Sourdough Bread Is it really sour bread?

 

 

Have you ever heard that old saying, "Everything old is new again?" That applies to many things, including foods in the bakery. One of the most popular types of bread is sourdough—because it's primitive, down-to-Earth and a bit different.

 

Sourdough bread represents a centuries-old technology for preserving and storing yeast for long periods of time, and it is this technology that creates the amazing flavor. Today we buy yeast as a powder in nice foil packets at the grocery store, but centuries ago there were no grocery stores (and no foil, for that matter). People cultured yeast themselves and kept it alive using a medium called sourdough starter. Bakers who use a starter today are using this old but still-useful technology. In fact, some batches of starter have themselves been around for decades, passed from friend to friend or generation to generation!

 

A starter is fermented dough that is made into batches of dough to be shaped and baked. Starters provide leavening, flavor, and character to breads. Starters also help to give breads a long shelf life: breads baked with starters tend to retain their moisture better than straight dough (made without starter) breads. Sourdough is actually  two organisms: wild yeast and bacteria, working together in symbiosis. Together they transform the grain to make it more healthful, more digestible and also resistant to getting moldy or stale.

 

Many times when you see sourdough bread, it's not in the traditional oblong-shaped loaf. It's often made in rounds, which adds to the old-fashioned feel of the bread. The next time you're in the Brookshire's Bakery, pick up a loaf of sourdough bread to try—you'll feel like you went back in time!