Your First Yeast WaterLoaf

Authentic Bread Flavor

This recipe is different from anything else in the pantry, so let me explain what you're looking at. Yeast water is naturally leavened bread without sourdough. Instead of a flour-based starter, you're using fermented fruit water. You take fruit, add water, let wild yeast do its thing, and what develops is a bubbly, active culture capable of raising bread. Bakers have been doing this for centuries, long before commercial yeast existed. If you've never worked with yeast water before, here's what to expect. It's slower than commercial yeast. Plan for bulk fermentation times of 6-10 hours, not 1-2. It's milder than sourdough. You won't get tang. You'll get subtle complexity and gentle fruit notes instead. And it's more forgiving than a sourdough starter. Yeast water can sit in your fridge for a couple weeks without drama. It can be frozen. It can be dried. For bakers who don't bake every day, that flexibility matters. This recipe assumes you already have active yeast water ready to go. If you don't, or if you want to understand the full process from creating your culture to troubleshooting your bake, I've put together a complete free course called The Yeast Water Method at Crust & Crumb Academy. Seven modules covering everything. Start there if you're new to this. If you've got bubbling yeast water on your counter and you're ready to bake, this is your recipe. Your first loaf is data, not a performance. Did it rise? Did you get oven spring? Is it edible? That's success. Everything else is learning for next time. Let's make some bread.