Or, how about the nice and airy texture and chewy crust of a French baguette?
A sourdough starter is made from a batter (usually the consistency of mud) of wheat flour (grains) and approximately 85 degree F water called the “sourdough method”. It is left out at room temperature to catch the wild yeasts and Lactobacillus, ferment and develop into a leavener for recipes. A sourdough takes days and months to develop; the very slowness of this natural leavening gives bread more depth of character and richness, such as a sour or wheaty taste, with a crusty crust and irregular air holes. When the starter is fully fermented, a piece of it is mixed with the bread’s additional ingredients. This results in bread and other recipes with more flavor and an interesting texture. The remainder is replenished and maintained over time, sometimes for years, to again have a portion of it used in the next recipe, and so on. A sponge starter is made when a regular pancake-like batter from flour and water plus a leavener being packaged yeast, an active sponge starter and/or a portion
