Sourdough starter from Yogurt. Another Experiment.

It seems to me that the bacteria in yogurt and that in sourdough starter have the common task of infecting and feeding on their hosts.

Yogurt bacteria feeds on the sugars in milk and sourdough bacteria on the sugars in flour.

The yogurt bacteria is:

• The species of bacteria used in yogurt are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. These species eat the sugars in milk. As the bacteria eat milk sugars, the bacteria produce something called lactic acid. Lactic acid makes milk proteins curdle.

While sourdough is

• The sourdough bâtard, on the other hand, is a product of natural fermentation involving wild yeasts and bacteria. Almost all the bacteria are lactobacilli, cousins of the bacteria that curdle milk into yogurt and cheese. (fromThe Biology of . . . Sourdough | DiscoverMagazine.com)

So, why not make a sourdough starter using yogurt??  The classic starter creation approach is to let the bacteria in the flour and air work on the sugars in the flour to create lactic acid and acetic acid (the former creating a 'creamy' flavor and the latter creating a 'sour' flavor).  The key in sourdough production is to balance the two acids and achieve the flavor you wish in your bread.  

I confess that I am NOT a sour sourdough fan.  And, I am not a fan of the texture of many sourdough breads that tastes/feels old even the same day brought home from the store.  So, my objective in a sourdough starter is to make one that will 'do the job' without turning the bread sour.  

Time Frame:  The approach I used to make a starter from flour and water took about two weeks to get something from which I could build a dough.  This was consistent with the recipe I followed - so I didn't know any different.  

But, with a quarter cup of plain yogurt in the water to which I added an amount of flour equal to the weight of the water/yogurt mix on a Tuesday, I was baking bread on Saturday.   This was about 1/3 the time of the classic starter creation time. 

Naturally Leavened with Garlic

At first, I was concerned about the bread having an issue with people who had problems with dairy, but with over 40 people trying it (granted, mostly with salted butter on it), there were no problems.    

Results

• The crust was amazing.  The loaves with big 'ears' that you see in some recipe photos and bakeries are back with this naturally leavened dough.  Extra crispy tops without gelatinized crumb.
• The crumb was small holed and soft.  It reminded me of a white store bread only a slight amount more dense.  It was great for sandwiches and when toasted.  
• The flavor was only slightly slightly sour - almost imperceivable.  The taste was somewhat creamy and smooth.  

Crumb shot

Problems?   Yes, there are a few problems, but not all with the bread itself.  

• Because it doesn't taste sour, calling it sourdough doesn't seem to be appropriate.  I use a lot of herbs in my bread and I give the loaf a name based on the flavor one can experience.  I don't make a lot of plain old white bread.  The one that I offer called "Old Fashioned White Bread" (a yeast bread) doesn't get many orders.  And, calling this Sourdough - just doesn't seem to describe the bread.
• Timing is uncertain with naturally leavened (NL) doughs - unlike the predictable nature of yeast doughs.   With yeast bread, I can let it ferment until 3pm, form it, let it rest for an hour (the final rise) and then bake it.  But, with NL dough, I can't predict when it will be ready.  In previous tests (with a different starter), leaving it too long allowed the dough to break down so that had no elasticity; forming was very difficult.  How long is long enough??  I haven't figured that out- it seems to be when it has doubled (or more) in the fermenting bucket.  But, I do know when it has fermented for too long.
• It is not sour tasting - but what IS it?  

Where Do I Go From Here?  It seems to me that the dough that is created from this starter is not practical from a sales standpoint - though it works as a give away bread.  I guess I have a bias that says that a bread needs to 'earn it's keep' and have some value from a sales standpoint.  My consumption is fairly small; I can only give away because I sell.  It's not particularly predictable in making the bread - so it needs more attention than yeast breads.  Yeast breads are predictable and taste great and wonderful.   So why do I need this?

Because there is something big about making bread from scratch; from only flour, water and salt.    I have to believe that if the bread tasted better, it WOULD be important; it WOULD be worthwhile.

It is not that difficult making a starter from scratch, and easier yet using yogurt.  Just today, I mixed some of my older starter (made from scratch - no yogurt) into dough and at this minute, is in final proof stage to bake tonite - and to share at church tomorrow.

I like making bread.