Sourdough is a type of bread produced by a long fermentation of dough using naturally occurring yeasts and
lactobacilli. It usually has a mildly sour taste because of the lactic acid produced during anaerobic
fermentation
by the lactobacilli. Longer fermented sourdoughs can also contain acetic acid, the main non-water component of
vinegar.
Sourdough breads are made with a sourdough starter. The starter cultivates yeast and lactobacilli in a mixture
of
flour and water, making use of the microorganisms already present on flour; it does not need any added yeast. A
starter may be maintained indefinitely by regular additions of flour and water. Some bakers have starters many
generations old, which are said to have a special taste or texture. At one time, all yeast-leavened breads
were sourdoughs. Recently there has been a revival of sourdough bread in artisan bakeries.
Traditionally, peasant families throughout Europe baked on a fixed schedule, perhaps once a week. The starter
was
saved from the previous week's dough. The starter was mixed with the new ingredients, the dough was left to
rise,
and then a piece of it was saved to be the starter for next week's bread.
Youtube short of making sourdough bread by TurkuazKitchen