Last week I recieved one of the most bizarre and unusual gifts ever. In a small pot marked 'Custard Powder' a foamy, yeasty gloop. This is a sourdough starter. Sourdough is a natural yeast and is used to make my favourite kind of bread. It needs to be regularly fed and divided and can live forever.
Sourdough occurs naturally and dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. It fell from favour in this country in the Middle Ages when a beer by product was used to rise bread instead, but reamins popular in Northern Europe and America. In the Gold Rush, miners carried a bag of sourdough starter so they could always make bread.
From a scientific point of view, sourdough is a mixture of natural bacteria and yeasts which are present in the air and will grow in a flour and water mixture.
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