• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Flavor Bells
  • Recipes
  • Bread
  • Sourdough
  • Drinks
  • Air Fryer
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Bread
  • Sourdough
  • Drinks
  • Air Fryer
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Bread
    • Sourdough
    • Drinks
    • Air Fryer
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    You are here Home » Bread

    No-knead wild yeast bread: It's a Yeast water bread recipe

    May 8, 2021 by Meenakshi 19 Comments

    Please Share!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    By now you would know how obsessed I am with wild yeast-leavened bread. In the last post, I shared my experiments with making wild yeast water. This post is in continuation with the previous one. I will be sharing my easy no-knead wild yeast water bread recipe that is made using raisin yeast water.

    Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

    Table of contents

    • How to make wild yeast water?
    • What are the two methods to make yeast water bread?
    • Method 1: Making bread recipes with starter yeast
      • Recipe for making wild yeast starter
    • Method 2: Making bread recipes with wild yeast Levain
    • Instructions
      • No-kneading/ just combining all the ingredients and bulk rising
      • Shaping and proofing
      • Baking and slicing
    • Some Frequently asked questions

    It's the same method that people have been using for centuries to make bread. Before the sale of commercial yeast started, people have been making bread recipes with sourdough starter, yeast water starter, potato yeast, homemade yeast cakes, etc.

    The convenience and dependence on commercial yeast have made us ignorant of these traditional methods. I think we must learn them and pass them on to our next generations.

    We never know when times like this pandemic will fall on us and we might not be able to source the instant yeast or active dry yeast from the grocery stores. So, in case you are interested in learning about how to capture the wild yeast using fruits, do read the previous post.

    Just a reminder that by wild yeast I am not referring to the sourdough starter here. Though it is also a wild yeast starter, we are specifically referring to the wild yeast captured from the dry fruits.

    Talk about how to make wild yeast water.

    How to make wild yeast water?

    The method to capture the wild yeast from our surroundings is pretty straight and forward. We select organic fruits like apple, blueberry, dry figs or raisin, etc. Put them in filtered water and let them ferment. With minimal daily feeding and maintenance, we will have wild yeast water ready in 5-7 days depending on various factors. I have a complete post on this.

    Procedure to make yeast water using fruits with two methods
    Here I have listed both the methods for making fruit yeast water. For demonstrating the Lazy Method, I have used raisins and made raisin yeast water. Another way is an active feeding one. For showing it, I have used figs and will be making fig yeast water. You can use either of the two ways that suit your needs.
    Check out this recipe
    fig yeast water
    a bread made with wild yeast levain

    What are the two methods to make yeast water bread?

    There are two ways that you can use to make wild fruit yeast bread using yeast water.

    One way is to make a starter from it and maintain it lifelong like a sourdough starter. And continue making bread recipes with the starter yeast. While the other one is an exhaustive method.  Here we directly use the yeast water to bake bread and after 2-3 bakes the yeast water is consumed completely.

    Let us discuss these methods in detail:

    Method 1: Making bread recipes with starter yeast

    In this method, we make a yeast water starter to make bread. Preparing a yeast water starter and maintaining it just like maintaining and feeding the sourdough starter.

    We mix equal quantities of flour and yeast water to prepare a starter.  Now we let it ferment until it doubles in size. We can use it to leaven any kind of bread, once it matures after a few feedings.

    The process is very similar to sourdough starters. We keep discarding the excess and giving fresh feeding to the starter.

     (But you know I'm not in favor of discarding. So, my recommended way of baking with a yeast water starter is discard-free, once it matures a bit.)

    bread starter made with raisin yeast water
    Process of making wild yeast starter

    Maintaining and feeding the yeast water starter:

    Note: This maintenance and feeding schedule will benefit you if you bake once a week

    Day 1: You prepare a yeast water starter ( mix equal quantities of yeast water and whole wheat flour) and let it rise.  Maintain the starter at room temperature for about 4-5 days. After that, when the starter is at its maximum activity and has matured a bit, we will use a part of it to make bread.

    And we will feed the rest of the starter with equal quantities of flour and yeast water.

    Then we will put it in the fridge. You can let it cold ferment for up to a week in the fridge, if you want.

    After 7 days: Then, after seven days, we take out the starter from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

    Feed it and take the amount required for making the bread, when it peaks. We feed the remaining starter with flour and yeast water that was refrigerated( if you are left with it).

    Mix and keep back in the fridge.

    After 14 days: Repeat the process. By the third week, you must have finished your yeast water.

     So from next week, just add filtered water and flour to feed the starter and maintain it just like a sourdough starter. There is no need to make the yeast water again.

    This is a more sustainable method. It will give you a wild yeast starter resting in your fridge that you can use to bake whenever you want.

     The main disadvantage of this method is that it takes a lot of time for fermenting the bread. Especially in the initial few weeks, until the starter becomes stable and sturdy. So, it is a game of patience if you bake with the new starter using a standard starter percentage of 10-20 percent. I recommend maintaining the starter at room temperature for the initial 4-5 days so that it matures a bit.

    yeast water bread

    Please note that: With time your yeast water starter will become sourer and tart like a sourdough starter. By the time I mean somewhere around 4-5 months. And if you have a problem with that, just make another batch of fruit yeast water and repeat the process.

    Recipe for making wild yeast starter

    • Take 70 grams of the raisin yeast water and add 70 grams of whole wheat flour.
    • Mix and let it rest on the kitchen counter. Depending on your ambient kitchen temperature and concentration of yeast culture inside the yeast water, it will take anywhere from 4-7 hours to double in volume.
    • When it has doubled in volume, take out about 70 grams of the starter and feed the remaining 70 grams with 70 grams of whole wheat flour and yeast water.
    • Repeat the process until you deplete the yeast water and then maintain it like a sourdough starter. Replenish with flour and filtered water. By day 4-5 you will have a stable starter.

    Method 2: Making bread recipes with wild yeast Levain

    This is sort of an exhaustive method. If you want to just bake a loaf or two with the wild yeast that you captured, you can use this method.

    In this method, we use the fruit yeast water to just prepare a levain for the wild yeast bread and refrigerate the rest.

    We use the remaining water whenever we want to bake another bread. And once the water is almost finished, we will start again by making the fresh yeast water. We use a little bit of the remaining yeast water to initiate the fermentation process. This makes new yeast water very quickly.

    As you can see, this method requires making the yeast water again and again. This method is particularly helpful when you are not looking for a sour fermented flavor in your bread. Unlike the bread made with method 1, the bread made with this method tastes very similar to the commercial yeast-leavened bread.

    Also, making bread with this method is much quicker as we use a large quantity of yeast water to make levain, it eventually speeds up the bread fermentation in comparison to the starter method.

    So, based on your needs and choices, choose the method that suits you the best.

    bread made with homemade yeast

    Instructions

    This is the method that we will use to make our no-knead wild yeast bread. The purpose of choosing this method is to make quick bread. Not as quick as instant yeast, but pretty close when compared with wild yeast starter bread. Let us discuss the entire method in detail.

    Ingredients for making yeast water levain

    • 124 g whole wheat flour
    • 284 g yeast water

    Process:

    • Into a bowl, I add ⅓ of the total flour to be used in the recipe for making the levain. In this particular recipe, I start by measuring 124 g of whole wheat flour. You can use all-purpose or bread flour (adjust the hydration accordingly). Whole wheat flour has more bran, hence it has a good concentration of naturally occurring yeast. It is neither bleached nor highly refined. So, an ideal flour for creating a starter or levain with wild yeast. Rye flour is also a good option, but probably not ideal to use as ⅓rd flour in a no-knead bread.
    • Then, I hydrate it with the 284 g of room temperature yeast water. Combine well to incorporate water into the flour and make sure it is well combined with no dry flour patches. I cover it and let it ferment until it doubles up.

    Mine took about 4 hours ( in late spring, California)  to rise and become bubbly. The time may vary. So, watch for levain to become a bit bubbly, and you can start making the bread.

    step by step process of making wild yeast levain for baking bread

    No-kneading/ just combining all the ingredients and bulk rising

    I have used a combination of bread flour and whole wheat in this wild yeast bread recipe.

    • When the levain is ready, combine the rest of the flour, water, and salt. Mix with the back of a wooden spatula until everything comes together and becomes a dough. Use hands towards the end if needed.
    • Cover with a cling wrap or a kitchen towel and put it in the refrigerator for bulk rising overnight.

    Since the dough has not been kneaded there will not be much strong gluten structure. But cold fermentation does help with gluten development.

    Shaping and proofing

    • By the next morning, the yeast water bread dough would have doubled in volume. Take it out of the fridge and remove it onto a flour-dusted work surface.
    • Dust your hands with some flour and collect the edges to pre-shape the dough. Collect the edges from sides and tuck them at the center over one another. Now grab the lower edge and fold it over the dough and flip the dough over in a way that it is resting on the surface with all the seams facing down.
    • Let it rest for 5 minutes. Before doing the final shaping of the dough.
    • For shaping the dough, dust your hands and the work surface around the resting dough. Flip the dough with the seam sides now facing you.
    • Stretch the edges outward and tuck them one over the other. Now grab the lower edge, stretch toward yourself and tuck it at the center. Repeat the same with the top edge. Now, gently flip the dough. Using your hands pull the dough gently toward you, to build tension on the surface. Rotate the dough, 90 degrees, and again pull towards yourself.
    • Now using a dough scraper, gently lift the dough and flip into a proofing basket or a bowl with flour-dusted linen.
    • Let the dough proof until it doubles in size. It's important to note that no-knead bread does not get much oven-spring. Reason; not well-developed gluten structure, of course. The same is the story with our wild yeast bread. In such scenarios, our best bet is to let the dough proof well enough that it would yield fluffy bread.

    In other words, you can say that the no-knead bread should be proofed much more than an ideal lean bread.

    step by step process of pre-shaping and shaping the naturally leavened bread
    Pre-shaping and Shaping the Yeast Water Bread

    Baking and slicing

    • Now, preheat the oven to 500 0F and place the Dutch oven inside. Gently transfer the dough onto parchment paper. I like to put a slash on the loaf, to prevent uneven cracking all over the surface and also give the bread some guide to rise along.
    • Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake at 450 0 F for another 20-22 minutes until the loaf becomes brown.
    • Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Please note that the hot bread is still cooking, so give it some time before you start to slice.

    Is wild yeast bread healthy?

    Yes, wild yeast bread is healthier than the baker's yeast-leavened bread. Though the nutrition profile of wild yeast bread and wild yeast bread is very similar. But the bread that is fermented with wild yeast has higher levels of folates and antioxidants.

     Also, it has lower phylates levels. Phylates form complexes with various minerals and other nutrients and hence hinders their absorption. Since wild yeast bread has a lower level of phylates, it allows better nutrient absorption.

    no-knead bread
    5 Fried sourdough starter recipes
    Fried sourdough is just delicious! Sometimes when you are looking to use the accumulated sourdough discard, you need a quick recipe like this. Instead of going for elaborate recipes, this quick and easy fried sourdough starter bread recipe comes in handy. These are 5 ways that you can fry the sourdough starter or the sourdough discard, to make quick flavorful pan-fried bread.
    Check out this recipe
    savory sourdough fried pancakes

    Some Frequently asked questions

    Can you use liquid yeast water to make bread?

    Liquid yeast water can be used to make a yeast water starter. The starter can be then used to bake bread just like a sourdough starter. Alternatively, liquid yeast water can be used to directly make a levain and leaven bread.

    How can you make yeast water?

    Making yeast water is very simple.  We put fresh fruits or dry fruits with some added sugar in a jar of filtered water. Just make sure to choose the organic fruits. In my personal experience, I have seen that dry fruits like dates, dry figs, and raisins make yeast water quicker than fresh fruits. I have a detailed post on making fruit yeast water.

    What is the difference between commercial yeast and wild yeast?

     Well, they are almost the same thing. Both the commercial and wild yeast is nothing but Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sugar-eating fungus. The only difference is that they occur differently and mostly they are different strains of the same species. The baker's yeast, nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast, or wild yeast, have almost the same genetic makeup. There is very little difference genetically, but it does make a whole lot of difference in terms of flavor in the resultant product. There are more than 8000 strains of yeast as it is found almost everywhere worldwide.
    The Baker’s yeast is cultured strains that have been monitored for their performance and activity. They have more controlled activity and are more reliable than wild yeast.

    How long can we store wild yeast bread?

    Wild yeast bread lasts longer than commercial yeast-risen bread. The sourdough bread has a longer shelf life than the rest because it is more acidic and the food spoiling bacteria and molds do not develop that easily.
    Freshly baked wild yeast bread can last 4-6 days at room temperature without any chemical preservatives.

    Quick sourdough starter recipe with minimum discard
    This recipe creates a small volume starter with minimum discard.  Since the starter volume is less, it peaks very fast and you will have to feed it 3-4 times a day. This quick feeding will help to mature and stabilize the starter much quicker than any other conventional recipe( where you feed cups of starter 2 times a day). That is why I call it a quick sourdough starter.
    Check out this recipe
    quick sourdough starter
    • How to make yeast water with fruits?
    • How to bake perfect bread in Instant pot
    • A complete guide for wheat pita bread: sourdough/ Yeast
    • How to make sourdough hot dog buns from scratch?


    An easy recipe for Rainbow Bread
    An easy recipe for making rainbow bread using sourdough starter or active dry yeast. Detailed instructions from which colors to choose to How to color the dough and make the rainbow swirl bread! A fun bread to make for kids on special occasions.
    Check out this recipe
    rainbow bread recipe
    Sourdough hot dog buns
    These soft and delicious sourdough hot dog buns will become your absolute favorite. They have a rich and tender crumb with a crust that is stronger than the store-bought ones. They will hold your toppings and dressings well and will not fall apart. This is an eggless recipe that can be easily modified into a vegan version.( read post)
    Check out this recipe
    hot dog buns made up of sourdough starter

    If you found this recipe useful, do not forget to share it with your friends. We would highly appreciate a comment and a rating! It helps me create more resources like this.

    Happy wild yeast baking!

    yeast water bread
    Print Pin
    5 from 9 votes

    Wild yeast bread recipe using the wild yeast water

    This is the most simple no-knead, wild yeast bread recipe. This naturally leavened bread is made with raisin yeast water. The fruit yeast water is used to prepare a levain, which gives this bread a perfect texture.
    Course Bread
    Cuisine American
    Keyword bread from homemade yeast, wild yeast bread, yeast water bread
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
    Servings 10
    Calories 45kcal
    Author Meenakshi

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for the Yeast water levain

    • 124 g whole wheat flour
    • 284 g yeast water Room temperature

    Ingredients for the yeast water bread

    • Levain
    • 248 g bread flour
    • 170 g water
    • 8 g salt

    Instructions

    • In a big bowl, add 124 g of whole wheat flour. Then, hydrate it with the 284 g of room temperature yeast water.
    • Combine well to incorporate water into the flour and make sure it is well combined with no dry flour patches.
    • Cover it and let it ferment until it doubles up. Mine took about 4 hours. The exact time will depend on your ambient kitchen temperature and the vigor of yeast water. So, watch the levain for the rise. It should become a bit bubbly.
    • Now, combine the rest of the flour, water, and salt. Mix with the back of a wooden spatula until everything comes together and becomes a dough. Use hands towards the end if needed.
    • Cover with a cling wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough cold rise in the refrigerator overnight. (Cold fermentation helps with gluten development process)
    • By the next morning, the dough would have doubled in volume. Take it out of the fridge and remove it onto a flour-dusted work surface.
    • Dust your hands with some flour and collect the edges to pre-shape the dough. Collect the edges from sides and tuck them at the center over one another. Now grab the lower edge and fold it over the dough and flip the dough over in a way that it is resting on the surface with all the seams facing down.
    • Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Before doing the final shaping.
    • For shaping the dough, dust your hands and the work surface around the resting dough with some flour. Flip the dough with the seam sides now facing you.
    • Stretch the edges outward and tuck them one over the other. Now grab the lower edge, stretch toward yourself and tuck it at the center. Repeat the same with the top edge. Now, gently flip the dough.
    • Using your hands pull the dough gently toward you, to build tension on the surface. Rotate the dough, 90 degrees, and again pull towards yourself.
    • Now using a dough scraper, gently lift the dough and flip into a proofing basket or a bowl with flour-dusted linen.
    • Let the dough proof until it doubles in size.
    • Preheat the oven to 500 0F with a Dutch oven placed inside.
    • Gently transfer the dough onto parchment paper. I like to put a slash on the loaf, to prevent uneven cracking all over the surface and also give the bread some guide to rise along.
    • Bake covered for 20 minutes at 450 0F. Remove the lid and bake for another 20-22 minutes until the loaf becomes brown.
    • Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.

    Notes

    Recipe notes:

    • It's important to note that no-knead loaves of bread do not get much oven-spring. Reason; not well-developed gluten structure, of course. Now in such scenarios, our best bet is to let the dough proof well enough that it would yield a fluffy bread.
    • You can substitute whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour or bread flour. But, whole wheat flour has more bran, hence it has a good concentration of naturally occurring yeast. It is neither bleached nor highly refined. So, an ideal flour for creating a starter or levain with wild yeast.
    • Let the loaf cool for at least half an hour before slicing. Please note that the hot bread is still cooking, so give it some time before you start to slice.
     

    Nutrition facts

    nutrition facts about the wild yeast bread

    Pin for Later!

    Yeast water bread by the flavor bells

    More Bread

    • a spoon of ghee on the freshly cooked nachni roti which a gluten free roti
      Ragi Roti: Gluten Free Roti
    • chocolate buns in a baking tray with some chocolate pieces places in a separate bowl
      Chocolate buns
    • a challah bread made up of sourdough starter without any egg
      Easy Sourdough Challah
    • a closeup shot of the slices of the sourdough cinnamon raisin bread
      Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

    Please Share!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stephani

      July 19, 2021 at 11:28 am

      If I knead the dough will it develop more gluten?

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        July 25, 2021 at 6:06 pm

        Yeah sure, why not. Go ahead.

        Reply
    2. Heidy

      May 11, 2021 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      This No-knead wild yeast bread was very good and I was impressed with how easy it was to make. I will be keeping this recipe in my files to make again.

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:40 pm

        Hope you will like it.

        Reply
    3. Jessica Formicola

      May 11, 2021 at 11:27 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow, I can't wait to make a batch of this bread soon! There is nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread!

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:39 pm

        can't agree more.

        Reply
    4. veenaazmanov

      May 11, 2021 at 11:16 am

      5 stars
      This Bread look soft and perfectly baked. Very interesting recipe too. Easy as well.

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:39 pm

        Hey, Veenaazmanov, glad you liked it.

        Reply
    5. Lyn

      May 11, 2021 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      This bread looks amazing and I love the idea of using wild yeast! Bookmarking this to come back to later!! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:38 pm

        sure.. glad you found it useful.

        Reply
    6. Biana

      May 10, 2021 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      This bread looks delicious! I love how simple it is to make, will be perfect with some butter and soup.

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:38 pm

        O yeah.. sure.

        Reply
    7. Jessie

      May 10, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      5 stars
      I love fresh bread, this is going to be made this weekend!

      Reply
    8. Serena

      May 10, 2021 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      This bread looks delicious! I have never tried yeast water in bread. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:37 pm

        Hey Serene, it's a fun experience to make your own wild yeast water. I am sure you will love it.

        Reply
    9. Brianna

      May 10, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      We love making our own bread and I can't wait to try making wild yeast water.

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:36 pm

        Do give it a try??

        Reply
    10. Amy

      May 10, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      Wow what an amazing recipe! I never knew bread that didn't need kneading ever existing let alone what wild yeast was. We have been on a bread making journey of late and I have to try this! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Meenakshi

        May 14, 2021 at 3:34 pm

        Hey Amy, So glad you found it useful.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, Welcome!

    We are a vegetarian and egg-free blog where you will find easy vegetarian recipes for all occasions. People are loving our sourdough and bread recipes.

    More about me →

    Popular Bread Recipes

    • sourdough chocolate bread texture
      Sourdough chocolate bread recipe: Easy and delicious !
    • Japanese milk bread with sourdough
      How to make Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Bread
    • wheat pita bread
      A complete guide for wheat pita bread: sourdough/ Yeast
    • hot dog buns made up of sourdough starter
      How to make sourdough hot dog buns from scratch?

    SUBSCRIBE

    Signup for the new recipes!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    Popular Air-Fryer Recipes

    • a stack of Frozen spring rolls made in air fryer
      Frozen spring rolls in air fryer: Quick, easy, and crispy!
    • 7 air fried biscuits
      A Guide to Make Biscuits in Air Fryer
    • 10 frozen potstickers made in air fryer served in a plate with sauces
      Frozen potstickers in air fryer: The best way to make frozen dumplings
    • cumin spiced air fryer frozen broccoli
      Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli Spiced to Perfection!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 theflavorbells.com