38. Is there a glossary of rec.food.sourdough terms?

ATCC: American Type Culture Collection (www.atcc.org), a source for
pure strains of micro-organisms, including those that predominate in
natural leavens.

absorption: The ability of a flour to take up and hold water.
Generally higher for high-gluten flours and those with relatively
high damaged-starch levels.

acid: A solution containing free hydrogen ions, or a substance that
will release them when dissolved in water.

acid pH: Since pH is a measure of the acid/base state of a solution,
"acid pH" indicates that the solution in question is acid, and a has
a pH of less than 7 on a scale of 14.

acid tolerance: The ability of a micro-organism to grow in acid conditions.

active starter: A leaven that has recently reached its equilibrium
yeast and bacterial population. If thick, it will be spongy,
tenacious, and gassy. If thin, it will be frothy and bubbly.

amylases:  Enzymes present in grain but also supplemented by millers,
capable of breaking damaged starch down to sugars and dextrins. These
sugars then power fermentation and contribute to carmelization and
the Maillard reactions (browning of the crust).

Anfrischsauer: The first stage (first expansion) of the traditional
German baking sequence, made from Anstellgut, water, and flour.

Anstellgut: The inoculant to the first stage in the three-stage
sequence of expansion of a leaven culture in the traditional German
bakery. It is a portion of the ripe sourdough from the previous day.

ash content: The mineral content of flour.

autolyse, autolysis: A rest during kneading (5-20 minutes) to allow
the dough to continue hydrating and the developing gluten to relax
before kneading is resumed and the gluten is taken to full
development. Usually done when dough is being machine-mixed.(French,
English)

bacteria: Single celled organisms with no defined chromosomes (yeast
don't have defined chromosomes either). Neither plant nor animal.
Usually smaller than yeasts. Some can ferment, but usually don't make
CO2 in the same amounts as yeast under typical conditions-- they make
organic acids instead.

bake: Heat to an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees
Fahrenheit in a dry environment. For hearth loaves (not in a pan) the
environment should be humid initially, then dry.

baker's yeast: Strains of brewer's yeast selected and commercially
produced for raising dough.

baking yeast: Same.

batter: A thin mixture containing flour and water, in the range of
100% hydration or higher.

barm: A leaven or starter, sometimes implying one made from brewing
sediment. (English)

beer yeast: Brewer's yeast selected for making beer.

biga: Originally the same as starter or leaven (natural leaven) but
now used  to refer to a sponge raised with commercial yeast. (Italian)

bottom-fermenting yeast: Brewer's yeast (lager yeast, Saccharomyces
uvarum) which forms its fermenting mass in the bottom of a vessel of
liquid.

chef: A piece of a previous batch of dough kept over to inoculate a
new flour/water mixture, which will then become a leaven, starter,
sponge (synonyms).

commercial yeast: Factory-produced yeast. The species is the same as
brewer's yeast, but the characteristics may be very different. This
term includes baking or baker's yeast.

culture: As a noun, refers to a batch of micro-organisms in a
nutrient medium, such as a flour/water mixture. Could be "pure" (one
type of organism) or "mixed" (more than one type of organism).

damaged starch: Starch granules that have been broken in milling and
are therefore accessible to water and to amylase at temperatures
below the gelatinization temperature.

detente: French term for the rest period loaves get between the
division and rounding of the dough at the end of the fermentation
stage and the shaping of the loaves.

dough: A mixture of flour and water in which the weight of the water
is in or near the range of 60-75% the weight of the flour.

Dough yield (Teigausbeute): Common expression in bakery books and
articles translated from German. Same meaning as dough hydration,
except that the number is stated as 100 parts flour plus X parts
water equals dough yield. For example, a dough yield of 171 means a
hydration of 71%.

elasticity: The springiness that allows dough with well developed
gluten to stretch and return to its previous shape.

environmental surface: In this context, refers to a surface that can
inoculate a culture, intentionally or unintentionally. It could be
the surface of a flour particle, your hands, or a bowl. The
concentration and spectrum of organisms on such surfaces vary widely,
but is much greater than is found in the atmosphere.

extensibility: The quality (seen in wheat doughs only) of thin-film
strain hardening, which stabilizes the gas cells of a rising dough
and prevents the cells from breaking. This life-like quality can be
felt in the way a good dough complies with handling.

fermentation: Usually means the conversion of sugar to carbon
dioxide, alcohol, organic acids, and organic volatiles.

fermentation stage: Usually refers to a stage in breadmaking after
dough is mixed and before loaves are divided and shaped. Sometimes
referred to as "first proof."

fungi: Plants that lack chlorophyll, ranging from yeasts and molds to
mushrooms.

gelatinization: Uncurling and hydration of starch chains to form a
gel. Occurs as a suspension of starch granules is heated.

genetic engineering: The creation of lifeforms containing genetic
material from other species or genetic material altered in test tubes
and reimplanted into cells.

gluten: A protein complex prominent in wheat doughs. It is formed by
the association of two precursor proteins, glutenin and gliadin, and
by its strength, elasticity, and extensibility determines the
structure of the dough.

gluten window: "way of testing the level of gluten development in a
dough. Simply grab a small part of the dough between your fingers and
very gently and slowly stretch it apart. If the dough holds together
and stretches into a thin, tranluscent membrane then you've made the
window and know you've got good strong gluten.": see
"http://deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=685915075&fmt=text"

hootch:The liquid layer that can accumulate in the top of a container
used to store a thin (very liquid) leaven.

humidity: The amount of water vapor (dampness) present in air.

hydration: Several meanings in this context: 1) The weight of water
in a a leaven or a dough, relative to the weight of flour. Therefore,
a dough at 70% hydration is 41% water, and a leaven at 100% hydration
is 50% water. 2) The capacity of a flour to absorb water (usually
called absorption). 3) The quantity of water in flour (related to
environmental humidity).

incubate: Encourage growth in a culture by maintaining conditions
that favor the growth of the organisms in the culture.

inoculate: To introduce a micro-organism to an appropriate medium for
its growth.

knead: To continue mixing a dough beyond the point when the
ingredients are uniformly distributed. This first causes abrasion of
flour particles, then suspension of starch granules and hydration and
linking of flour proteins.

lactobacilli: Rod-shaped bacteria that typically produce lactic acid
as the major end-product of their fermentation.

leaven: That which raises bread by producing carbon dioxide. In this
context, it is a batter, sponge, or dough that contains a mixed
culture of yeast and bacteria that has been continuously maintained
by a a series of inoculations and incubations.

levain: French for leaven.

Levain de tout point: The final leaven in the sequence of leaven
expansions in traditional French baking. Used to make up the dough.

liquid medium or media: A mixture of nutrients and water, in which
organisms may be propagated.

Malt: Dried and ground sprouted barley, high in amylase, that is
added to flour to guarantee that plenty of sugar is available to
fermentation. If excessive, leads to excessive dextrin formation,
slack doughs, and gummy crumb and crust.

mix: Used by professional bakers to include both mixing until the
dough mixture is blended AND for what others call kneading.

mutation: A change in the genetic makeup of a strain of organisms
that may lead to a change in structure or function.

mycologist: A scientist who studies fungi.

overproof: To allow the last stage of rising to last too long for the
temperature and fermentation activity of the dough. Makes slack
loaves, often with poor volume, shape, and crumb texture.

pH: A measure of the hydrogen ion concentration (on a logarithmic
scale) in a solution, from 0 to 14. Values less than 7 are acid,
while values over 7 are basic.

pointage: The fist rising after mixing (usually called the
fermentation stage). (French)

proof: Usually means the final stage of rising, after the loaves have
been shaped. Sometimes used ("first proof") to refer to the rise
after kneading and before loaves are shaped (fermentation stage), or
to a test done to see whether commercial yeast is still viable.

r.f.s.: Rec.Food.Sourdough-- Usenet group about natural leaven baking.

refreshment: Adding water and flour to a leaven to increase its
volume and feed its culture.

retarding: "Retarding simply means putting your loaves into cold
storage, the refrigerator, for awhile. This allows you to bake at a
later date, early in the morning if you wish, and it affords the
microorganisms in your dough a long, slow time to work, developing a
tastier and more sour bread." See
"http://deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=684633117&fmt=text"

Sauerteig: Sourdough. (German)

selective breeding: Traditional type of genetic manipulation by
selection and propagation of  organisms with desired characteristics.

sour: In this context, means a leaven, dough, or bread high in
lactate, acetic, and other organic acids.

sourdough: A bread, dough, or leaven that contains a mixed culture of
yeast and bacteria that have given it an acid pH.

sponge: A thick batter or thin dough with hydration somewhere above
75% and a little less than 100%.

sponge leaven: A sponge that has been inoculated with a leaven
culture, then incubated until it is ripe.

stable culture: One that has been propagated through many generations
and is not changing in its microbiological composition.

starter: Something that can be used to inoculate a sourdough culture.
Essentially the same thing as a leaven.

starter sponge: A ripe leaven of sponge consistency.

starter leaven: Could be used to describe a new sourdough culture,
being propagated from an infusion of flour (or fruit) in water.

storage leaven: One that is used to preserve the culture from one
baking session to the next. Usually kept in a refrigerator.

supernatant: The same as hooch the liquid that rises to the top of a
flour/water suspension that has settled.

symbiotic association: In this context, two micro-organisms that have
complementary metabolic needs and products, and resistance to toxic
products that each other produce. This makes their mixed culture more
robust and less susceptible to disruption by a third organism that
may be introduced.

temperature: Same as the conventional meaning-- the temperature of a
leaven or a dough can be influenced by the environmental temperature,
by the process of fermentation, and by mechanical work such as
kneading. Because fermentation is more vigorous at higher
temperatures and because the relative production of fermentation
changes with temperature, control or accommodation to temperature is
important in consistent baking.

time: The conventional meaning-- but it will need to be adjusted if
temperature is not controlled.

titratable acid: The amount of acid present, regardless of the pH of
the solution. The TA may be higher than expected if the buffering
effect of ingredients (flour with a high ash/mineral content) is high.

top-fermenting yeast: Brewer's yeast (ale yeast, S. cerevisiae) which
forms its initial fermenting mass in the top of a vessel of liquid.
The progenitor of commercial bread yeasts.

Vollsauer: The third and last stage of leaven expansion in German
baking. Some of this is saved to become Anstellgut, and the rest is
used to prepare the dough.

Wild yeasts: Used casually to refer to the yeasts in sourdough
leavens and doughs. They are not "wild" anymore when they are part of
a stable culture, but the term is used to differentiate them from
commercial yeasts.

yeast: Single-celled fungi that ferment sugars and produce CO2,
alcohol, and other organic products. There are many species, usually
differentiated by their metabolic/biochemical characteristics.

-Dan