April 29, 2008 - 2:43pm
Stainless Steel and Sourdough/Wild Yeast
I have seen warnings in references on sourdough bread to avoid contacting the starter with stainless steel (claiming it results in an off taste), yet in BBA I see the sourdough/wild yeast barms, poolishes, etc being mixed and fermented in stainless steel bowls.
I've been making sourdough bread for years and don't even scoop the starter or stir the sourdough with stainless steel, but now this authoritative work evidently pays it no mind.
Is the sourdough/stainless steel thing a baseless old wive's tale? Does it have to do with the duration of the sourdough's exposure to SS? Should SS never touch sourdough/wild yeast cultures?
Opinions?