What is sourdough?

Sourdough is not a type of bread.

Sourdough is the name of a natural process that uses a sourdough starter. Sourdough in a dough recipe replaces the use of commercial or bought yeast, such as instant dry yeast or fresh brewer’s yeast cubes.

Anything that is made with bought yeast can be made with a sourdough process. It’s called “sourdough” because the starter used to leaven the dough is sour. Not because the final product is sour!

A product leaven naturally with a sourdough starter doesn’t necessarily have to be sour. A good example of this is Panettone. Panettone is a sourdough brioche bread!

At Motherdough our sourdough starter is a stiff dough called Alfonsina. We feed her with flour & water every day. She lives in the fridge and, every now & then when she is feeling a bit grumpy, we give her a nice warm bath and a special meal.  Everything in our bakery is made using Alfonsina – either as a leavening agent or to include fermented flour in a baked product.