New Year, New Bread
About this lesson
People all over the world keep sourdough starters – and over 500 have shared theirs with us, as part of the global citizen science Sourdough Project. Now that we know which microbes make your starters unique, we have a new challenge for you: we’d like you all to bake the exact same recipe, and send us a picture of the result. Because you’ll all be baking from the same recipe, any differences in the bubbles or crumb will be directly attributed to the microbes in your specific starter. “Share the loaf”, and help us to solve the mystery of bread!
Downloads
How to participate
Materials list
to bake the bread
- 1 large, non-reactive, container (glass or plastic) with a lid or cover
- ¾ cup (360 g) sourdough starter
- 6 cups (720 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (720 g) water*
- 1 heaping tablespoon (17 g) salt
- 1 dough scraper
- 2 banneton brotforms 9” in diameter (budget version: mixing bowls)
- 2 linen towels to line the bowls (can also use paper towels)
- rice flour for dusting
- 1 bread lame (budget version: sharp serrated knife)
- 2 Dutch ovens (budget version: 2 baking sheets)
- 6 clay tiles (budget version: 1 loaf pan filled with water)
- cooling racks
Materials list #2
to share your images
- A piece of clean, black fabric
- Camera or camera-phone
- A plate or other flat, waterproof surface (i.e. laminated placemat) at least as wide as your slice of bread
- Tempera or acrylic paint
- A spoon or paper towel tube
- Plain, smooth white paper (standard copy paper, or multipurpose craft paper for paint/markers will be fine)
About the research
About the scientists

Dr. Erin McKenney is a microbial ecologist in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.

Dr. Anne Madden is a microbiologist in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.

Lea Shell, M.Ed. is a Digital Learning Specialist for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.