October 29, 2011 - 8:41pm
Why? Why bake sourdough?
I'm a sourdough lover, sometime bread blogger [1] and freelance writer, and I have somehow convinced an editor that I'll write an article about sourdough. I'd like to talk about reasons for choosing sourdough over tossing in a spoonful of commercial yeast. I mean, it's not a crime or even a cheap shortcut to use yeast, and sometimes, my sourdough breads don't even taste noticeably different.
So... what are your reasons for choosing sourdough? Here are some I've thought of, in no particular order:
- connection to heritage (ie old-fashioned ways)
- friendship - passing on a starter to a friend or maintaining one from a friend
- superior flavour (sometimes), both from wild yeast strains and longer fermentation
- possible digestive benefits, as longer fermentation "digests" some gluten
- independence from commercial yeast manufacturers?
- "Slow Food" mentality vs "Quick Rise" yeast
What am I missing? These don't sound like much, honestly...