https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1j9juwj/how_does_sourdough_work/
created by Cis3hexenal on 12/03/2025 at 13:18 UTC
34 upvotes, 3 top-level comments (showing 3)
Question regarding sourdough...
It is my understanding that wild-type yeast strains are region-specific. So a sourdough starter created in the Bronx would have a different array of critters than a starter created in Phoenix. This difference can (does?) result in a different flavor profile across the sourdough baked goods.
Hypothetically, I take an established Bronx sourdough and move it to Phoenix. I then use it regularly for two years (arbitrarily). Is it now repopulated with Phoenix yeast? Does it stay a Bronx sourdough because there is such a high concentration of Bronx yeast to begin with? Is there a rate associated with the turnover? Does it become a hybrid or something?
I'm very curious how this works. Thanks!
Comment by Festernd at 13/03/2025 at 15:59 UTC
27 upvotes, 0 direct replies
As far as I know, the wild yeast and lactobacillus is generally from where ever the grain is grown, or milled into flour... but yeast and the lactobacillus (soughdough starter is both the yeast fungi and the bacteria) have a tendency to pickup genes from whatever is added, so over time your soughdough culture will drift in taste, depending on what you are adding to it.
how quick the drift is, and how much it drifts would be quite variable!
Comment by BrianMincey at 13/03/2025 at 17:05 UTC
20 upvotes, 1 direct replies
While it is absolutely true that sourdoughs from different locations and different flour sources have different flavor profiles, those differences are imperceptible unless you have an excellent palette and access to the breads to be able to compare them.
Every sourdough batch is a unique collective and is alive and constantly changing. These changes reflect the environment, time of year, feeding regimens, and random events.
Comment by Germanofthebored at 15/03/2025 at 23:16 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I suspect that cultivation conditions might have a bigger impact on the sourdough microbiome. Yeast is inhibited by the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli, and lactobacillus is inhibited by the ethanol made by the yeasts. These two microorganisms also have different temperature optima - yeast prefers lower temperatures than lactobacilli.
So I would expect differences in the cultivation conditions should shift the balance in the microbiome, and with it the flavor