On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1030

Bakersmakedistinctivevariationsonthe
basicloafbreadfromavarietyofgrainsand
otheringredients.Herearebriefdescriptions
ofsomeofthem.
Sourdough Breads Sourdough breads get
their name from the fact that both the dough
and bread are acid. The acidity, along with
other distinctive flavor components, is
produced by bacteria that grow in the dough
along with various yeasts. The bacteria often
includesomeofthesamelacticacidbacteria
thatmakemilkintoyogurtandbuttermilk(p.
44). The leavening for this kind of bread
begins as a “wild” starter, a mixture of
whatever microbes happened to be on the
grainandintheairandotheringredientswhen
flour was mixed with water. The mixture of
yeasts and bacteria is then perpetuated by
saving a portion of the dough to leaven the
nextbatchofbread.
Thefirstbreadsprobablyresembled


modernsourdoughs,andbreadinmuchofthe
worldismadewithsourdoughstartersthat
givedistinctiveregionalflavors.Thebacteria
somehowdelaystarchretrogradationand
staling,andtheacidstheyproducemakethe
breadresistanttospoilagemicrobes:so
sourdoughbreadsareespeciallyflavorfuland
keepwell.Becausebrowningreactionsare

slowedinacidconditions,sourdoughbreads
tendtobelighterincolorthanstraightyeast
breads,andtheirflavorlesstoasty.
Itisn’teasytomakegoodbreadwith
sourdoughcultures.Therearetworeasonsfor
this.Oneisthatthebacteriagrowfasterthan
theyeasts,almostalwaysoutnumberthemby
factorsofahundredorathousand,andinhibit
theyeasts’gasproduction:sosourdoughs
oftendon’triseverywell.Theotheristhat
acidconditionsandbacterialprotein-digesting
enzymesweakenthedoughgluten,which
makesitlesselasticandtheresultingbread
moredense.