Monthly Book Giveaway - February 2023

Sourdough Journey #31: Sourdough in just 3 hours!!!!

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This is part 31 in a 31 part series: Sourdough Journey

  1. Sourdough Starter
...
  1. Learning curve of a new flour
  2. Sourdough in just 3 hours!!!!

Yes - you can make bread in just three hours.
You can make bread that looks and tastes like sourdough


But you can’t make SOURDOUGH bread in just 3 hours because …

SOURDOUGH IS A PROCESS 




Sourdough is a process of developing and feeding wild yeasts and letting them feast on the components of flour, breaking it down which, then, helps it to be more digestible by us.

All of that doesn’t happen in just three hours.

Sourdough takes time.

Embrace it; work with it; benefit from it.



The Science


Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.

[...]

When wheat flour comes into contact with water, the naturally occurring enzyme amylase breaks down the starch into the sugars glucose and maltose, which sourdough's natural yeast can metabolize. With sufficient time, temperature, and refreshments with new or fresh dough, the mixture develops a stable culture.

[...]

Sourdough is a stable culture of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in a mixture of flour and water. Broadly speaking, the yeast produces gas (carbon dioxide) which leavens the dough, and the lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acid, which contributes flavor in the form of sourness. The lactic acid bacteria metabolize sugars that the yeast cannot, while the yeast metabolizes the by-products of lactic acid fermentation.

And, then, there is this fascinating interview with a researcher, talking about the yeasts and bacteria in starters:

https://www.youtube.com/live/wYSxieMKNs4?feature=share

Slow down; embrace the journey

Life doesn’t have to be fast-paced. 
Be like the sourdough. 
- Debbie

a simpler life