starter dough
Bread's living ancestor
Starter dough is a fermented mixture of flour and water used to leaven bread without commercial yeast.
The starter contains wild yeasts and bacteria that produce gas and flavor.
Bakers maintain starters by regularly feeding them fresh flour and water, sometimes keeping them alive for years or decades: My sourdough starter is older than my kids.
Also called a starter or mother.
Uncultivated fermenting microorganisms
- lactobacilliAcid-producing digestive microbes
- levainNatural bread leavening
- cultureCollective social practices
- tangySharp and lively-tasting
lactic acid · acetic acid · sponge · refreshment · feeding · discard · hooch · mature
Milled grain powder
- waterClear essential liquid
- hydrationBodily fluid replenishment
- autolyseDough's initial resting phase
- kneadingManual dough development
gluten development · proofing · shaping · scoring · crumb · crust · bench rest · folding
Fermenting fungus
- lactobacillusAcid-producing beneficial bacterium
- carbon dioxideRespiration byproduct, photosynthesis fuel
- bubblesGas-filled liquid spheres
- anaerobicNot requiring oxygen
metabolism · enzymes · cultivation · propagation · incubation · acetobacter · microbiology · bacteria
Move to higher position
- expansionIncrease in scope
- volumeAmount of space filled
- aerationInfusing with oxygen
- liftMechanism for vertical transport
elasticity · proof · active · warmth · activation · lightness · air pockets
wild yeast
Uncultivated fermenting microorganisms
- lactobacilliAcid-producing digestive microbes
- levainNatural bread leavening
- cultureCollective social practices
tangy · lactic acid · acetic acid · sponge · refreshment · feeding · discard · hooch · mature · active
flour
Milled grain powder
kneading · gluten development · proofing · shaping · scoring · crumb · crust · bench rest · folding · stretch and fold
yeast
Fermenting fungus
- lactobacillusAcid-producing beneficial bacterium
- carbon dioxideRespiration byproduct, photosynthesis fuel
- bubblesGas-filled liquid spheres
anaerobic · metabolism · enzymes · cultivation · propagation · incubation · acetobacter · microbiology · bacteria · respiration
rise
Move to higher position
lift · elasticity · proof · active · warmth · activation · lightness · air pockets
starter doughinstant yeast
Fast-acting bread leavener
active dry yeast · baker's yeast · baking powder · baking soda
start, starter, starters, started, starting, starts, restart, restarts, restarted