Sourdough bread is made with a culture of yeast and bacteria naturally present in flour, giving it a unique sour taste. It can be made with just flour and water, and a well-maintained culture can last for years. It is one of the oldest types of bread and is used in various cultures worldwide. San Francisco sourdough bread is particularly famous.
Sourdough bread is unique because it doesn’t require any store-bought yeast, like other yeast breads. It features a culture of yeast and symbiotic bacteria that is naturally derived from microorganisms present in the flour. A starter culture can be added, especially to produce a specific flavor, such as that associated with the Candida milleri yeast and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis bacteria in San Francisco sourdough bread, but it is not required. All you need to make a sourdough culture is flour and water.
The bacteria in a sourdough bread culture are Lactobacillus, or lactic acid bacteria, which are also used in foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, cheese, and yogurt. It is these bacteria that give this bread its characteristic sour taste, while the yeast causes the bread to rise. The yeast and bacteria naturally present in the flour are activated by mixing it in water and leaving it in a warm environment. Different types of flour are more or less rich in microorganisms and sometimes unwashed organic grapes are added to the mix to increase the natural yeast and encourage the development of the culture. Diastatic malt can also be added to a young culture to provide extra sugars for the yeast to feed on.
A sourdough culture, also known as a starter or sponge, needs to be “fed” daily when young with fresh flour and water. As the culture matures, it can be refrigerated and fed less often. A portion of the culture is used for each new loaf of sourdough bread. A well-maintained sourdough culture can serve a baker for many years.
Sourdough is one of the oldest types of bread. The 100% rye bread common in Northern Europe is an example of sourdough bread, and southern European baguettes and other breads were traditionally made with sourdough before the advent of faster growing yeast cultures. In the United States, San Francisco sourdough bread is especially famous. Some San Francisco sourdough cultures have been in use for 150 years. Sweet Amish friendship bread traditionally passed on to friends is another example of an American sourdough bread.
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