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‘As an artisan baker, speaker and always arrives with arms full of his Guerra doesn’t worry about competition from
delicious loaves that he passes out at the end of all the people who learn his methods. “There
these grains have the session. Adventurous bakers can take home are no shortcuts in this business,” he says. “If
a portion of his wild yeast starter to put Guerra’s they are able to pull it off and go out and do it for
opened up my world lessons into immediate use. themselves, great.”
“I’ve taught 600 people how to bake the way I “I work a hundred hours a week, but I’m trying
tremendously.’ do,” he says. “I did a series through UA outreach. I to create a sustainable future for the community.
taught in the social entrepreneurship class at the If I don’t teach these folks to make bread, who
Eller College of Business and lectured to a physics will be our bakers in the future?”
class on the physics of bread.”
Now, with a proper store, Guerra is moving
his popular, always-sold-out classes under his
own roof — and further afield. He’s going to
Taiwan for the second time to teach his business
model of community-supported small-scale 5
baking with local grain through National Taiwan
University’s Bread without Borders initiative. How to Make Bread with Wild Yeast
In late October, he will travel to Seattle to Don Guerra’s bread is made with flour, water
lecture to the Bread Bakers Guild of America on and salt. But those ingredients would be a hard
how to start a community-supported bakery. lump if it were not for the last ingredient: wild
He has already been recognized by his peers, yeast.
having been named one of the Top Ten Bakers in
America by Dessert Professionals magazine last Experienced bakers might like to try Guerra’s
year. method for making bread with wild yeast. He
Guerra credits his education degree with his explains that wild yeast spores are abundant
success. “My work in the College of Education on the grain and in the air: millions of them,
prepared me not only for teaching but also for in fact. You just have to give them the proper
life,” he says. “I’m still in education, but teaching environment in which to grow.
my favorite subject — bread. You don’t leave
your tribe.”
• Mix 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water in a
bowl and let it stand on the kitchen counter
loosely covered. After 24 hours, you should
notice some bubbles. The wild yeast are
digesting the starches in the flour, burping
CO2 and pushing out gas.
• After 48 hours, multiply the yeast colony
by taking a portion of the mixture out and
adding more flour and water. (Discard the
extra flour and water mixture or share with
a friend.) Again, put it aside. After another
8 to 10 hours, it will be strong enough to
leaven your bread. Make a mixture that
is 30 percent by weight of the leavening
mixture with other flours and knead, shape
and proceed as you would with other bread
recipes.
• For the last rising, let the dough rest for 12
hours at around 42 degrees before baking.
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