4 ms·
The issue with old strains is similar to the whole concept of homeopathy. Sure, the original strain might be 4000 years old, but keeping a sourdough starter us
by MidnightRamen 7y ago
The issue with old strains is similar to the whole concept of homeopathy. Sure, the original strain might be 4000 years old, but keeping a sourdough starter usable means keeping it exposed to air where it gathers fresh bacteria, eventually leading to the starter being statistically significant only to the bacteria of the locale, not the source of the starter.
- sgt101 7y agoI'm confused - yeasts are not bacteria?
- antisemiotic 7y agoIf the yeast in your sourdough have been replaced by bacteria gathered from the air, then I think you should throw it away ASAP.
- girzel 7y agoEvery locale has its own indigenous yeast variants. Unless you go to ridiculous lengths to isolate your starter from the environment (which some people do, including sterilizing the flour used to feed the starter), it's going to eventually be taken over by local yeast. Which, IMHO, is a fine thing! Bake where you are.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoBeer and bread, and the yeasts used to make them, used to be indigenous to the region, and sometimes very localised. Every brewery and bakery had their own local yeast cultures. The rise of factory bakeries and breweries meant nearly all of those died off. IIRC industrial brewing depends on just 3 or 4 strains of yeast. Only the relatively recent resurgence of craft baking and brewing has kept some of the others around. The local strains that led to so many wonderful tasting breads and beers have been lost. I'd be as interested in learning how the local strains of yeast have changed over those intervening 4,500 years, as seeing he a good result trying to bake from what he retrieved.
- sgt101 7y agoWhite labs are doing a good job of providing some choices to the homebrew market.