Yeast and where you can benefit from it

Yeast and where you can benefit from it

I know this is quite an opening statement for a blog and everything in you wants to scream “Candida”! I’ve recently taken up the challenge of making my own sourdough starter and making slowly fermented sourdough breads. What a treat! Let’s have a closer look at yeast and where it can be found.

Yeast is an organism that needs food, warmth and moisture to grow. It is part of the fungus family. Yeast converts carbohydrates or starches to carbon dioxide and alcohol thus creating fermentation. It is used in baking as a leavening or raising agent as well as brewing of alcoholic beverages.

An overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract is caused by Candida. Candida Albicans are opportunistic pathogens and can cause infections in humans. This overgrowth can cause many symptoms like tiredness and fatigue, recurring genital or urinary tract infections, digestive issues, sinus infections, joint pain, skin and nail fungal infections etc. To clear a candida infection you need to starve the candida by taking away its food which is refined carbohydrates and sugar. Then you need to kill the fungi and eliminate it. Finally you need to re-colonize your digestive tract with pro-biotics etc.

Brewer’s yeast:

This yeast is used in the production of beer and bread. It can also be used as a nutritional supplement because it is a rich source of chromium. It helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, as well as being an excellent source of B-Vitamins. It also acts as a probiotic, so it aids digestion. According to studies done, this yeast does not cause or worsen yeast infections.

Breastfeeding moms can benefit from it because it is high in iron, protein and B-vitamins. It is well known for its ability to increase milk supply. Brewer’s yeast can however cause gas, bloating and headaches for some people. Some even say that it is a cure for insomnia!

Fresh yeast:

This is compressed or cake yeast. It is an active yeast and is sold in tiny cakes in the fridge in some supermarkets. It does not keep well.

Instant yeast:

These are the most commonly used yeasts and are sold in small packages. This comes in dried, granular form that can be added directly to the flour when baking.

Active dry yeast:

This is a product made through specially cultured fresh yeast by being pressed, dried and dehydrated to maintain its strong fermentation ability. The pressed yeast is then extruded into a thin strip or small sphere and then dried.

Active yeast needs to be dissolved in water before using, where as instant yeast can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients. This is dormant and needs to be “proofed” and rehydrated.

These yeasts need starch or molasses to feed on during the production and manufacturing process. Manufacturers then add ammonium sulphate, urea and nitrogen containing chemicals. After sterilisation, this sludge is then granulated and dried. I think you need to make your own conclusion if this sounds healthy!

Wild yeast and starter cultures:

 I’ve heard many stories of families and bakeries that have passed on their sourdough cultures or colonies of yeast, all carefully loved through generations to make their daily bread. Just stone ground flour, salt, water , sourdough culture and time. That is all it is. No preservatives.

Some starters are made with boiled potato water that has been cooled to attract and feed the wild yeast present in the air around us. Some people use the skins of organic grapes or raisins. Other traditional cultures are made with a mixture of flour and water that needs to be fed everyday.

Lactic acid forms through bacteria that is found in fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, pickles and kimchi. The natural yeast breaks down harmful enzymes in grains, making vitamins and minerals more easily available for digestion. It converts dough into a more nutritious food source that won’t  necessarily cause the same reactive behaviour in your body as “instant” breads would. Less heartburn, less fatigue and less stomach cramps. It satisfies your hunger and keeps you feeling fuller for longer than “normal shop” bread  would.

I read an article about a bakery that bakes sourdough bread using the slow fermentation process. They then sent a bread sample away for testing. Commercial wheat and rye breads had 20 000 small gluten parts per million, and the slowly fermented sourdough cultured bread had less than 80 small gluten parts per million. If you had to compare the two, the fermented bread almost looks gluten free, doesn’t it?

This does not mean consuming sourdough bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner now! But looking at the broader picture, it might just make meal planning a whole lot easier if you can include slowly fermented sourdough bread.

I have personally not had any candida flare ups since making my own breads. With all the good reviews and research that shows better nutrient absorption, improved gut health and better glycaemic index results, it is worth a try. There are many websites explaining how to create a sourdough culture and how to make the bread. If you don’t feel up to the challenge, then stop at Woolworths and try their slowly fermented breads and see how it makes you feel. I’m not guaranteeing preservative free bread though.

Nutritional yeast:

This is one of my favourite ingredients to use in the kitchen! Lovely over popcorn, making “cheese” sauce or to add a parmesan type flavour to dishes without having to add dairy. Another name for nutritional yeast is “nooch” or “yeshi”- an Ethipian name for “a thousand”. It greatly enhances the flavour of especially vegetarian and savoury dishes without adding harmful MSG. It adds fibre, protein, B-vitamins and zinc to your diet.

Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast and comes in flakes, granules or powder form. This yeast feeds on sugar cane and beet molasses when growing. It is then deactivated and pasteurised during processing. This yeast is anti-viral, anti- bacterial and can boost the immune system.

After having  enjoying bread in Europe and not being left feeling  half paralysed, it got me thinking why many of their breads did not leave me feeling physically terrible. Was it because I was relaxed and my digestive system was happy there? Or was it because of the art of slow fermented dough that was made with love and passion?

Lizelle

Recipes:

Buckwheat flapjacks:

1 Cup buckwheat 

2 Cups water

1 Cup oats

Quarter cup tapioca

Salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

-Soak buckwheat in water in the blender for half an hour. Blend a few times during that time.

-Add the oats and blend. Add more water if it is too thick.

-Add salt, tapioca flour and xanthan gum.

-Blend again until a thick batter forms. Add more water of it is too think.

-Fry spoonfuls in a little coconut oil, flip and flip again if necessary.

*Top with guacamole, baby spinach and roasted peppers for a meal. Be creative!

*Add blueberries to the batter just before frying.

Apple and celery snack: (1 portion)

This snack may sound awful, but it is so satisfying. The crunch from the apple and celery, protein from the pumpkin seeds, and fattiness in the coconut cream is exactly what your body needs mid- morning or mid- afternoon. Even a little saltiness from the celery.

1 Diced green apple

Diced celery (about 15cm piece)

3 Tbsp coconut cream

A few Tbsp ground pumpkin seeds

-Mix everything together and munch away!

Mexican nacho bowl:

This recipe is one of our family’s favourite comforting dishes, and I think it might be hubby’s 

number 1!

1 Red onion diced

Mixed peppers diced

4 Chopped tomatoes

Cooked black beans

Quarter tsp masala

Quarter tsp cumin

Quarter tsp paprika

Fresh thyme

1 Small tomato paste cup

Fresh avo

Little water

Lemon juice

Salted nacho corn chips

-Fry the onion until translucent, add peppers and fry.

-Add spices, fry for 1 minute.

-Add tomatoes, simmer until soft.

-Add beans, tomato paste and a little water.

-Simmer with a lid on for about 10 minutes.

-Add salt to taste.

-Place the warm bean mixture into a breakfast bowl.

-Top with fresh avo and crushed nacho corn chips.

-Drizzle with lemon juice.

Peanut butter chocolate squares:

1 Cup unsalted unsweetened peanut butter

Half to 1 cup desiccated coconut.

1 Slab dark chocolate.

3 Tbsp raw honey

-In a mixing bowl, mix peanut butter with desiccated coconut until a thick consistency.

-Spread onto a small baking sheet that has wax wrap on. About 2 cm thick.

-Melt chocolate and add 1 Tbsp peanut butter to the melted chocolate.

-Pour chocolate over peanut butter “dough”.

-Spread evenly, careful not to mix the layers.

-Freeze, cut into squares.

-Place in a sealed container in the fridge. Defrost 5 minutes before serving.

Mini carrot cake delights:

Our youngest daughter and I would have one of these everyday if we could! She says it tastes a little like fruit cake which she loves and I despise. Try it and see what you think. Don’t be fooled by the small portions, but they are so mourish, and filling.

1 Cup almonds

1 Cup grated carrots

Three quarter cup soaked dates (soaking water removed)

Quarter cup coconut oil slightly melted

Quarter tsp clove powder

Half a tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Quarter cup oats or coconut flour

-Oven 180 degrees Celsius.

-Spray a silicone muffin pan.

-Add the nuts to the food processor and grind until fine.

-Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and mix until a “dough” comes together.

-Add a quarter cup oats or coconut flour to the mixture to absorb some of the moisture.

-Divide into 6 silicone cups. It will only be about 3cm high.

-Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges turn golden and crispy.

-Cool completely BEFORE removing it from the silicone cups by slightly pushing the silicone cup upwards from the bottom.

*If you don’t have a silicone cupcake mould, then lift carefully out of a normal cupcake pan.

-Serve dolloped with coconut cream or whipped cream.