I have a new hobby: making bread using homemade wild yeast. It was not easy in the beginning, but once you taste this bread, you don’t want to go back to the bread bought in the shops, you just can’t! The taste, the hours you spent checking the yeast and the bread, all these emotions are difficult to describe with words! Not to forget the joy you see in your children’s eyes! Thanks to Codruta ‘s site and her advice, making bread has become a pleasure during the weekends.
And now, back to soap. Besides my obsession for homemade bread, I have to tell you about this natural ingredient I have been using a lot in soap( you have noticed it) and which has never dissapointed me: indigo. For every challenge which requires multiple colours, one of the colours is indigo :). It’s easy to work with, I just add at trace, direclty to the soap, …most often I got a dark blue, but I know you can also get lovely bright blue using it. (I buy mine here here, in case someone wants to know where I get it).
This soap was made for the ‘spoon swirl’ challenge hosted by Isabelle from ‘Elle bulle’.
Naturelle by Natalia 
Weer een prachtige zeep! Maak je dan zuurdesem brood? Bak ook wel vaker brood maar heb me nog nooit gewaagd aan het maken van de starter voor zuurdesem…spannend :0) groetjes,
Marga
Those soaps look fresh and beautiful, very winter-like! Your bread making sounds interesting. Now I am wondering what is yeast…(don’t have energy to google it right now…)
Thank you, Signe!
A few years ago I was also really obsessed with making bread. I made wild yeast using pineapple juice and flour. After a week of feeding it, it started to become “alive”. That was a very exciting moment! 🙂 Sadly, my starter died after 1.5 years because I neglected it. I hope you get to keep your starter alive for a very long time! There’s nothing like homemade bread. 🙂
Back to soap… Your spoon swirl looks beautiful and elegant, Natalia. I don’t have indigo but I really like its color.
Oh, Silvia,I am glad that you have experience in making bread using wild yeast. I have also heard about adding pineapple to get your wild yeast alive, but I didn’t add it, as it seemed to work only with water also. I am aslo already thinking about how would my started survive during my absence from home etc….In the meantime, I keep my starter( which it’s called ‘maia’) in the fridge and I feed it 3 times before making bread.
But you can always start to make another ‘maia’, don’t you?
You’d be surprised at how resilient the starter is. You can leave it for a week, even a bit longer, without feeding. Just for back up, you can also dehydrate some of it and keep this in your freezer in case something happens to your maia. Or, you can always start a new one, but a mature maia is better than a young one. I can feel your excitement about making your own bread. I’m so happy for you. 🙂 Have you made a no-knead bread?
Yes, Silvia,I made them.
I am glad you know a lot about this subject, Silvia( in case I have a problem, I know I can bother you :).
Have a nice we!
Isn’t it ‘maya’ starter for cheese? We call it same,Natalia
Interesting 😉
My mom makes bread whenever we meet up and she seems to be enjoying doing that. I think she finds it relaxing after her stressful job. I’m not a bread lover, but certainly like better the homemade one. I must admit I’ve never made one! What you and Silvia saying is amazing, never heard before of ‘wild’ yeast. I’ve been learning lot new things with you, guys!
The soap is gorgeous,as always. Did you put poppy seeds in the upper layer?
I also like indigo, but use it quite sparingly, I only have one that you sent me last year.
I heard over wild yeast some months ago, and I was also surprised that it took me so many years to discover it :).
Yes, Maja, those are poppy seeds which I almost forgot to add( you can see it ).
Gorgeous soap, Natalia! The indigo creates such a pretty color, and I love those swirls!
Thank you, Jenny! I wanted a soap similar to your Xmas soap, but my natural red colour was not so strong and I was content with the result.
I started baking more and more lately but I buy commercial yeast. It took me long time, patience and practice to find out how to make decent bread. It seems that making your own yeast is bringing baking on higher level. It really sound interesting! Now, about the soap…I really like this dramatic color contrast. Beautiful, inspiring soap – as always!
Thank you, Gordana!
I also used to make bread with commercial yeast until I I discovered how good can be a bread made with wild yeast!
Ce ma bucur ca faci paine inspirandu-te de la Codruta! Si eu am invatat de la ea, am inceput sa coc direct painea de secara, a fost o mare descoperire!
Sa te bucuri din plin de perioada ramasa pana la Craciun, in miros de paine calda, cu sunet de colinda…
Felicitari pentru sapun, eu inca nu am folosit indigo, insa sper sa vina un timp pentru toate ideile pe care le tot am.
Pupici, cu mult drag pentru omul frumos care esti si pentru ceea ce faci!
Multumesc Aura!
Este unul dintre cele mai frumoase comentarii pe care le am primit aici, si sunt convinsa ca esti si tu un om la fel de frumos!
Cat despre Codrul de paine, suntem norocosi ca o avem pe Codruta, care ne a impartasit din tainele ei…
Te pup.
Is wild yeast that you have a bread starter that you make yourself of water, flour and something sweet and then you “feed” it with flour? I made a few years ago one with apples and buckwheat. It made a wonderful bread.
You made again a beautiful soap. The swirl is so delicate and the color combination is too.
Yes, a starter is made of water and flour, and then you have to feed it every 12 hours (during 7-13 days before you can make bread of it). Nice to know that you used it too!
Thanks Marika! Know that we are missing your posts!
I’ve had homemade bread, but none made with homemade wild yeast…you have me really curious now! This soap is just beautiful too Nat, hope you have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Thank you, Christine! Wild yeast is something special …
Beautiful soap design! I’ve never tried indigo but I love natural ingredients so I would love to give it a try. I would love to try baking bread but I need to find a decent gluten-free recipe (quite a challenge!)
That looks fantastic – love the spoon swirl design! Is indigo easy to use? Where do you get it from? I’m quite keen to start experimenting with natural colours (you’ve inspired me :-D) but I’m not sure where to start.
🙂
I buy indigo here( http://www.aroma-zone.com/aroma/colorants.asp), Vicki. Yes, indigo is very easy to use and I am sure you will like it!
Thanks for the link – I might try to get some for when I start soaping again in a couple of months. I really like the colour.
Natalia, din nou un sapun delicat si deosebit! Imi aduce aminte de vara:) Imi place mult cum iese albastrul cu indigo, o sa-l comand si eu.
Abia astept sa vad ce minunatii vor iesi din mainile tale, Iulia!
mmm, nu heb ik zin in versgebakken brood! 🙂 fijne week!
🙂
Spijtig dat je niet in Brussel woont, Sonja.
N-am facut niciodata piine in casa, de curind am cumparat din supermarket o punga care contine toate ingredientele pentru facut piine, nu-mi ramine decit sa adaug apa, sa framint, sa las amestecul la crescut apoi sa-l pun la copt. Sapunul ti-a iesit minunat, ai obtinut o culoare frumoasa, pupici !
Asa am inceput si eu sa fac paine, Geta, dar cand iti faci propria paine cu drojdia crescuta in casa e altceva. Trebuie sa incerci neaparat. Uita te pe blogul Codrutei 😉
Wild yeast sounds interesting, does it give more of a tang to the bread? I love making bread, both the no knead type and in my bread machine. I haven’t bought bread from the store since I got my bread machine because like you said, it’s hard to go back to something commercially made after you’ve made your own.
I was distracted from reading your post at first because I was instantly grabbed by your beautiful soap! I love the indigo colouring and how you contrasted it with calendua? Simply stunning.
I am glad to know that you also make your own bread, Monica( taking into account all the goodies you make,this doesn’t surprise me).
Thank you, Monica!
Belle année 2014 à toi remplie de nouvelles créations!