Baker Karl De Smedt is obsessed with bread—especially sourdough. But De Smedt is allergic to flour. So he needed a way other than baking to turn his doughy passion into a profession. De Smedt rose to the occasion, becoming the world’s only sourdough librarian. His research traces bread’s past—and studies how to make better bread in the future.
Fizzing, bubbling jars line the shelves of the Puratos Sourdough Library in St. Vith, Belgium, where De Smedt works. Unlike most libraries, you can’t borrow anything here. Instead, each jar holds a different starter, a fermented flour-water mixture that gives sourdough its tangy taste and helps it rise.
Some starters in De Smedt’s sourdough vault are very old. Some are new but unusual for reasons such as origin or rarity. #100 is from Japan. It is made from rice. #43 is from a famous San Francisco sourdough batch.
De Smedt started out as a baker at the Puratos Bakery. After several years, his allergy became a problem. De Smedt asked to begin displaying the various starters he and others were collecting. The sourdough library began officially in 2013. Today, there are 105 foaming specimens.
To begin a starter, bread makers place flour and water in a jar and set it aside. But it must be “fed” regularly. That means half the mixture gets scooped out and discarded (or used in another recipe), and then new flour and water is added. Over time, those simple ingredients undergo an amazing change. They’ll become bubbly and double in size—over and over. This is fermentation.
Fermentation happens because of two different living single-cell organisms: bacteria and “wild” yeast. That’s right—starters are alive! That’s why they must be fed regularly.
Both bacteria and yeast exist naturally in flour, air, and even on human hands. Mixed with water, they break down sugars and starches in the flour. This produces carbon dioxide. The gas makes bread rise and also affects its shape, color, and density.
The research has found connections among sourdoughs from around the globe. Two starters, one from Switzerland and one from Mexico, share a wild yeast that none of the others has, perhaps because both came from high altitudes.
Last year, the Puratos Sourdough Library sent identical flour and recipes to 16 bakers from 16 countries. Microbiologist Anne Madden found that bacteria from the bakers’ hands made each starter a bit different.
Remember the gospel song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”? It’s true. God’s hands control everything, including the microscopic particles on the whole world’s hands.
First comment!!!!!
My mom makes sourdough all the time pizza, bread,pancakes, and alot more I some times make sourdough to but I usually don't bake with sourdough but I do bake all the time let me know if anyone else does sourdough
2nd comment!!!
That's really gross. The bread is fermented??? Now I don't want to eat sourdough anymore.
I think it's interesting that
I think it's interesting that this guy has an allergy to flour and still loves bread.
:) :) :) :)
I have had sourdough twice. It was good, but it was sour!
Janna (Daniel's sister)
Personally I think it's a waist of your life just to be experimenting with bread.
@ Janna G.
Not necessarily. I mean, this guy seems happy, and he's finding out interesting things about bread. Would you call that a waste?
Janna (Daniel's sister) @Lena P
Sorry, I didn't think of that part of it. I've just never heard of someone being that into breads......................lol.
@ Janna G.
I know, me either! I love how God makes us all so different. After all, if we all had the same interests things might get pretty boring!
Janna (Daniel's sister) @Lena P
Also I was thinking about how people are dying of cancer every day, so why not devote your life to trying to find a cure for a cancer instead of this? But God put him there, so.......
@ Janna G.
I'm sure there are people out there who are devoting their lives to figuring out a cure for cancer, but their skills probably lie in the medical area. God gives us all different talents and interests, and we can use them in different ways. Like, for example, my talents are more artsy: I want to be an author, work in a library, and travel the world. Can I help people through that? Absolutely. So, I think this guy could help plenty of people through his love of bread. Does all that make sense?
from us both
btw, what curriculum('s) r u all doing 4 school this year? our list is posted below: (it would b cool some of us were doing the same stuff! btw, we're homeschooled :)
Math: Teaching Textbooks
Language Arts: Learning Language Arts Through Literature
History: Sonlight Old World History
Science: Apologia Human Anatomy and Phisology
This is interesting, part
This is interesting, part because he is so into it, and partly because we do sourdough! Braedan, we do all the same stuff as you!!! That is soooo cool to know someone else does it too! We make bread, biscuits, pancakes, pizza, scones, bagels, and a lot more!! We sometimes tease my mom about it and call her sourdough her "pet" because it is technically "alive" and she has to feed and water it, take care of it, etc.!!! lol!! Belwyn, here is a little of what we do. We do Simply Charlotte Mason, so use a lot of different things. Math: Video Text Algebra Science: Apologia Biology Spelling/Writing: Spelling wisdom book 4/Lightning Lit & Comp For history I don't know the name of our book, but there are like six or so books with whole school year long lesson plans. One it Ancient Egypt, one about Greeks and romans, one about medieval and reformation, one early modern history, and one about modern history. We will probably do Early Modern or Modern. Language: German/ Latin and lots more!
from us both/@ Riley D.
cool!!! thanks!
Mmm...
My grandpa makes really good sourdough bread. At Christmas my grandma and mom always make cheeseball, so one year I figured out that my grandpa's sourdough, toasted, with Christmas ham and cheeseball, was really, really good.
Yeah we call it her pet to
Yeah we call it her pet to and I thinkle the only thing that we haven't madeven that you mentioned are scones we'll have to try it out
YES!
I LOVE BREAD! Especially sourdough!!!! I love to bake, too, but I haven't had as much experience with bread as I have with cookies!
@Kn
I make a cheeseball at Christmas and Thanksgiving that is famous with my family! I will have to try out your concoction!!! It is called a Bacon-Jalapeno Cheeseball.
i love
I love sourdough pancakes with wild blueberry syrup but I have not had them since last winter...
i love sourdough!
it's probably my favorite bread(and jewish rye). i also make sourdough bread. did you guys know that it's an old custom to name your sourdough starters? my mom and i named ours bertha (dont know how we came up w/ that one) before we even knew about the custom.
has anyone else who does sourdough named theirs?
Starters and things
I know a friend who's dad tinkers with starters. They call him Maurice (LOL) because he spends so much time working with them. I'm going to try starting a starter farm Sunday, and I hope it works out. Wish me luck!
What?! Yikes!
The starters are ALIVE??:O