Bread Science

In the third of the River Cottage Handbook series, Daniel Stevens explains the ins and outs of baking, and inspires us to abandon ready-sliced loaves for a world of delicious breads baked at home.

Bread and leavened bakery products have been essential to human nourishment for millennia. Traditionally, bread production has relied on the use of sourdough as a leavening agent and to impart a characteristic quality to baked goods. In recent years, improved understanding of the biodiversity and microbial ecology of sourdough microbiota, the discovery of new species, the improved management and monitoring of its meta-community and the commercialization of innovative products have vastly expanded the potential of sourdough fermentation for making baked goods. For example, raw materials such as cereals, pseudo-cereals, ancient grains, and gluten-free substrates, as well as a large number of baked good varieties (e.g., typical and industrial breads, sweet baked goods, gluten-free products) may benefit from advances in sourdough fermentation. In addition, biotechnological tools and culture properties have been discovered to improve both the shelf life and the sensory and textural qualities of baked goods, as well as their nutritional and health-promoting properties.