Yeast

 What is yeast? Yeast is a fungi it is all around us. Yeast helps us make bread and beer. There are over a thousand kinds of yeast. Yeast has been around for thousands of years because people have found wine in ancient structures. Yeast produces carbon dioxide when it eats the sugar and causes the bubbles in bread.

Equipment:

• Spoon
• Kettle
• Bowl
• Beaker
• Cloth Sieve
• Funnel
• Plastic (PET) bottle and cap.

Materials:

Bug (for a group of 3)

• 50ml warm water
• 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Ginger beer ( for 1 Litre )

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1L cold water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp ginger beer bug.

Method:

1.  In a large bowl, put sugar and cream of tartar, then add the warm water.
2.  Stir to dissolve the sugar before adding the cold water.
3.  Add the ginger beer bug to the large bowl of cold water.
4.  Stir well and then pour into your clean bottle.
5.  Label your bottle with you group names.
6.  Place all the bottles in the class container.
7.  Store in a cool, dark place for one week before drinking.
8.  Make sure you open the bottle in the kitchen sink as it might overflow. Open the cap bit by bit to allow the air to escape.

• The ginger beer must be drunk over the 6 days
• You most provide your own bottle.

What is fermentation? Fermentation is when the yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol.

What effect does sugar have on yeast? Yeast will eat the sugar and produces carbon dioxide.

What are 3 foods that have yeast? Bread, beer, muffins

Today we made ginger beer in class. We did this by activating the yeast first by adding sugar to the yeast, putting some ginger and warm water in a cup together. Once we had done this we put it to the side and left it to ferment while we made the rest of the ginger beer. 

We made the ginger beer in an ice cream container by adding first the sugar, then the water, some lemon juice and lastly the ginger beer bug. 

Once everything was mixed up we put it in a bottle. It is going to take about 6 days to turn into ginger beer. Mr Palmer is going to keep it in his office for the next week.