Sourdough = Yeast Feast

Continuing with the theme of microorganisms from the last post, and to follow up on a reference from the much earlier post titled, "Fun Guy!!!", three days ago I started brewing up a sourdough culture using nothing more than flour, water, a mason jar, and an apple. First, I whipped up a watery batter mixture (flour & water) in the mason jar. Next I placed the apple over the jar opening so that it was suspended above the mixture (AKA sponge), sort of like a poor-fitting cork. Over the intervening three days I stirred the sponge two to three times a day, and VOILA!!! It's smellin' pretty derned good! Next stop, Loaf Town!

So how does this all work?! From what I've picked up over the years, fruits tend to host a diverse community of yeasts - the active party in a number of cultured foods such as bread, beer, and other baked goods. By placing the apple (pears, dates, and other fruits should work as well) over the sponge, I'm basically promoting an exchange of yeasts between the fruit and the sponge. You know something is eventually going to infect the sponge. With this technique, you're stacking up the odds in your favor that the infecting organism is going to be a dinner party (sourdough) instead of a frat party (moldy beast!). Eventually the yeasts settle in to chow on the batter, and if it smells sweet and delicious - we're in business!

Thanks for joining me on a mini adventure to the wonderful world of microorganisms. Check back next week for a progress report on those bread loaves.