Our Sourdough's Story
I read that during Tudor times bakeries and breweries were often neighbors and shared yeast. With my curiosity piqued, I asked my brewer neighbor for some yeast. I thought this would be an interesting way to begin my sourdough starter. I loved caring for and nurturing my Sourdough started. It was the perfect leisure time activity for me. When the pandemic started I had an abundance of starter and was searching for new ways of using it. From the first moment I made my signature Black Pepper crackers our family was obsessed!
Sourdough Taste & Health Benefits
Sourdough is a traditional, wholesome food that has been used for centuries to leaven bread before modern commercial baking methods were invented. Every sourdough starter's taste is unique due to the wild yeasts in the environment and bacteria it contains. These variables create rich and complex flavors. Most commercial baked goods use a single yeast strain, "baker's yeast" which is uniform in flavor. It was developed for consistency & fast rising times, not flavor. What makes flavor in North Hill crackers so unique is our patience in fermenting our starter for 36 hours. ​ Time is the most important factor in influencing the flavor of our sourdough.
Research studies have found there are numerous health benefits to eating sourdough; it aids digestion, promotes nutritional intake of minerals and vitamins and also improves gut health with the presence of lactic acid bacteria in the form of prebiotic food. During fermentation, enzymes in the flour break the starch apart into smaller, more digestible units, making sugars available to yeasts and bacteria. The microbes digest these sugars, generating carbon dioxide, acids and alcohol as byproducts. This has resulted in sourdough bread having a lower glycemic index than yeast bread.
We care for our sourdough starter daily to keep it healthy and strong. We mix in new flour and remove the discard to start the dough for our crackers. Along with the starter, we use only natural ingredients in the crackers to ensure you and your loved ones are getting the very best from North Hill Bakery.
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