We all know that sourdough money can be stored for years. But have you ever come across the oldest sourdough starter? I'm not talking about the 4-year-old sourdough starter, I'm talking about the 100-year-old sourdough starter that's still alive! Here are some of the oldest sourdough starters in the world, you won't believe your eyes!
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Baked Starter vs Old Sourdough Starter
like the engine bakes with frequent meals, it is ready to bake sourdough bread. The more you nurture and store the sourdough starter, the more it ripens, until it eventually reaches its peak.
A 12 month old starter is almost as good as a 100 year old starter.
of type of flour used in the starter can greatly affect the microbes and yeast colonies that thrive within the starter. So if you want to keep your engine running for 100 years, you have to feed it the same flour and water without changing its feeding routine. In other words, consistency is the best policy.
Can a beginner be over 100 years old?
Yes, of course you can!
Maybe the engine is from a bakery that has continuously fed their engine for 100 years or more.
Maybe someone decided to dry out the sourdough starter a long time ago and kept it nice and dry.
Just imagine, dehydrating your dough starter and keeping it for someone else to find 100 years later. Crazy, but not impossible!
Although it is quite possible to have a sourdough starter that is over 100 years old, the sourdough starters that exist today will not be the same as those that were started more than a century ago.
A sourdough starter is a live culture consisting of natural yeast and bacteria. These yeasts and bacteria respond to the flour, temperature, time and environment in which they are kept.
It means that a sourdough starter from 100 years ago would have changed and responded to the environment in which it was kept.
The 7 Oldest Sourdough Starters
While your sourdough starter may have lived for 2 years, somewhere in the world there are starters that are hundreds of years old!
Let's take a look at some amazing yet ancient sourdough starters!
100-year-old Montana dough
This incredible sourdough starter was created 100 years ago. Like any starter, it was used to make sourdough cookies, but over an open flame, in rural areas. Montana. This sourdough starter has been passed down for generations, and is certainly used in sourdough baking to this day.
We can only wonder what kind of tasty bread an ancient novice like this can make!
100-year-old dough from Alaska
This century-old starter originated from Alaska, and has a wheat base for those who want health conscious bread. A starter like this wasn't just used to make bread. In fact, home bakers used this ancient starter to make delicious pancakes, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, and cornbread!
100 Year Old San Francisco Sour
This 100-year-old San Francisco Sour Dough the initial is expressed as very sharp and sour.
The best part is that it's caffeine-free, colour-free, egg-free, fat-free and gelatin-free, so if you're gluten intolerant then this might be right for you!
Making sourdough bread with an ancient starter can be the best thing any baker can do. The more ripe the starter, the tastier the sourdough bread. And when it comes to San Fran sourdough bread, we already know the flavors are exploding!
San Francisco's 233-year legacy
This 233-year-old sour elf is called BODY. The current owner of this motorcycle is a 92-year-old mother of two who has cared for this suit as if it were one of her own children.
The engine's original owner opened a bakery in San Francisco in 1850 and had cared for the engine for 40 years before opening the bakery.
The 400-year-old Bavarian Black Death
This very old sourdough starter has connections to the southernmost part of Germany. Although the exact story of its origin may be a bit imprecise, history says that sourdough began around 1633 in a town called Oberammergau.
It has been passed down through many generations, but has never left the hands of the family.
1000 year old Welsh sourdough starter
This sourdough starter, like the other ancient starters on this list, is a family heirloom.
Flourished with wheat and rye grains, this Welsh starter can satisfy any novice looking to create an ancient form of sourdough bread with the help of the magical starters of the ancients.
Just think what that dough starter had experienced, it's just unreal!
4,500-year-old Egyptian Maya
And if you thought the Welshman was the oldest starter, wait until you take a look at this one. Originating from ancient Egypt, this is probably one of the oldest starters to date.
Packed with sweet and rich flavors, these 4,500-year-old yeast microbes they sure have been busy!
How to bake with an ancient sourdough starter
Baking with an old sourdough starter is no different than baking with a mature 2-3 year old starter. Provided the engine is well fed and maintained, you can do whatever you like with it. Depending on where it came from and spent most of its life, you'll be able to discover brand new flavors and textures from your baked goods.
Personally, I would love to get my hands on the oldest sourdough starter, simply because of the living organism that has thrived for so long! Imagine a loaf of sourdough bread made by a sourdough novice that once sat in the clay pots of ancient Egypt. Unreal!
Baking with an ancient sourdough starter doesn't require anything out of the ordinary. Depending on what you intend to bake, you will need starter, flour, water and any additional baking ingredients. You will notice too complex tastewhich you may love or hate depending on your taste.
Ancient Sourdough Starters for the win!
If the idea of ancient sourdough starters excites you, then maybe it's time to plan ahead. If you adore your starter, then you can easily pass that bad boy on to the next generation. Just make sure you are taking very good care of it!
Frequently asked questions
Can a sourdough starter last 100 years?
Yes of course it can. Sourdough bakers like to preserve their starters, which allows them to live for hundreds of years.
Can you keep a sourdough starter alive forever?
Why not? With the oldest sourdough starter having been around for over four and a half centuries, there is no telling how long it will survive.
How old is the sourdough starter?
The oldest sourdough starter is 4500 years old.
