Make Your Own Sourdough
The risen dough could be saved and split to share with other bakers in the community; over time, it became the “sourdough starter.” The starter culture adds flavor to the existing dough and has natural bacteria (the good kind!) to help it keep for longer—about five days covered on the counter. Sourdough helps bread hold its shape and it is also easier to digest than traditional bread because the process breaks down some of the gluten in the dough—plus it’s fun to make and experiment with! Today, a sourdough starter is a combination of a flour, water, yeast, and bacteria. Starters need to be happy and healthy to stay alive; for that to happen, they need to be “fed.” Sourdough starters are kept active by feeding the culture more flour and water, which feeds the yeast and bacteria, which, in turn, makes the starter slightly more acidic, prevents mold, and adds that unique flavor. Feeding the starter also allows you to use it in other recipes and split it to share with others as a gift. It’s likely that there are people in your life who would appreciate a sourdough starter as a gift. Keep in mind that while the process is fairly straightforward, it does take time and patience, so don’t expect to have a sourdough starter going right away; it may take a bit of time before you are ready to make a fresh loaf of bread.
Y ou’ve likely heard about sourdough bread, but you might not know much about the process behind making it. Usually you’ll hear the term “starter” in a conversation about sourdough, and many people are curious about what that means and how it works. Here’s your basic introduction to sourdough and starters. Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation. The origin of sourdough starters is not entirely clear; however, many experts believe it originated in ancient Egypt around 1500 BCE, and like many fermentation processes, was probably discovered as a kind of happy accident: When flour mixed with water was left “too long” before baking, people noticed how it began to expand and rise; then, when baked, this dough was lighter, softer, and easier to digest. So people began using sourdough to make a dough that would rise over time. They learned that a bit of the risen-but-not-yet-baked dough from the previous batch could be mixed with the next batch, allowing it to rise more quickly.
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