Picture this: a dusty crock of bubbly, active sourdough starter whispered to be over a century old, lovingly cultivated by generations of bakers and passed down like a sacred heirloom. Ages-old microbes from the far-off reaches of the globe, alive for countless decades, bringing life and flavor to your bread. Some say it possesses magical bread-making powers that were once only possible to invoke using dark wizardly arts.
Okay, cut the crap, Lord Vol-dough-mort. Not only is this drama getting a bit crusty, but it’s also wrong on so many levels. Let’s dive into the science and silliness of the concept of a 100-year-old sourdough starter. Brace yourselves, folks, as we’re about to separate some sourdough fact from fiction.
The Scientific Fun-dough-mentals
That “100-year-old” starter? Sure, someone a century ago may have mixed some flour and water together, but unless you found Greta Garbo’s secret cache of dehydrated starter containers, it’s really more like a few-weeks-old starter.
Sourdough starters are made up of living organisms. They’re teeming with wild yeast and bacteria, specifically Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and lactic acid bacteria. These little guys are responsible for the fermentation magic that turns flour and water into tangy, delicious bread. But, like any living organism, they’re not immortal.
For a starter to stay active or “alive,” it needs to be fed. Feeding a starter involves adding new flour and water, often daily. Every feeding introduces new microbes, and they party it up with the original colony. Over time, any starter will adapt to its surroundings, and the new microbes eventually replace the old, becoming unique to the kitchen it’s in. This means that “century-old” starter your great-great-great-grandmother started in the Old Country was, effectively, completely new shortly after the first time it changed hands. And, after a short time with you, it’ll likely be identical to a brand-new starter you whipped up in your kitchen a few weeks ago. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Source: @ketrinadrawsalot
Knead I Say More?
I understand the desire. We all long to be a part of something grand and enduring, to forge a link with the generations that preceded us. Plus, there’s a certain self-satisfaction in proudly honing a timeless craft with a classic ingredient. But, in the end, there’s no sourdough sorcery here. Once it’s active, the “age” of a starter doesn’t matter; it’s all about the care and feeding it receives.
And starters are easy to create. You don’t need to wait weeks and spend loads of money on a mystical relic to make mouth-watering sourdough. Flour, water and a bit of patience are all you need to get your own microbial party started. So, take that mason jar off the pedestal, forget the fairy tales of century-old starters and embrace the yeasty world of sourdough science in your own kitchen. Happy baking!
