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Sourdough
Sourdough bread has become fashionable in recent years. Fermenting your own “wild” sourdough bread in the comfort of your kitchen is a unique and rewarding experience. However, when topics gain commercial popularity, information about related products can become inaccurate.
Industrial sourdough bread is typically made with sourdough cultures that are pre-formulated at large companies to provide a consistent taste. When making these industrial breads, commercial yeast is usually also added to promote the rising power of the dough and to further moderate the taste and acidity of the bread. In some cases, only the flavor of a sourdough is added to the bread in the form of a powder. This therefore does not involve active sourdough fermentation and cannot be called a proper sourdough bread.
Creating traditional wild or natural sourdough bread requires an active sourdough starter, typically comprising wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. In a traditional sourdough bakery, this culture is usually maintained daily, i.e. refreshed with water, flour or meal. A well-maintained sourdough starter smells fresh and sometimes fruity. When the sourdough is ripe it often tastes like yoghurt (lactic acid) and when it is overripe it often tastes like vinegar.
Care and activation of a sourdough starter
Visualization:
Activity of a sourdough starter depending on the refreshment periods (balloon colors)
For each pair of balloons (color) , the left bottle has no salt and the right bottle contains 2% salt.
The CO2 gas released during fermentation into the balloons is an indication of the fermentation activity and speed.
- (Blue balloons) daily refreshed starter
- (Yellow balloons) starter refreshed once a week
- (Red balloons) Starter kept in the fridge for weeks without refreshments
- The retarding effect of salt is clearly visible (right bottles).
- Daily refreshed starter is most active (blue).
- Starter that has been in the refrigerator for weeks without being refreshed shows no more activity.
Good to know.
The majority of sourdough starters available online are completely dehydrated and dormant. It typically takes a few days to activate a fully dehydrated sourdough starter for practical use. The characteristics of your sourdough starter can vary based on factors like the flour type, refreshment schedule, hydration, and temperature. You have the flexibility to nourish it with organic flour to meet organic standards or transform it into a rye or any other desired type of sourdough starter. A well-maintained starter smells and tastes pleasant. For tips on how to maintain the sourdough starter have a look here.
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