What is Sourdough ?

Sourdough (Leaven) – The basic building block of bread baking, known for its signature tartness ranging from mild to strong, crispy crust and chewy texture. 

It is believed to be originated from Egypt and discovered several thousand years ago, sourdough is as much art as science which makes it a treasured part of many bakers around the world.

Since wild yeast is present in all flour and basically everywhere, it is relatively adaptive to whatever environment it is in. Thus, a sourdough starter or Levain does not need any fancy ingredients, just flour, and water!

Nature then plays its role over time, the flour and water mixture takes on the wild yeasts and ferments under low temperature (it loves cold temperature!), you will then have a bubbly mixture that contains enough leaven (yeast) to make your bread rise, pretty amazing, right? 

 

 

Once the sourdough starter begins to ferment, it grows, and must be fed regularly with more flour and water in order to keep it alive and “happy”. Some bakers keep their starter alive for decades or even hundreds of years. For us, different types of flour are used to create a variety of bread, ranging from toast and baguettes to, yes, a sourdough loaf. 

 

Don’t be fooled by its slightly sour taste because it is amazingly delicious. In fact, the sourness comes from similar bacteria (friendly Lactobacillus) found in yogurt which comes from the fermented mixture. So, why bother about the sourness? It is an interesting taste that makes it a healthier choice for all walks of life.

 

Speaking of sourdough, ours is almost about 4 years old.