The following Wild Yeast Recipes are excerpts from the new book Wild Yeast by Mouni Abdelli.

TURMERIC AND BLACK CUMIN BREAD STEPS

Ingredients

  • 200 g of active starter
  • 300 to 350 g of water
  • 500 g of type T65 (high-gluten) wheat flour
  • 3 tablespoons of powdered curcuma
  • 3 tablespoons of black cumin seeds
  • 10 g of salt

Autolysis: Pour the water, turmeric, and flour into a large bowl. Mix briefly with a wooden spoon to thoroughly combine. Let stand for a 30- to 60-minute autolysis.

Adding the starter: Add the starter by mixing it into the dough using a wooden spoon or a dough mixer with a kneading hook. Knead until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover with a cloth and let stand for another 20 minutes.

Incorporating the salt: Add the salt and knead again until it is well integrated into the dough.

First rise and folds: Lightly round the dough with wet hands, cover, and let stand for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the room temperature. Make a first fold after 30 minutes, adding the black cumin seeds, and then three more folds at 45-minute intervals. Transfer the dough into a greased container, fold down one last time, and put into the refrigerator overnight.

Dividing and pre-shaping: The next day, turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide it into two halves with the pastry cutter, or leave it as is to make one large loaf. Pre-shape, without pressing too hard.

 

SOFT CARAMELIZED WAFFLES

 

Ingredients

  • 200 g of active starter
  • 275 g of type T55 (all-purpose) white flour
  • 120 ml of milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 160 g of melted butter
  • 150 g of pearl sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

STEPS

  1. Start by using a wooden spoon to mix the starter, the flour, and the milk. The batter might seem a little dry, but that is totally normal. Let it stand for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the room temperature; the batter should double in volume.
  2. Transfer the fermented batter into the bowl of a food processor equipped with a flat beater. Add the eggs, along with the pinch of salt, and start mixing. At first, it will seem like the batter is not becoming homogenized, like a puff pastry batter, but as you keep beating it, it will become smoother and more uniform.
  3. Once the eggs are incorporated, gradually add the melted butter, beating continually the whole time. Increase the speed of the food processor to make the batter nicely uniform.
  4. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, incorporate the pearl sugar.
  5. Preheat the waffle iron and put in a little bit of the batter, using a tablespoon; close the waffle iron and keep an eye on the baking. The waffles should come out golden and caramelized.

When taking the waffles out of the waffle iron, be careful not to burn yourself on the caramel, which will still be boiling hot. Use two forks to unstick them, and let them cool down a little before eating them.

WILD YEAST DOUGHNUTS

 

Ingredients

  • 150 g of active starter
  • 150 ml of warm milk
  • 50 g of powdered sugar
  • 150 g of eggs
  • 70 g of softened butter
  • 450 g of type T55 or T45 (pastry or all-purpose) wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 7 g of salt

STEPS

Preparing the dough: In the bowl of the food processor, dissolve the active starter in the warm milk. Add the eggs, the vanilla, and the sugar, then mix. Add the flour and the salt and start kneading. Once the dough is uniform, start incorporating the softened butter, continuing to knead the whole time. The dough should be smooth and shiny.

First rise: Transfer the dough to a greased container and cover. Let it stand for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature. After this first resting period, lightly punch down the dough with the palm of your hand. Cover and put into the refrigerator overnight.

Division and cutting out: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, using a pastry roller, flatten it to a thickness of 1.5 cm. Using a cookie cutter or a cup, cut out the doughnuts. As you cut them out, place them on a plate covered in floured parchment paper.

Second rise: Let the doughnuts stand for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at room temperature. They should double in volume.

Frying: Heat oil in a pot or preheat the fryer. Submerge the doughnuts in the hot oil, monitoring them as they fry. As soon as they start rising back to the surface, turn them over and fry them until they are golden brown. Drain each one, as it is finished, on a wire rack.

Glaze: You can glaze the doughnuts with powdered sugar, melted chocolate, or cinnamon sugar. Eat them while they are still warm, if possible!