Sourdough
Ancient leavening agent using wild yeast and lactobacilli.
Last updated
Tomascastelazo · via Wikipedia: Sourdough · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bread can be leavened using sourdough, which contains both yeast and lactobacillus bacteria that occur naturally.[1] Lactic acid, created during fermentation, provides sourdough bread with its characteristic tangy flavor and also extends its shelf life.[1] A sourdough starter consists of flour and water that is alive, hosting a community of wild yeast and lactobacilli.[2]
Quick Facts
- Main ingredients
- Flour
- water
- sourdough culture
- salt
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
One of the oldest known sourdough breads dates from 3700 BC and was excavated in Switzerland.[3] The Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology states that the origin of sourdough fermentation likely relates to the origin of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent and Egypt several thousand years earlier.[3] Bread production relied on sourdough as a leavening agent for most of human history, with baker's yeast used for less than 150 years as of 2014.[3] Throughout the European Middle Ages, sourdough was the primary leavening method, but it was later supplanted by barm from beer brewing and, following 1871, by yeast cultivated specifically for baking.[4]
During the California Gold Rush, French bakers introduced sourdough techniques to Northern California, and this tradition continues to be a part of San Francisco's cultural identity.[5] To protect it from freezing, experienced miners and settlers would often carry a pouch of starter on a belt or around their neck.[6]
What the cited sources add
The Fresh Loaf article notes that contrary to myth, the species growing in sourdough starters are not tied to geographic location but to traditional practices in different regions.[7] The same article states that Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis is the species most frequently found in traditional sourdoughs worldwide, not just in San Francisco.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gänzle, "Enzymatic and bacterial conversions during sourdough fermentation", Food Microbiology, 2014, p. 2–10; Gadsby, "The Biology of... Sourdough", Discover (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jeffrey Hamelman, "Bread: a baker's book of techniques and recipes", John Wiley, 2004, p. 6–362 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gaenzle, Michael, "Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology", Academic Press, 1 April 2014, p. 309; Gaenzle, Michael, "Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology", Academic Press, 1 April 2014, p. 309 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gobbetti, "Handbook on Sourdough Biotechnology", Springer, 2012, p. 6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peters, Erica J. San Francisco: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield, 2013, p. 189.; Davidson, "The Oxford Companion to Food", Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 756–757; Zheng, "A taxonomic note on the genus Lactobacillus: Description of 23 novel genera, emended description of the genus Lactobacillus Beijerinck 1901, and union of Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae", International Jour; Davidson, "The Oxford Companion to Food", Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 756–757 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sourdough" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fernald, "Sourdough Baking", Slow - the International Herald of Tastes, November–December 2002 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Lactic Acid Fermentation in Sourdough", The Fresh Loaf, 2009-01-19. facts only, no text reused. thefreshloaf.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sourdough (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Also in the Codexery
More in Fermented Foods
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sourdough (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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