Sourdough Culture


A sourdough culture is a living mix of wild yeast and bacteria, kept alive in flour and water, that leavens bread without any commercial yeast. This is exactly the theory Chef Angelo Van Toorn walks through as part of his Bread Your Way program, All About Bread.

What a Sourdough Culture Actually Does


Wild yeast in the culture produces the gas that makes bread rise, while the bacteria alongside it produce the acids that give sourdough its characteristic tang. Feed it regularly with fresh flour and water and it stays active indefinitely, some bakery starters are decades old. Understanding how to build, feed and use one is the foundation for open-crumb, deeply flavored breads like levain loaves.

Part of Bread Your Way with Chef Angelo Van Toorn


Sourdough culture theory is one of the core lessons inside Chef Angelo Van Toorn’s All About Bread program, taught alongside pre-ferment and whole grain technique across 23 recipes and 3 hours 50 minutes of video. It is put into practice directly in the Roasted Garlic Levain recipe, where a sourdough culture is combined with slow-roasted garlic for a rich, aromatic loaf.

Who This Is For


  • Home bakers who want to understand fermentation, not just follow a recipe
  • Anyone who has tried sourdough before and had it fail to rise
  • Students already working through Bread Your Way who want to focus on the culture lesson

FAQ


No. The lesson covers how to build a culture from scratch as well as how to maintain one you already have.
This page focuses on the sourdough culture theory and video. The full Bread Your Way program covers all 23 recipes, including the Roasted Garlic Levain that puts this technique into practice.
Just a jar, flour and water to begin with. Chef Angelo covers equipment as it comes up in the full program.

Ready to Bake With It?


See the sourdough culture lesson in context, alongside all 23 recipes, in Chef Angelo Van Toorn’s full Bread Your Way program.

See Full Bread Your Way Program