sourdough

Prices for baking flour and eggs have fallen, suggesting an easing in the baking craze that gripped hungry and housebound consumers in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Great Pandemic Bake-Off May Be Over

5:00am June 16, 2020

by Scott Horsley

The price of baking flour has fallen along with the price of eggs, suggesting an easing in the baking craze that gripped hungry and housebound consumers in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

"Our data suggests that something about baking seems to be changing the hands of the people who do the baking," says ecologist Rob Dunn.

Sourdough Hands: How Bakers And Bread Are A Microbial Match

11:37am November 12, 2018

In Robert Dunn's new book, Never Home Alone, he explores our symbiotic relationship with food: Not only do we impact the bacteria in our food, but the microbes in our food imprint our bodies.

An image of Penicillium colonies. The white colony is a mutant similar to the mold found in Camembert cheese. The green ones are the wild form.

More Than Bread: Sourdough As a Window Into The Microbiome

5:16pm July 17, 2017

by Marcus Woo

Home bakers in the U.S., Europe and some other countries have volunteered their sourdough starters to a team of American scientists who want to unravel the microbial secrets of sourdough.

Flour and water on the left; just starter on the right.

Discovering The Science Secrets Of Sourdough (You Can Help)

5:05pm October 28, 2016

by Marcus Woo

Many bakers treat their sourdough starters like a family heirloom. Some starters date back decades, even centuries. Now researchers want to analyze your starters to unlock their flavor secrets.

A batch of sourdough starter can live indefinitely, but it also requires a certain amount of care and feeding. In Sweden, bakers jetting off for vacation can leave their precious starters in the care of a sitter at the airport.

Love Your Sourdough Starter? In Stockholm, You Can Hire A Sitter For It

8:03pm March 28, 2016

by Sidsel Overgaard

A batch of starter can live indefinitely, but it also requires a certain amount of care and feeding. Apparently, that can pose a problem for Swedes and their five weeks of annual vacation.