Got my pickup order today. No yeast 
Anybody try making the potato yeast? https://practicalselfreliance.com/potato-yeast-starter/
I make whole wheat bread every week, and I add a couple tablespoons of vital gluten to get a nice rise & fluffier texture. I haven’t been able to get flour, and I only have enough for one more loaf. I hope that I can find whole wheat flour soon!
Sorry the link I choose for beer bread bothered some. I was simply googling for a simple beer bread recipe that was the same as mine since I was too lazy to get up and pull out my recipe book. lol. I don’t know anything about Half Baked Harvest except that her recipe is very similar to mine.
And yes, it is quite good and worth trying - esp if you like beer.
Meanwhile, I’m waiting for Passover to end so I can bake bread again. I have a Magic Mill mixer that just died the last time I used it (a week before Passover) so I’ll be trying some new bread recipes that don’t require a mixer. The appliance repair shop that specialized in repair of this mixer is in an area that is very heavily impacted by covid, so it will be a while before I can run it up there for repair.
For those who cant find yeast, ask at the service desk. Thats how I find mine; all the stores were out, finally I asked at the service desk and they had a stash, one per customer.
I broke down and ordered yeast from modernist pantry.
My local Meijer had lots of all purpose white and wheat flour on Monday @kelsmom. I didn’t see any yeast though. No bread flour
@kelsmom Laurainthekitchen (website) recently posted a recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread that called for vital gluten (which I don’t have). She said you can just leave it out. I only have a small amount of wheat flour so I don’t want to waste it. What do you think?
You can make wheat bread without the vital gluten. It tastes fine, it’s just more dense than it would be with it.
My daughter reported today that she got everything on her list except yeast. I had to tell her about the yeast shortage.
See the things I learn here?
Making the instant pot bread. Used the olive oil but not the rosemary. Didn’t sound good but I added some Parmesan.
I found that my glass lid to my skillet fits perfectly on the instant pot. So I’m able to check how my bread is rising. The yeast I found earlier in the week is older but not expired. Looks like it is working.
I bought yeast from a local coffee shop. I also noticed that several restaurants are selling flour and yeast. One local restaurant is even selling sourdough starter.
I got my yeast from modernist pantry. It was a lot of yeast! Opps!
Baking my instant pot bread right now, used an old package of yeast I found. Not sure how it’s going to turn out.
BTW - kneading bread is simple, fun and good exercise for your arms and hands. It’s my favorite part and gets you up close and intimate with the dough. If your mixer is broken, and even if its not, try kneading the dough!
@deb922 let us know how the Instant Pot bread turns out! I baked a no knead batch today and while it was delicious in flavor and a great crust it barely had any rise. I’ll call it flatbread!!! I wonder if I did too much add-in’s.
I am a bread maker gal. My ancient bread maker died in late December, and my H bought me a new one for my birthday. I make awesome rolls using it!
Verdict, it wasn’t great. Tasted like a hard crusty focaccia. Too yeasty and dense for us.
I’m not sure if it was old yeast. Or the olive oil. But my first attempt wasn’t the best. H loves bread, only ate one piece. I threw half a loaf in the garbage and I’ve been trying not to waste food.
My D made Mark Bittman’s no knead bread. It was not difficult to follow the recipe. However, you have to let your dough sit for 18 hours, so it’s not a one-day thing. That being said, the bread turned out well. D used a Le Creuset dutch oven.
For those still looking, our local flour mill appears to have yeast:
Our local Great Harvest bakery will sell you sourdough starter.
I also found 3 recipes that only use a tiny amount of yeast. Just 1/8 or 1/4 tsp.
Focaccia
https://www.budgetbytes.com/no-knead-focaccia/
Ciabatta
https://www.budgetbytes.com/no-knead-ciabatta/
Pizza dough
https://www.budgetbytes.com/knead-pan-pizza/
@bookreader – all of the above recipes are No Knead recipes.
I seldom make bread that requires kneading anymore. If you make a slack (wet) dough and let it rise slowly (typically around anywhere from 8-24 hours) it will knead itself! (The dough will form its own gluten strands just like kneading does and will rise just as well as kneaded dough.)
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day Master Recipe:
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2013/10/22/the-new-artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-is-launched-back-to-basics-updated/
Beer bread recipes are working great when lacking yeast or self-rising flour. In a pinch, use hard iced tea or any other malt beverage available. It gives off a unique color when done.
What is the benefit of letting your dough rise in a basket vs. a bowl?