Reference Number: 524
Year: 2020
Link: Link to original paper
Lactic Acid Bacteria: Prevalence
Yeast: Species
Summary
The live microorganisms that inhabit sourdough starters are responsible for the unique aspects of sourdough bread, including its flavour and extended shelf life.
To make a sourdough starter, you mix just 2 ingredients: flour and water. After a few days, a symbiotic microbial community blooms, ready to help create a loaf of sourdough bread. Each starter contains a unique blend of microbes that create a “secret sourdough bread recipe” — secret not only to the baker, but also to those they share it with or pass it down to through the generations.
Scientists know that certain kinds of bacteria and yeast populate sourdough starters, but because each sourdough starter is unique, we still cannot say exactly which microbes make up the sourdough microbiome. Much like the deep sea with so many organisms yet to be discovered, so too sourdough starters contain many unknown microbes. In light of World Microbiome Day (June 27, 2020), here’s the state of our knowledge about the sourdough microbiome…
Significance of this article to the baker:
We love this article. Have a read, and if you want to learn more about building your very own Sourdough Starter, head to the Sourdough Club.
