Mother dough, mother yeast, sourdough , natural yeast, starter. These are just some of the names by which it is called that for me, the natural leavened dough. It has become a real passion to the point that sometimes I ask to myself :”How did I live all those years with no mother dough? Without the taste of pizza, bread , bread sticks or crackers made ​​with it?”

Mother dough is never the same dough, it really lives! In facts, numerous bacteria and lactic acid bacteria grow and produce carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol and other, giving to the dough a slightly sour smell with aromas that recall moments in the wort’s fermentation, sometimes yogurt, honey, green apple and more.

There are traces of the use of that natural yeast since ancient civilizations, where the spontaneous acid mixture was used to make the bread more fragrant. My natural yeast, dates back to 2013, really young when compared with others that have been handed down for generations, but rather than ask for a gift I wanted to challenge myself and started with my “starter”.

It was not easy. The first month was like raising a child, it took a lot of patience but now things are smooth. Bacteria and enzymes of the yeast must be kept alive, fed with flour and water. My experience (even if it is never enough) allows me to keep it better in the refrigerator. With the surplus I do my bread, week after week.

Sourdough is certainly able to make the baked good flavors and make them digestible more than other yeast, as in the case of bread, to keep them longer and in excellent condition.

In a future post I will teach you how to “create” mother dough and especially how to keep it alive.