Active Spelt Yeast: How to Use It

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For some time now, TiBioNa has been offering active spelt yeast, a revolutionary alternative to brewer's yeast that can improve many aspects of baked goods:

• Digestibility
• Flavour
• Aroma
• Preservation...

Many customers ask how to use it best, and in light of this, I thought I would illustrate the preparation process in detail along with some technical insights.

Ingredients for Wholemeal Bread

• 100g of wholemeal flour (spelt, kamut, wheat, rye)
• 10g of active spelt yeast
• 2.5g of whole salt
• 60ml of water

Ingredients for White Bread

• 100g of flour type "0", "00" or "2" (the best is Manitoba, followed by traditional wheat, kamut, spelt)
• 10g of active spelt yeast
• 2.5g of whole salt
• 55ml of water

Procedure (identical for both)

Knead the ingredients until the dough is smooth and homogeneous (about 10 min.), place it in a floured container and seal it with cling film. Leave it at a temperature of 25-27° for 8 hours, then shape the bread, flour it, and let it rise for another 2 hours (covered with a cotton cloth). Bake at 180° until the surface is slightly golden (20-30 min.).

F.A.Q

• Is active spelt yeast identical to that made with the traditional method?

It is very similar but differs slightly in that the production process involves the selection of thermo-resistant micro-organisms, therefore, active spelt yeast has a standardised microflora while that produced with the traditional method has a richer and more heterogeneous microflora.

• How can I make it similar to the traditional one?

Simply over time it becomes "contaminated" by the microorganisms present in the air, water, and flour (a few days are enough). They will modulate the flora making it identical to that of sourdough, or to speed up the process, you can add ingredients that provide lactic, acetic bacteria and different yeasts, such as ripe fruit (e.g. apple) and honey.

• When do I add them?

I suggest in this case to make a pre-dough and not to use it directly for the preparation of the bread (it could alter the flavour of the bread).

• If I do not use all the spelt yeast, what should I do with it?

You can use it for subsequent doughs to avoid the "inconvenience" of maintaining the sourdough with various feedings.

• If I want to create a sourdough from the dried one that I can use forever, how do I do it?

Follow the same recipe for the bread (as described above) excluding the salt, let everything ferment at 25-27° and store it in the fridge (in a floured container sealed with film). Remember that you will need to add flour and water at least once a week to keep it alive (feedings).

• How?

Add the same ingredients and in the same quantity that you used in the preparation: if for example, you prepared it with 100g of flour and 55ml of water, add 100g of flour and 55ml of water (obviously you should no longer use the dried yeast!), knead everything and leave it 10 at 25-27°. Then store it in the fridge with the same previous criteria (film and container).

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