KANSAS CITY, MO — Where there is civilization, there is fermentation. Humanity has managed to harness this nearly invisible force since as far back as 7000 BCE in Neolithic China, where evidence of an alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruit, honey and rice was discovered. And whether yeast is acquired in the wild or at the nearest grocery store, people have been using it to enhance flavors and reap benefits for thousands of years.
That starter in a bakery’s troughs of the fermentation room harken back to when sourdough was likely discovered — at a time when bread was likely a flat cake with ground seeds — and wild yeast from the surrounding area drifted into the mixture.
In early societies, fermentation was mainly seen as a way of preservation: a necessary survival tactic in the face of extreme conditions. It wasn’t until 1856, when French chemist Louis Pasteur correlated yeast with fermentation that fermentation became somewhat normalized by society. Commercialized versions of yeast resulted in baked goods with lighter texture and quicker rise time … but with blander flavor. It was, unsurprisingly, around this time that commercial baking companies such as Wonder Bread first began production.
Sourdough — and its starter — is most likely what comes to mind when fermentation intersects with baking. Sourdough starter is composed of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast, which feed on the carbohydrates in water-hydrated-flour when allowed to ferment and can be used to add dynamic flavor to a variety of baked goods.
While warmer environments speed up the leavening process, many commercial bakeries — whether a small operation or a multi-million-dollar industry leader — often prefer a longer, colder fermentation period for their baked goods.
“We feel that the slow, cool fermentation times really make that natural yeast work a little bit harder, and when that happens, it brings complexity,” said Jonathan Davis, culinary innovation leader for Los Angeles-based La Brea Bakery, an Aspire Bakeries brand. For years, La Brea has been a leader in the world of artisan-style breadmaking, first opening in downtown Los Angeles as a small retail shop in 1989. Since then, it has become one of the top artisanal bread suppliers in the nation. Davis has been on the La Brea team for nearly 30 years and has seen firsthand the benefits of the bakery’s 24-hour ferment on its sourdough.
Sam Zeitlin, owner of Chicago-based Zeitlin’s Delicatessen, a modern Jewish deli, also prefers cold fermentation.
“Our sourdough bread sits on average 30 hours before being baked using Dutch ovens,” Zeitlin said. “Each bagel sits for two days in our fridge before being boiled and baked. We allow the bagels to be proofed without covering so they achieve a robust crust.”
However, some sizeable commercial bakery operations do not participate in a long ferment, despite its essential aid to flavor and texture development. Rather, they rely on a variety of different methods to achieve similar results, all in the name of efficiency.
A longer ferment usually requires time and space, and those factors can ultimately impact profitability.
“Some commercial bakeries will use vinegar to enhance the sourdough flavor or rely on bought-in ingredients as a shortcut,” Davis suggested.
But these days, consumer demand leaves little room for shortcuts.
This story has been adapted from the October | Q4 2022 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
