The fact that today in the food industry they use leaven is not heard only by the lazy. Delicious pastries, healthy yogurts and many more products can not be imagined without the vital functions of small, but such important organisms. Any starter culture is an example of a fermentation process. Whether you added yeast or created the conditions for their natural development does not matter much. But if you want to see tasty and healthy products on the table, you need to know what leaven is.
Making bread
It is no secret that it is he who is vitally important for every person. The loaf should be moderately dense, but at the same time soft. Therefore, bakers know well what leaven is, and how it can be used. But today more and more breads with improvers and additives are entering the market. So the housewives have to remember about homemade cakes. In fact, everything is not as complicated as it seems at first glance.
What is sourdough? These are beneficial and friendly bacteria, lactic acid, which after fermentation transfers all the properties to the crumb. They are slightly different from the work of refined yeast from a pack. Natural fermentation caused by lactic acid bacteria eliminates carcinogenic compounds and stimulates the immune system. To put it simply, what is leaven, this is the breeding ground on which entire communities of tiny microorganisms have grown. These are various beneficial bacteria and wild yeast.
What does leaven consist of?
It should be noted right away that it is different. For baking, they make one composition, for fermenting milk and preparing yogurt - another, and for cheeses a third. Even in order to get a certain kind of cheese, you need to change the starter culture. We start with a simple and consider what a sourdough for bread.
- Its most important components are the bacteria responsible for the production of lactic acid.
- In addition, in symbiosis, other beneficial microorganisms get along well with them.
- And finally, wild yeast. They produce carbon dioxide, making the dough grow.
A logical question: what did not please the ordinary yeast that is in every store? In fact, such baked goods are very different in properties, as well as in taste. Bread on industrial yeast does not have a characteristic acidity. Although sometimes bakers are cunning and add vinegar to the pastry, thereby passing it off as a yeast-free. Therefore, it is best to bake at home.
How to make sourdough for bread
Of course, working in the kitchen requires free time, but the result is worth it. All you need is flour (preferably whole meal) and water. Mix a handful of flour with water to make a slurry or paste. Put in a warm place, you can on the battery. Every 12 hours, it must be thoroughly mixed so that air bubbles appear. After that, add another handful of flour and some water. It lasts 4-5 days.
Now the leaven is ready. Take half and mix with flour, if there are eggs or milk in the recipe, add them, following the sequence. Now leave it warm for 2 hours to make the dough fit. Add the second part with flour and water and put in the refrigerator. This is the leaven next time.
How to make delicious yogurt
This is not yogurt, although its beneficial properties cannot be denied. If in this case we mean lactic acid fermentation, that is, the result of the activity of the corresponding bacteria. But if we talk about yogurt, then the picture is somewhat different. By definition, this is a dairy product prepared using a special Bulgarian stick.
What is sourdough for yogurt? This is a mixture that, in addition to Bulgarian sticks, contains bifidobacteria. The prepared drink improves the condition of the intestines, they also strengthen the immune system.
Varieties of Yogurt Ferments
Growing a stick at home is quite difficult, so it is usually purchased at a pharmacy, in dry form or in the form of a ready-made sourdough. In stores today, the choice is quite large, but it is best to give preference to trusted manufacturers who monitor the quality of their products. Among these can be called:
- "Vivo" ("Vivo").
- "Lactina" ("Lactin").
- "Narine."
- "Lactoferm."
There are dry and liquid starter cultures. The first has a longer shelf life. The second “lives” in the refrigerator not so long, but gives the yogurt a completely different taste. To prepare a healthy drink you will need a liter of milk and one bag of dry sourdough. Mix them together and place in a multicooker bowl for 8 hours. Then pour into jars and refrigerate. This will stop the fermentation, and the yogurt will be thick and saturated.
Sourdough for cheese
This is a tasty and healthy product that must be in the diet constantly. But the cost of cheese can hardly be called low, so many people think of making them on their own. It is possible, but there are two main points. It is important to have a supplier of high-quality and inexpensive milk, a lot of free time, as well as a good understanding of what sourdough is for cheese.
It is added primarily to increase the acidity of milk. This contributes to the formation of a cheese clot. In addition, it protects milk from the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms, because it is a nutrient medium not only for lacto- and bifidobacteria friendly to us.
How to choose the right yeast
It turns out that there is a certain “free territory", that is, a certain amount of fresh milk. If we just leave it warm, then after a while the product will populate a certain microflora. The introduction of leaven anticipates this stage. We add the necessary microorganisms in advance, which will not let the milk go bad, and will not let other bacteria go. Whoever takes the first lives. Cheese starter culture is mesophilic and thermophilic. The choice is made depending on the variety you want to cook.
Beginner Cheesemaker
The most affordable is mesophilic sourdough. What it is? This is a colony of bacteria that does not like heat. So they are used to prepare cheese mass, which does not need to be heated above 100 degrees. Soft cheeses with mold, cheddar, feta, feta cheese familiar to everyone. It is with these varieties that one must begin at first, until you get acquainted with all the subtleties of this matter.
Thermophilic bacteria
Or thermophilic yeast. What it is? This is also a certain kind of mixture of microorganisms, but this time heat-loving. With their help, you can cook cheeses, which in the process of cooking have to be heated to 130 degrees and above. These are parmesan, mascarpone and many others. In addition, you need to pay attention that the starter cultures have names. They can be readable or digital. These are bacterial strains that the manufacturer has combined and packaged. If we are talking about making quality cheeses, then you need to pay attention to this. For home use, you can not take into account such subtleties.
By type of use
Sourdough can be divided into formulations of direct application and reclaimed. The first is added to milk. The bag is opened immediately before cooking. This option is very convenient for beginners, the result with them is almost always predictable.
Reclaimed starter cultures are first bred in sterile milk. Propagate it by preserving part of the composition. But the shelf life is relatively short, so if you make cheese every six months, then this option is not too convenient.
Now you know what leaven is.