History of Sourdough
Bread baking is truly an ancient practice, so ancient that we really don't know exactly when it came about. Starting with unleavened flatbreads and eventually discovering leaven. The most popular way of leavening bread is by yeast - which is always floating around in the air.
As for sourdough techniques specifically, archaeologists have found evidence as far back as 3700 BCE, but suspect that the practice may have started even farther back than that!
Sourdough bread is bread baked from dough that has been fermented using naturally occurring bacteria and yeast. Through the chemical reaction, lactobacilli bacteria produce lactic acid, giving that sour taste.
This was the main leavening method in Europe until it was replaced by barm after 1871. French bakers brought the sourdough method to California during the Gold Rush, and from there it spread to the north up to Alaska, where people often carried a bit of starter in a pouch around their neck to keep it at optimal temperature.
Commercialized yeast eventually won out for the speed - going from up to three days for a loaf to rise in some types to a few hours. However, many sourdough bakers would say that the flavor and health benefits of fermented foods are far worth the extra time spent on these loaves.
Sourdough has had a resurgence in the last few years and more and more people are returning to reviving old traditions and finding that sometimes newer isn't always better!
History of This Starter Culture
This is a sourdough starter culture originating from a bakery in France that has been family-owned and operated on the outskirts of Paris since the late 1700s or early 1800s. I have had it for years and have kept it up with continual feedings at least once a week. It has been gifted through two people (my old archaeologist boss and his dad) and I don't know the bakery name, but I do believe that it is genuinely this old! It can achieve nearly a three times rise in 4-8 hours when I feed it daily and leave it on the kitchen counter (room temperature 75F).
It has amazing virility and light flavor. I've tried a few different sourdoughs, but this one can convert even the most staunch sourdough hater (me prior to trying this one because I do not enjoy the super sour sourdough bread). Of course, you can make it sourer if you'd like by not discarding half when you feed. Usually, I can get it to pass the float test for baking after one feed, maximum 2 from the fridge. I really love sourdough bread and I figured I would share so others can find joy and peace in a nice hobby. Plus, I've read that if you make a starter from scratch it can take years to get established.
Many people claim that they can taste regional differences in sourdough cultures, with one or two bites distinguishing between a San Francisco culture and an Alaskan culture. I definitely have not yet achieved that level, but am excited to know what you think if you are one of those people!
My favorite part about sourdough starters is how they are handed down through generations and shared freely, and so feel free to give to friends and family to pass on that tradition!