New York Times Bestseller

Sandor Ellix Katz

Foreword by Michael Pollan

f e r m e n t at io n
An in-depth explorAtion of essentiAl concepts And processes from Around the world

The

a rt of

With Practical Information on Fermenting Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Milk, Beans, Meats, and More

sourdough: starting One and maintaining it

SourdoughisthemostcommonEnglish-languagewordtodescribeamixed culturestarterforrisingbread(aswellasmanyotherculinaryapplications). Essentiallyitisbackslopping,simplyusingabitofthepreviousbatchtostart thenextone.Thisishowvirtuallyallbreadwasmadeuntiltwocenturies ago,whenpurerformsofyeastbegantobecomecommerciallyavailable.Even beforeLouisPasteurisolatedyeastorganisms,in1780Dutchdistillersstarted marketingyeastfoamtobakers,skimmedfromthetopoffermentingalcohol. In1867,aViennafactoryrefinedthisprocess,takingtheyeastyfoam,skimmingitoff,filteringandwashingit,andcompressingtheyeastintocakes.This becameknownastheVienneseprocess,stillinusetoday.54In1872,Charles Fleischmannpatentedanimprovedmanufacturingprocessforcompressed yeastandbuiltanindustrialempireuponitsproduction.Today,thevast majorityofbakingisdoneusingisolatedyeasts,andsourdoughpersistsalmost asanovelty,exceptinartisanbakeries.Isolatedyeastscertainlyoffersome advantagesforbakers,intermsofspeedanduniformity.Butthesebenefits comewiththesacrificeofotherpositiveattributesoftraditionalmixed-culture leavens,suchasflavorcomplexity,moisttexture,superiorkeepingproperties, andfullerpre-digestion.Withwheatflour,researchershavefoundthatmixedculturesourdoughpre-digestionresultsinhighlysignificantincreasedavailablelysinecontent55anddiminishedpresenceofgluten.56 Thesimplestwayofstartingasourdoughfromscratchistomixasmall amountofflourandwaterinabowl,alittlemoreflourthanwater,andstiruntil smooth.Addalittlemorewaterorflourasnecessarytoobtainabatterthatis liquidandpourable,yetthickenoughtoclingtothespoon.Ryeflourseemsto workfastest,butyoucanmakesourdoughwiththeflourofanygrain.Besurethe waterisun-ordechlorinated.Pressoutanylumpsoffloursothebatterissmooth. Itshouldbethickenoughtoclingtothespoon(oryourhands),andto(soon)hold foamybubbles.Stiratleastonceadayforafewdays,untilyouseebubblesonthe surface.Thenfeeditahighproportionoffreshflour,addingroughlythreetofour timesasmuchfreshflourandwatertotheremainingstarter.High-proportion feedingslikethisreducetheacidityofthesourdoughenvironmentandgive yeastsacompetitiveadvantage.Itsagoodwaytobuildsourdoughvigor. Therearemanyothertechniquespeopleusetostartsourdoughs.Some peopleliketousewaterfromboilingpotatoes(cooltobodytemperaturebefore adding),orstarchywaterfromrinsingorsoakinggrains,orfruit,orfruitor vegetableskins.Peoplesometimesuseanotherstartertostartsourdough.Ive heardaboutpeopleusingfoamofffermentingbeerinbreadstarters,aswell asyogurt,kefir,sourmilk,waterkefir,kombucha,rejuvelac,andfermented nutmilks.Manypeoplestartasourdoughwithapacketofyeastandletit naturallydiversifyfromthat.Somepeoplestartwithestablishedstartersthey aregiven,orpurchasethemonline.Somepeopleadvocatestirringwithyour cleanhandsasameansofculturing.Butreallyallyouneedisflourandwater. Beyondthat,allsourdoughrequiresisalittlepatienceandpersistence.

FermenTinG GrAins AnD sTArChy TuBers

231

Ivestartedsourdoughfromflourandwatermanytimes.Thereisabundantmicrobiallifepresentongrains.Cerealsandflourspreparedfrom cerealsarealwaysheavilyseededwithmicroorganisms,writesmicrobiologistCarlPederson.Onecannotprepareadoughwithoutincorporatingthese organisms.57Thisindigenousmicrofloraisdormantindriedgrainsandflour, butwhentheflourismoistenedbywater,microbialactivityresumes.Stirringstimulatesanddistributesmicrobialactivity,encouragesyeastgrowth viaoxygenation,andpreventssurfacemoldgrowth.Ifyoukeepfeedingitand maintainingahospitableenvironment,thecultureacomplexcommunity oforganismsthatmicrobiologistJessicaLeecallstheinterlockingmetabolic relationshipsinyeastandbacterialconsortia58canpersistforgenerations.A crucialaspectofthemicrobialcommunitysstabilityisitsacidicenvironment, apowerfulweapontokeepotherorganismsatbay,writesLee.Evenusing high-proportionfeedingstolimitthelevelsofacidity,sourdoughsacidity protectsitsmicrobialcommunity,thenafterbakingcontinuestoprotectthe breadfrommoldandbacterialgrowths.Sourdoughbreadsgenerallyagemore gracefully,andincertaininstancesactuallyimproveovertime.(Tomaximize yourbreadsshelflife,wrapyourloavesinbreathablepaperratherthanplastic.)Evenifthecrustdriesout,moldswillnotdevelop,andtheinteriorwill remainmoistanddelicious.

tassaJara reminisCenCes
William Shurtleff is best known as the co-author, with his wife, Akiko Aoyagi, of The Book of Miso, The Book of Tempeh, and many other books. Prior to that, he spent two years, from 1968 to 1970, at the Tassajara Zen center in Northern California. He shared the following reminiscence:

TocatchwildyeastsforsourdoughatTassajarawewouldprepareasponge(abitsweeterthan usual)inalargepotterybowl(about18inchesdiameter),thenmashandstirin24overripe bananas(whichwethoughtwasessential).Wealwaysgroundourownflourfreshlyusinga hand-turnedCoronamill.Thenweplacedthesponge,uncovered,inascreened-inoutdoor area,nearthekitchen,wherestaplefoodswerekept.AsIrecallwestirreditonceadayand leftitfor34days,usuallyinwarmweather,untilitstartedtoshowsignsoflife/activity/ fermentation.Weneversavedanyofitassourdough.Westartedanewwitheachbatch.

Sourdoughscultivatedbypeopleindifferentplaces,usingdifferentflours andmethods,canbeverydistinctive.Peoplelavishtheirsourdoughstarterswithcareandattentionandlovetosharethem.ArtistandbakerRebecca Beinartwasinspiredtogiveawaysamplesofherstarter,alongwithinstructions,tostrangers;shecreatedaninteractivemapofhersourdoughcultures spreadonherwebsite,www.exponentialgrowth.org.Somepeopleseekout specializedsourdoughstartersfromdifferentpartsoftheworld,andsome enterprises,suchasSourdoughsInternational,59providethem.

232 The ArT OF FermenTATiOn

Overtheyears,Ihavebeengiftedwithsourdoughstartersbymany wonderfulpeople.OnegreatstarterwasfromtheBreadandPuppetTheatre Company,whichincorporatesthebakingandsharingofsourdoughbread intoitsperformances.TheirsourdoughcamefromGermanyviacompany founderPeterSchumann.Anotherverydifferentsourdoughcamefrommy friendMerrilMushroom,whohasmaintaineditfordecades,andoriginally gotitfromafriend.Merrilsstarterisverydistinctiveduetothefactthat shereplenishesitnotwithwater,butrathermilk.Readersandstudentshave alsosharedtheirsourdoughswithme.Unabletomaintainsomanydifferentstartersovertime,mycurrentsourdoughisoneIstartedfromflourand wateryearsago,towhichIhaveaddedallthestartersIhavereceived.Letus celebratemixedculturesandgiveupthefutilequestforculturalpurity. Nomatterwhattheystartas,sourdoughstartersarenotstaticmicrobial entities.Theybecometheirenvironmentand,toalesserdegree,whattheyare fed.Youcantpickandchooseyourwildyeast,writesbakerDanielLeaderin hisbookLocal Breads.
Yourculturewillgetitsuniqueflavorcharacteristicsfromwhateveryeastis presentinyourflourandyourair.Sayyouobtainasourdoughculturefroma bakerinSanFrancisco.Onceyoubringithomeandrefreshitseveraltimes, itwilladapttoitsnewenvironment.Newyeastfromyourflourandairwill begintogrowintheculture.Adifferentmixofbacteriawillemerge.60

Todemonstratethis,LeadertookasourdoughstarterfromaCaliforniabaker. Hesentpartofittoalaboratoryformicrobialanalysisandtooktheresthome withhimtoNewYorkState.Fourdays,across-countryflight,andseveral replenishmentslater,hesentanothersampletothelab:

Newlabtestsconfirmedthattheyeastnowgrowingintheculturewas differentfromtheyeastlivinginitontheWestCoast.Itspossiblethatparticularlystrongstrainsofyeastmaysurviveajourneytoanewlocationand continuetothriveinaculturefedwithlocalflourandairandwater.But itsbeenmyexperiencethatlocalyeastpredominates,makingeveryloafof sourdoughbreadalocalproduct.61

Therehasbeensomefascinatingresearchbymicrobiologistsintothecommunitydynamicsofsourdoughcultures.Itturnsoutthatinmostsourdoughs, lacticacidbacteriaarefarmoreplentifulinnumberthanyeasts;theconsortia theyformcoexistascommunitieswithgreatstabilityovertime.IlseScheirlinck andcolleaguesinBelgiumanalyzedsourdoughsamplesfromdifferentbakeries aroundthecountry;insomecases,severalsamplescamefromthesamebakery, ofdifferentsourdoughsmadefromdifferentstartersanddifferentgrains.The analysisfoundthatthemicrobialcommunitystructureofdifferentsourdoughsisinfluencedbythebakeryenvironment,ratherthanthetypeofflour

FermenTinG GrAins AnD sTArChy TuBers

233

usedtoproducethesourdough.62Ayearlater,theteamrepeatedtheexperiment,thistimesamplingevenmoredifferentsourdoughsatthesame11bakeries.Theyfoundthatthesourdoughsvariedlittleovertime,andconfirmed onlylimitedvariationamongthedifferentsourdoughsfromasinglebakery.63 Bearinmindthatyourhomeisnot(necessarily)asmicrobe-richasabakery.Whilethestudycitedabovefoundthatthespecificbakeryenvironment wasofgreaterimportancethantheflourused,still,flourisrichinmicrobes togetthingsstarted.Youdonotneedtobeinabakery,orinSanFrancisco(or Belgium)tostartasourdough.Lacticacidbacteriaandyeastsareeverywhere andjustneedgentlecoaxingandperiodicattention.Onlyahandfulofgenera ofyeastandbacteriahaveeverbeenfoundinanysourdoughsanywhere, reportsJessicaLee.64Theremarkablesimilaritiesinthemicrobialpopulationsofleavenfromwidelyseparatedplacesdemonstratetheeffectivenessof theselectionprocess,concludesKeithSteinkraus.65 Thewaytoencourageyeastinthemixedsourdoughcommunityisto repeatedlyfeedthebubblystarterahighproportionoffreshflourandwater. Thismeansusing(ordiscarding)mostofit(75to95percent)andaddingthe smallamountofremainingstartertofreshflourandwater,inroughlythe amountofwhatyouhaveremoved.Similarly,whenusingsourdoughstarterin breads,useasmallproportionofstarter,nomorethan25percentoftheoveralldough,unlessyouwishtoaccentuatethesourflavor,whichIsometimes enjoy,butsometimesIenjoybreadswithsubtlerflavororotheraccents.Perpetuatingandusingsourdoughstarterinlimitedproportionssuchastheseis thekeytomakingsourdoughbreadsinwhichsournessisasubtlenoterather thananexclamationpoint. Isawinstructionsyearsagothatadviseddevelopingandmaintaining asourdoughlikethis,discardingmostofthestarterwitheachfeeding,and thethoughtofdiscardingsomuchfoodhorrifiedme,soIcompletelyignored it.NowIhaveexperiencedthebenefitsofthistechnique,intermsofbetter, faster,lighterbreads;andIhavefoundagoodusefortheexcessstarter:savory pancakes,detailedinthefollowingsection. Itypicallymaintainmysourdoughinaliquidstate,thickbutnotsolid. Somepeopleprefertomaintainsourdoughstartersinasolidstate,asafirm dough.Experimentandfindthestyleyouprefer.Ifyouare travelingwithasourdough,orwishtoleaveyoursourdoughbehindwhileyoutravel,Iwouldrecommend thickeningitupintoasolidstate.Thehigherdensityofasoliddoughslowsdownmicrobialactivity. Peoplealsofreezetheirstarters,whichmaintain greaterviabilityifthedoughisinadriersolid form.Dryingisalsousedtotransmitorpreserve sourdough.Legendhasitthatmanyimmigrants broughttheirsourdoughsandotherculturesdriedon handkerchiefs.

234 The ArT OF FermenTATiOn

Feedingyoursourdoughdailyisideal,althougheverytwoorthreedaysis generallyadequate.Bepreparedtofeeditmoreofteninawarmkitchenthan inacoolone.Ifyouuseyourstarteronlyoccasionally,keepitinthefridge. Takeitoutofthefridgeonceaweek,letitwarmuptoambienttemperatures, feed,andletitsitandfermentatambienttemperaturebeforereturningtothe refrigerator.Whenyouarereadytouseyourrefrigeratedstarter,letitwarm up,thengiveitacoupleofhigh-proportionfeedingsbeforebakingwithit. Similarly,withastarterbackedupinthefreezer,thawandallowittoslowly cometoambienttemperatures,thenfeedit,repeatedlyifnecessary,untilit becomesvigorouslyactive.

sourdough CuLture
Lynn Harris; excerpted with permission from Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 66

Withexperimentationandquasi-obsessionandtheInternetalsocomefiercedebatesor, atleast,macrolevelsofminutiae.Sourdoughfolksdividetheworldintotwokindsofpeople, thosewhocultivatesourandthosewhodumpit,buttheydonotstopthere.Considerthefollowingsubdivisions:

1 2

Thosewhopermitvs.reviletheuseofcommercialyeasttojumpstartaculture.(Whenis asourdough[starter]notasourdough?Whenanyingredientsotherthangrainandwater areadded!Endofdebate.) Usersofbellsandwhistlessuchasgrapesandmilkintheirstartervs.flour-and-water minimalists.(Lestyoureflexivelyawardmoralvictorytothepurists,notethatthegrapes sideincludessuchheavyhittersasNancySilvertonandthemanAnthonyBourdain describesas[Gods]personalbreadbaker.) Protectivevs.permissivestarterparents.(TheCaliforniagoldrushprospectorsmade sourdoughfromwhatevertheyhadathand.Riverwaterandwholegrainflour.Maybe someoldcoffee.Hell,throwinsomegrapes.Theyfeditwhatevertheyhad,howeveroften theycould.Noneofthiscoddlingthesourdough,givingitregularfeedings,justtheright amountofpablum.Youruinagoodsourthatway.Turnsouttobeweakandcitified. Doesnthavethegumptiontoproperlyraisealittlepancakemuchlessaloafofbread. Nope.)...

Newsourdoughquestionscontinuetoarise,alongwiththeirmyriadanswers.Fromthe bakersofGizatoGreat-GrandmaGriffithtoInternetnewsgroups,thecultureofsourdough enthusiaststodayisreminiscentoftheverystarterstheyshare,feed,coddle,orneglect.What hasemergedisamacrocosmofitsownbelovedmicrobiologicalcharges:elementsbothtart andlight,old-timesettlersguardingtheirland,wildnewbiessparkingfreshgrowth,active cellshungryformoresporesofdataanddiscussion.LikethousandsofCarls[retiredairforce colonelCarlT.Griffith,famousforthesourdoughhespread]closestfriends,theseprogenitors willsurelykeepsourdoughculturealiveandbubbling.

FermenTinG GrAins AnD sTArChy TuBers

235