make your own yeast, how to make your own yeast
Food

Biologist Explains How To Make Your Own Yeast In Viral Twitter Thread

People have been hoarding all sorts of unexpected items as families around the world shut their doors against the threat of COVID-19 and hunker down inside for the time being. Toilet paper gets snatched up as soon as the store opens, no one has seen a Clorox wipe in weeks, but perhaps the most unexpected item to be cleaned off grocery store shelves is yeast.

Yes, in times of chaos and uncertainty, all of humanity collectively decided to pick up bread baking as a hobby, thus creating a shortage of yeast across the land.

Except, there’s never a shortage of yeast, not really.

Biologist Sudeep Agarwala learned that people were panicking in search of yeast and decided to share his knowledge and solve all our problems.

First, Agarwala says, you need to round up some dried fruit. You can also use fresh fruit skin, but it needs to go unwashed, something even the most daring among us likely aren’t willing to risk with novel coronavirus lingering on far too many surfaces as is.

Then, you just add water and flour.

Put the fruit or fruit skins in a jar and add some water to make your yeast come alive.

“If you stir the fruit around, you’ll notice the water gets slightly cloudy,” he writes. “That’s the yeast!”

An equal amount of flour comes next. And panicked shoppers will be pleased to know that any type of flour should do the trick — a relief considering those shelves are pretty much wiped clean now, too.

Now you’re well on your way to bubble town, which is exactly where you want to be.

Heat and patience come next, but neither have to be purchased in advance on a careful trip to the grocery store, so you’re probably in fine shape here.

“You’ll want to keep this warm (but not hot),” Agarwala instructs. “Hug it while you binge Netflix. Cuddle it while you yearn for human touch once again.”

That’s when the bubbles start happening. It could take 24-48 hours, and that’s when our knowledgeable Twitter yeast master says you “take a tiny bit of the fruit/flour/water mix, and add it to 30-40mL of water, add flour, and repeat.”

It’s a fun activity for anyone cooped up inside and looking for a little excitement, even if you aren’t keen on joining the growing league of amateur bakers.

Fruit isn’t the only thing you can start out with to make yeast; you can get creative. But whatever way you go, Agarwala says, “it always feels like there’s a bit of magic around whenever it works.”

People are already sharing their results and mid-process photos after taking on Agarwala’s challenge.

If only this could solve all our problems…

More food & drink hobbies for quarantine:

Rachel Kiley