Sourdough

Gastronomski proizvodi kojima prvenstveno treba pridati značaj su proizvodi od testa. Kako u svojim beleženjima navodi Vladimir Nikolić, seosko muško stanovništvo je, čak iako nije bila oskudica, volelo da jede hleb, koji je često bio nedopečen i gnjecav. Na sličan način i sa istom na- menom kao i hleb, pripremane su i pogače. Pored toga, među najčešće pri- premanim jelima iz ove grupe su banice i pite (pripremane od pšeničnog brašna) i moruznice, pripremane od kukuruznog brašna. U gradskom jezgru, pored navedenih jela, na poseban način pripremana je jufka, kao i ćije. Diskutovanje problematike gastro proizvoda od testa Pirotskog kraja ograničeno je činjenicom da hleb, po današnjem shvatanju istog, ne predstavlja jelo, dok je kroz istoriju vrlo često korišćen kao jedina ili dopunska hrana. Naročito je izražena upotreba hleba u pripremi tzv. sirotinjskih jela – golovara, popare, skroba i kruševice, gde se isti, ako nije glavni sastojak, nadrobi u već oskudno pripremljeno „jelo“. Sa dru- ge strane, pite, banice, moruznicu (proju) nemoguće je nazvati jelima, jer se, analogno hlebu, pod jelima podrazumevaju druge vrste gastro proizvoda, pa se ona često svrstavaju u „topla predjela“. Najzad, jufka bi se mogla svrstati u grupaciju „testenina“, ali je i tu potrebna opreznost. Slična je situacija kod slatkih pita i banica. Prema tome, nasleđe tradicionalnih gastro proizvoda od testa iz Pirotskog kraja je vrlo teško prilagoditi važećim podelama i klasifikacijama grupa jela, pa bi posebno trebalo razmotriti zasebnu klasifikaciju.

Our digestive system works because of the good bacteria living therein. Our entire existence directly depends on these friendly bacteria. In this booklet I give you the basic science behind the beneficial bacteria used for baking sourdough. You will learn why sourdough is healthier for you, how to cultivate and use a sourdough starter and the basics of using a wood fired oven for baking sourdough bread.

Humans have relied on sourdough starter microbial communities to make leavened bread for thousands of years, but only a small fraction of global sourdough biodiversity has been characterized. Working with a community-scientist network of bread bakers, we determined the microbial diversity of 500 sourdough starters from four continents. In sharp contrast with widespread assumptions, we found little evidence for biogeographic patterns in starter communities. Strong co-occurrence patterns observed in situ and recreated in vitro demonstrate that microbial interactions shape sourdough community structure. Variation in dough rise rates and aromas were largely explained by acetic acid bacteria, a mostly overlooked group of sourdough microbes. Our study reveals the extent of microbial diversity in an ancient fermented food across diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.

Background: The widespread consumption of industrial fermented products instead of traditional products leads to the loss of various lactic acid bacteria (LAB), especially the strains producing bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to isolate and molecularly identify LAB and investigate their antifungal impact on Aspergillus niger growth.

Spontaneous fermented sourdoughs prepared from amaranth flour were investigated for the presence of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) predominating microbiota. The doughs were fermented with daily backslopping on a laboratory scale at 30°C for 10 days. LAB counts ranged from 2·60 to 8·54 log CFU g(-1) with a pH declined from 6·2 to 3·8 throughout fermentation. The combined use of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analysis and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA was applied for LAB intraspecies differentiation and taxonomic identification, respectively. Enterococcus, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus species were present in amaranth sourdoughs (AS). After the first refreshment step, Lactobacillus plantarum dominated AS until the end of fermentation. In coincidence, when DGGE analysis was performed, the occurrence of a progressive change in bacterial communities allowed the selection of Lact. plantarum as a dominant species. Moreover, technological, functional and safety characteristics of representative RAPD-biotypes were investigated. Lact. plantarum CRL1898 was selected as a potential candidate for gluten-free amaranth sourdough starter. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in ancient noncereal gluten-free (GF) crops such as amaranth, due to their reported nutritional and health benefits. However, the use of these grains is still limited to traditional foods and bread making processes that are not yet well standardized. Results on the dynamics of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) microbiota during laboratory spontaneous amaranth sourdoughs (AS) fermentation will contribute to overcome challenges for GF-fermented products development. In addition, knowledge about LAB diversity involving Enterococcus, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus species, with Lactobacillus plantarum predominating during AS fermentation, and their technological and functional properties provides the basis for the selection of autochthonous strains as starters cultures for novel gluten-free bakery products with enhanced nutritional, sensory and/or safety quality.

Humans have relied on sourdough starter microbial communities to make leavened bread for thousands of years, but only a small fraction of global sourdough biodiversity has been characterized. Working with a community-scientist network of bread bakers, we determined the microbial diversity of 500 sourdough starters from four continents. In sharp contrast with widespread assumptions, we found little evidence for biogeographic patterns in starter communities. Strong co-occurrence patterns observed in situ and recreated in vitro demonstrate that microbial interactions shape sourdough community structure. Variation in dough rise rates and aromas were largely explained by acetic acid bacteria, a mostly overlooked group of sourdough microbes. Our study reveals the extent of microbial diversity in an ancient fermented food across diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.

Humans have relied on sourdough starter microbial communities to make leavened bread for thousands of years, but only a small fraction of global sourdough biodiversity has been characterized. Working with a community-scientist network of bread bakers, we determined the microbial diversity of 500 sourdough starters from four continents. In sharp contrast with widespread assumptions, we found little evidence for biogeographic patterns in starter communities. Strong co-occurrence patterns observed in situ and recreated in vitro demonstrate that microbial interactions shape sourdough community structure. Variation in dough rise rates and aromas were largely explained by acetic acid bacteria, a mostly overlooked group of sourdough microbes. Our study reveals the extent of microbial diversity in an ancient fermented food across diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.

Relying on auto-ethnography, I reflect on the role sourdough and bread-making practices have played during the COVID-19 pandemic. I explore the agency of a non-human entity-the sourdough-and the relations that emerge from nurturing it. In particular, I inquire what living relationally means for me-a professional migrant-in a time that is not only challenging, due to the pandemic and consequent lockdown away from my country of origin, but which has also forced me to proactively and creatively respond to being in a precarious employment. Sourdough and bread-making practices have allowed me to create, recreate, and reinforce new and existing relations. I, thus, indicate to what extent such practices activate kin making and knowledge making, whilst counterbalancing the alienation and distress that come from experiencing a pandemic.

In this article, I enquire in which ways the corona-induced lockdown in Austria has reshaped intimacy in our household by scrutinising my husband's sourdough bread-making journey. As physical distancing has thrown us back onto ourselves, my fi eld of research is equivalent to that which is immediately available-our everyday life within the confi nes of domestic space, at times expanded via digital technologies. My elaborations are based on my (research) diary in which I usually confl ate personal and research-related aspects of my everyday life. As, during lockdown, (entries on) bread-making and caring for sourdoughs came to play an important role, I became inspired to unfold issues of corporeality, relationality and temporality with regard to newly developing intimacies, interdependencies and modes of knowing.