Sourdough Lives Lives Alaska's aged and tangy heritage.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: MANUFACTURING

The first time a neighbor shared her generations-old sourdough starter with me, I felt like that scene in Disney's The Lion King in which Rafiki holds newborn Simba up to a rising crescendo of "The Circle of Life." The passing down of such a legacy left me humbled--and worried 'that I could live up to the awe-inspiring breakfasts she made. There was nothing guite like her Sunday morning spreads that included sourdough pancakes and waffles adorned with locally harvested berries and slathered with birch syrup.

Sourdough--a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria used for leavening--is as tied to Alaska lore as dog sleds, snow, and a pair of Sorel boots. Pioneers who wandered the territory carrying sourdough starter in their packs became known as "sourdoughs"--a term that is now used to label an Alaskan old timer.

"The hale and hearty, self-reliant Alaska miners and explorers could not rely on any regular shipments of ingredients such as yeast for bread or baking soda for leavening," explains Leslie Shallcross, professor of extension and a health, home, and family development agent at the UAF Cooperative Extension Service. "By keeping sourdough starters, they were able to make bread and other leavened products without shipments of yeast."

Some early miners were even known to sleep with starters in their pockets on cold nights so that the yeasts and bacteria didn't freeze to death--giving the prospectors a somewhat sour smell, which may also be part of the reason they earned the sourdough nickname.

While sourdough bread is perhaps the best-known product made from a starter, today's bakers aren't limited to simple loaves. The starter can be used to make everything from waffles and pancakes to crackers and pizza crusts--and even made-only-in-Alaska libations.

What's in a Sourdough Starter?

According to the Cooperative Extension Service, a good starter contains only flour, water, and wild yeast and bacteria. Any type of flour can be used, but the type of flour will make a difference in the starter's flavor and how it works in recipes.

"You mix those ingredients together in a bowl, cover it with a towel or cheesecloth, and let it sit for six or eight hours." says Shallcross. "As that yeast becomes active, it becomes bubbly and has a sour, yeasty odor. Sometimes starters may sit for several days or weeks, after which you may notice the liquid separating from the batter. Just mix it back in."

The exact microbial composition varies, but the key to...