| Anfrishsauer |
A German term for the first stage of the
traditional German sourdough baking process made from Anstellgut, water,
and flour. |
| Anstellgut |
A German term for the inoculant to the first
stage in the three-stage sequence of elaboration of a leaven for the traditional
process of German sourdough. It is a portion of the ripe sourdough leaven
saved from the previous day's bake and corresponds to the French term "chef". |
| Barm |
A British term for a yeast leaven. In brewing,
the term "barm" refers to the foamy yeast residue from the fermentation
of ale, then used to leaven bread (different strains of S. cerevisiae are
used to ferment both bread and alcohol).
Today some Americans (including some San Francisco bread bakers and
instructors) use the term "barm" to describe a natural leaven started with
whole wheat flour or grains. A barm started from whole wheat grains or
flour is a mix of natural or "wild" yeast and lactobacilli originating
from the grains.
As a by-product from brewing yeast, barm makes a fairly bitter tasting
bread unless the bittering agents are distilled out. As a natural leaven
from whole wheat flour and/or grains, barm produces a mild fruity buttery
flavored bread lactic acid contributions from the lactobacilli and is not
necessarily sour. |
| Biga |
An Italian word for a yeasted starter. To
make a biga, a tiny amount of commercial bakers yeast is mixed with water
and flour to a dough-like consistency and fermented for a long period of
time, 12 to 24 hours or more. It is then mixed into bread dough for leavening,
often with the addition of more commercial bakers' yeast. |
| Chef |
A French word for a natural leaven starter
which is retained and used from bake to bake. Sometimes it refers to a
piece of old dough saved off for the next bake, sometimes to a starter
in its first stage, either a batter- or dough-like consistency.
In classic French baking a "chef" is "built" (or "elaborated") into
a "levain" (a firm dough-like consistency) which is again built (or elaborated)
into leavening for final bread dough. |
| Desem |
A Flemish word for a natural leaven. To make
a desem, a small amount of freshly milled whole wheat flour is mixed with
some unchlorinated water, then buried in a 10 pound bag of whole wheat
flour, kept at cool temperatures (65 degrees F or lower) and allowed to
ferment. It is refreshed every day or two for about 7 days until it is
ready to make into bread.
Burying the dough ball in the bag of flour allows the leaven to develop
from only those yeast and lactobacilli which inherently thrive on the grain
and avoids the introduction of other microbes.
A slowly fermented desem starter enhances the wheat flavor and creates
a fruity, wheaty bread full of complex flavors. |
| Friendship Starter
(Amish or otherwise) |
A sweet starter generally made with milk,
sugar and flour used in a variety of baking goods such as quick breads,
pancakes, muffins, coffee cakes, etc. Some versions of the starter are
natural leavens, others are made with commercial bakers yeast. |
| Grundsauer |
A German term for the second stage of leaven
elaboration of German sourdough. |
| Levain |
A French word for a natural leaven mixed
to a dough-like consistency. A levain is made by adding flour and water
or just flour to a "chef". This process is referred to as "building" or
"elaborating" the next stage of the leaven.
A levain or levain bread dough is generally fermented at cool temperatures.
The firmer consistency and cool temperature fermentation of a levain promotes
the development of lactic rather than acidic acids, and a bread leavened
with a levain (Pain au Levain) has a rich, complex flavor and is generally
not sour. |
| Lievito Naturale |
Classically, an Italian word for a natural
leaven. Today some Italian bakers use the terms biga and Lievito Naturale
interchangeably. |
| Natural Leaven |
A leaven of so-called "wild" or natural yeast
and lactobacilli (sourdough, desem, levain, lievito naturale, some barms).
As opposed to commercial bakers' yeast. Would also include leavens of natural
yeast without lactobacilli. |
| Old Dough (Pate Fermente or Vielle Pate) |
A piece of final dough saved from one bake
to the next. It differs from a starter only in that it is saved after the
final dough has been mixed and therefore contains salt.
Old dough can be used to leaven fresh dough. Depending on its age
it may need to be either refreshed in order to strengthen its leavening
ability or additional leavening may be used along with the old dough. |
| Poolish |
A French term for a sponge, a mixture of
commercial bakers yeast, water and flour. Usually a wet mixture rather
than firm. Classically the water and flour are in a 1:1 ratio by weight
although in common use the term now equates to "sponge". |
| Pre-ferment |
This term refers to any mix or starter that
is allowed to ferment and build its leavening ability prior to being incorporated
into final bread dough. This includes either a yeasted or naturally leavened
sponge, a biga, a levain, a barm, a batter-like starter, old dough, etc.
A pre-ferment contributes leavening and flavor to bread by allowing
the dough longer periods of fermentation which enhances the texture and
flavor of the bread. |
| Sauerteig |
A German term for sourdough. |
| Sourdough |
A culture of natural leavens (natural yeast
and lactobacilli) used as leavening. |
| Sourdough Starter |
A stabile culture of natural yeast and lactobacilli
maintained over time, propagated and continued for the purpose of leavening. |
| Sourdough Bread |
Bread which has been leavened by a sourdough starter. Sourdough
bread may or may not have a sour flavor depending on the acids produced
by the specific strains of lactobacilli that are involved in the fermentation
process. Sourdough bread is not necessarily sour bread although it can
be. |
| Sponge |
A pre-ferment of a wet rather than firm (dough-like)
consistency. It is a mixture of leavening (either commercial bakers' yeast
or natural leavens), liquid and flour mixed prior to the final bread dough
and allowed to ferment anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours (or more).
Used to improve the flavor and texture of bread dough and to build leavening
strength. |
| Starter |
A mixture used as leavening in final dough.
The term generally refers to either batter-like or dough-like consistency
mixes which are retained from one activation or bake to the next. |
| Vollsauer: |
A German term for the third and last stage
of leaven elaboration of German sourdough. When fully ripe (or activated)
some of this is saved to become Anstellgut, and the rest is used to prepare
the final dough. |
| Yeast |
Yeast is a fungus, a member of the plant
family. Yeast exists on plants, in the air, in soil, and in and on humans
and animals.
Yeast metabolize simple sugars and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide
through the process of fermentation. Different strains of yeast are used
for different processes, such as brewing and dough-rising. |
| Yeast, Commercial Bakers' Yeast |
In the 1860's Louis Pasteur discovered how
bread is leavened and how yeast "works". A particular strain of yeast named
Saccharomyces cerevisiae was found to be an excellent leavener for bread
and one that could be easily manufactured. Whether you use fresh (compressed)
or dry yeast (either regular active dry yeast or instant dry yeast), you
are using strains of S. cerevisiae that have been engineered, manufactured
and packaged for commercial and home use to be predictable, reliable and
fast-acting. |
| Yeast,Wild or Natural Yeast |
Yeast that is freely floating about in the
air or on the surface of grains, fruit or vegetables or in soil. As opposed
to commercial bakers yeast wild yeast are strains of Saccharomyces exigus
including some varieties of Candida such as C. krusei and C. milleri. |
| Culture |
A stabile symbiotic mix of microorganisms
in a medium such as liquid and grain (i.e., water and flour), also referred
to as a "natural leaven starter." |
| Docking (Slashing) |
Slitting a loaf with 1/4" - 1/2" cuts, for the purpose of guiding
the bloom of the loaf so that it swells where the baker wants it to and
for decorative purposes. |
| Fermentation (of bread) |
The process by which bread is leavened, also known as "rising".
As the simple sugars are broken down from starch in flour, the microorganisms
in a bread dough feed and then release various metabolic by-products (carbon
dioxide, alcohol, organic acids and organic volatiles) which flavor the
bread and cause it to rise. |
| "Fully Activated" |
That stage in the cycle of a
starter of peak yeast and lactobacilli activity. A fully activated starter
is full of large and small bubbles which are well-integrated throughout
the starter (not just on top), there may be a layer of foam or froth on
the very top and if the starter is a thick enough batter, it will have
increased in volume by double or more. |
| Hooch |
The liquid that rises to the
top as a starter separates. Some bakers stir it back into the starter,
others pour it off. |
| Incubate |
In context here, to allow a starter
to sit in conditions which favor the growth of its microorganisms. |
| Inoculate |
In context here, to introduce
microorganisms (or a substance upon which or in which microorganisms exist)
into a mix of flour and water in order to cultivate the microorganisms. |
| Inoculum |
In context here, what is used
to inoculate a fresh mix of flour and water, such as an amount of existing
starter or bits of fruit, vegetables, spices or water containing desirable
microorganisms. |
| Lactobacilli |
Lactic acid-producing bacteria,
often referred to as "friendly bacteria". These are rod-shaped bacteria
that assist the process of fermentation and produce lactic and acetic acids
along with CO2 as by-products of metabolism (fermentation). |
| Lame |
A French word for a tool used to slash (dock) hearth loaves.
Some of these look like a long-handled knife, others like a double-edged
razor on a stick. |
| Leaven |
As a verb, to cause to rise.
As a noun, an ingredient incorporated into bread dough which causes
the dough to rise through the release of CO2 through either a chemical
process (as baking powder and/baking soda) or through a metabolic process
of fermentation. |
| Microbe, Microorganism(s) |
In context here, microscopic
organisms such as the yeast and bacteria that inhabit a culture. |
| Mother Starter |
Same as Refrigerator or Storage
Starter. |
| Refresh |
"Feeding" a starter, adding nutrients
in the form of flour and water to re-activate the starter and bring its
leavening and flavoring microbes to peak levels of activity. |
| Refrigerator (or Storage) Starter |
A starter that is stored in the
refrigerator most of the time and is taken out, refreshed and fully activated
prior to mixing final bread dough. |
| Slashing (Docking) |
Slitting a loaf with 1/4" - 1/2" cuts, for the purpose of guiding
the bloom of the loaf so that it swells where the baker wants it to and
for decorative purposes. |
| "Sour" |
As a noun, a starter used to
build a sour-flavored bread dough, commonly used in commercial baking,
for instance a "rye sour". |
| Sour Bread |
A bread dough which has an acid
pH and a sour flavor caused by either natural leaven fermentation (sourdough)
or through the addition of souring agents such as yogurt, vinegar or various
souring salts. Sour bread is only sourdough bread when it has been leavened
by a sourdough (natural leaven) culture of wild yeast and lacatobacilli. |
| Sourdough Bread |
Bread which has been leavened
by a sourdough starter. Sourdough bread may or may not have a sour flavor
depending on the acids produced by the specific strains of lactobacilli
that are involved in the fermentation process. Sourdough bread is not necessarily
sour bread although it can be. |
