mother dough
Perpetual bread culture
Mother dough is a portion of fermented dough kept alive to start new batches of bread.
Bakers feed it flour and water regularly, maintaining the wild yeast and bacteria that give sourdough its distinctive tang.
A mother dough can be decades old, passed down through generations: The bakery's mother dough dates back to 1952.
Also called a starter or levain.
Natural bread leavening
- wild yeastUncultivated fermenting microorganisms
- lactobacilliAcid-producing digestive microbes
- starterInitiator of action
- cultureCollective social practices
tangy · acetic acid · lactic acid · hydration · autolyse · retardation · scoring · boule
Fermenting fungus
- lactobacillusAcid-producing beneficial bacterium
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- enzymesReaction-speeding proteins
- leaveningSubstance causing dough expansion
carbon dioxide · lactic acid · acetic acid · anaerobic · microbiology · cultivation · propagation · metabolism
Milled grain powder
- kneadingManual dough development
- glutenCereal grain protein
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
- hydrationBodily fluid replenishment
proofing · shaping · scoring · lame · oven · loaf · stretch and fold · windowpane
Inherited family treasure
- legacyWhat's passed down
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- traditionCustom passed through generations
custodian · passed down · generational · continuity · provenance · San Francisco · centennial · living history
levain
Natural bread leavening
- wild yeastUncultivated fermenting microorganisms
- lactobacilliAcid-producing digestive microbes
- starterInitiator of action
culture · tangy · acetic acid · lactic acid · hydration · autolyse · retardation · scoring · boule · baguette
yeast
Fermenting fungus
- lactobacillusAcid-producing beneficial bacterium
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- enzymesReaction-speeding proteins
leavening · carbon dioxide · lactic acid · acetic acid · anaerobic · microbiology · cultivation · propagation · metabolism · probiotics
flour
Milled grain powder
- kneadingManual dough development
- glutenCereal grain protein
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
hydration · proofing · shaping · scoring · lame · oven · loaf · stretch and fold · windowpane
heirloom
Inherited family treasure
- legacyWhat's passed down
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
tradition · custodian · passed down · generational · continuity · provenance · San Francisco · centennial · living history · pedigree
- leavenersbaking powder, baking soda, yeast, baker's yeast, active dry yeast
- startersstarter, sourdough starter, levain, preferment, sponge
mother doughinstant yeast
Fast-acting bread leavener
active dry yeast · baker's yeast · fresh yeast · baking powder · baking soda
mother, dough, mothers, mothered, mothering, motherly, motherhood, maternal, maternity