by Amaia Arranz Otaegui and Lara Gonzalez Carretero
Origins of bread have been associated with the development of farming communities that cultivated and domesticated cereals in the Fertile Crescent 10,000 years ago. However, recent discoveries show that bread was not a product of farming, but perhaps something which fueled it.
For 6,000 years–since breads were first baked in the Fertile Crescent until the end of the 19th century–the staff of life was made by hand from only four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and a sourdough culture of wild yeast and bacteria.
Using one family’s story and survey responses from hundreds of Sourdough Project participants, Matthew Booker will speculate about why people carry sourdough cultures with them around the world and down through generations.
Chef and author Francisco Migoya provides findings from research conducted by his team over four years that dispel many long-standing myths about starting a levain, or sourdough starter.
In a unique online tasting session, Michael Kalanty invites you to bake up a loaf of your favorite bread, sit down, and taste along with him. Learn basic steps to evaluate and describe bread’s sensory qualities of aroma, flavor, and texture.
Josey Baker explores some of the opportunities he has found in his decade of bread baking, both from the perspective of a baker but also from the perspective of a neighbor and community member.
Join the sourdough librarian as he presents his collection of 133 starters from 25 countries kept in mason jars to be preserved for future generations and research.