylor Folding Proofer or Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home set at 78F and the preferment doubles in about 8 hours.
3. Replace 100 grams of the 700 grams water in a sourdough recipe with Yeast Water. In this example,
   600 grams tap water plus 100grams Yeast Water. With the 100grams water in the preferment, that is a total of 800grams of water. As ratio to the 1000grams total flour, this will be an 80% hydration dough.

Proceed with the mixing, shaping and baking as your recipe directs for sourdough. I mix the flour, tap water and Yeast Water together first and let it autolyse for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Then mix in the preferment and salt. See directions for Yeast Water Artisan Bread on how to proof and bake.

Now you can bake artisan bread weekly, monthly, or wait even longer with your Wild Yeast Water in the refrigerator, and no upkeep of sourdough starter. Refresh the last 150 grams of Yeast Water following the step-by-step directions and you’ll always have ready-to-use Yeast Water for bread baking.

Click here for how to start your first jar of Yeast Water. Read more about Yeast Water in this post, or download Step-by-Step How to Make Yeast Water.

These are my hardworking tools baking tools. Measuring ingredients accurately and consistently, and knowing the ambient temperature for proofing is really important.

Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer

Brod & Taylor High-Capacity Scale

Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home