This article explores the science behind sourdough inclusions, why perishable foods are unsafe in this context, and the guidelines that ensure your bread remains not just delicious but also safe to eat. Sourdough baking is as much an art as it is a science, and while creativity is encouraged, food safety should never be compromised. Sticking to safe, shelf-stable inclusions ensures your bread is not only a joy to eat but also safe to share with friends and family.
By avoiding perishable ingredients during fermentation and proofing, you eliminate the risk of harmful bacteria growing in the dough. Play it safe, and keep your sourdough adventures focused on non-perishable inclusions that showcase the natural beauty of your bread. The key to prevention is respecting the two-hour guideline for perishable foods. Keep high-risk items refrigerated until just before serving or consuming.
Why Perishable Foods Are a Problem
Perishable foods like meat, dairy, and certain vegetables require refrigeration because they are prone to rapid bacterial growth. Adding them to sourdough introduces potential foodborne illness risks, primarily because the dough spends hours fermenting at room temperature during bulk fermentation and proofing.
The "Danger Zone" for food safety lies between 40°F and 140°F, the temperature range in which bacteria can multiply rapidly. Perishable ingredients left at these temperatures for more than two hours can become hazardous. Common pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus can flourish under these conditions, leading to serious foodborne illnesses.
While sourdough's acidity and competition from naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast inhibit some bacterial growth, this is not a guarantee of safety for perishable inclusions.
How the 40°F-140°F Guideline Applies to Sourdough Baking
To make sourdough bread, bakers often allow the dough to rest at room temperature for long periods during:
- Bulk Fermentation: Often lasting 4–12 hours.
- Proofing: Typically several more hours, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
This extended time in the "Danger Zone" allows sufficient time for harmful bacteria to grow on perishable inclusions.
Even baking doesn't necessarily render the bread safe. While high oven temperatures (e.g., 450°F) might kill bacteria on the surface of the bread, the internal temperature of the loaf may not reach a sufficient level (165°F or higher) to eliminate bacteria embedded in the dough, especially if the inclusion creates pockets where heat doesn't penetrate efficiently.
Safe Alternatives for Sourdough Inclusions
Instead of using perishable items, opt for non-perishable, shelf-stable ingredients that enhance your sourdough without introducing foodborne illness risks:
- Dried Fruits: Raisins, cranberries, figs, apricots (unsulfured and unsweetened if you prefer a natural option).
- Nuts and Seeds: Walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, or chia seeds. Toast them first for extra flavor.
- Herbs and Spices: Dried rosemary, thyme, or za'atar can provide aromatic flair.
- Cheese-Like Flavor: Nutritional yeast or shelf-stable, hard cheeses like aged Parmesan (used sparingly).
- Vegetable-Like Texture: Dehydrated vegetables (like dried tomatoes) or powdered versions of flavorful ingredients (e.g., onion powder, garlic powder).
If you're tempted by fresh ingredients, consider adding them as toppings or serving them alongside the finished bread instead of incorporating them into the dough.
Best Practices for Sourdough Bakers
To prioritize food safety while creating flavorful sourdough bread, follow these guidelines:
- Avoid Perishable Inclusions: Do not use fresh vegetables, cooked meats, fresh dairy, or other foods that require refrigeration.
- Understand Fermentation Times: Minimize room-temperature fermentation if you're uncertain about an inclusion's safety.
- Bake Thoroughly: Always ensure your bread is fully baked, with an internal temperature of at least 200°F for proper texture and crumb.
- Store Bread Properly: Once baked, sourdough bread with inclusions should be stored at room temperature only if the inclusions are non-perishable.
Foodborne Illness Risks and Prevention
Using perishable foods in sourdough can expose you and your family to foodborne illnesses such as:
- Clostridium perfringens: This bacterium can multiply rapidly in improperly cooled or stored foods.
- Bacillus cereus: Found in starchy or high-protein environments, this pathogen can survive cooking temperatures and cause illness when contaminated food is stored improperly.
- Escherichia coli (E. coli): Some strains can survive undercooked or improperly baked environments, especially in inclusion pockets.
The key to prevention is respecting the two-hour guideline for perishable foods. Keep high-risk items refrigerated until just before serving or consuming.
Help Desk Question: I pulled out chicken from my freezer and it is freezer burnt. Is it safe to eat? I want to make it into chicken stock.
The damaged portions of freezer-burned chicken may also contain fewer nutrients, as prolonged freezing and exposure to air can degrade some proteins and vitamins. If you're using bones or connective tissues to create a rich, gelatinous stock, freezer burn can further reduce the quality. The dehydration might impair the release of collagen, resulting in a stock that is less silky and flavorful.
Freezer-burned chicken can also affect the appearance of your stock. It may create a cloudy liquid or leave unappealing bits of desiccated tissue, making the stock less visually appealing. Furthermore, combining freezer-burned chicken with fresh, high-quality vegetables and herbs can waste those ingredients, as the poor taste and texture of the chicken may overpower their flavors.
To minimize these issues, consider trimming away freezer-burned portions before using the chicken. If the damage is minimal, you might be able to blend it with fresh chicken to mask some of the off flavors. However, if the freezer burn is extensive or the chicken has an off smell, it is better to discard it to avoid ruining your stock. While freezer-burned chicken is not unsafe to eat, its compromised quality can significantly impact the final result.
Here's a summary of the key points:
1. Flavor and Texture: Freezer burn can impart unpleasant flavors, such as stale, metallic, or rancid tastes, to the chicken, which can negatively affect the flavor, texture, and overall quality of the stock.
2. Nutritional Impact: The damaged portions of freezer-burned chicken may contain fewer nutrients, as prolonged freezing and exposure to air can degrade some proteins and vitamins.
3. Quality of Stock: Freezer burn can reduce the quality of the stock by impairing the release of collagen, leading to a less silky and flavorful result. It can also affect the appearance of the stock, making it cloudy or leaving unappealing bits of desiccated tissue.
4. Using Freezer-Burned Chicken: To minimize issues, it's advisable to trim away the freezer-burned portions before using the chicken. If the freezer burn is minimal, blending it with fresh chicken might help mask some off flavors. However, if the chicken has an off smell or extensive freezer burn, it is better to discard it to avoid ruining the stock.
The USDA acknowledges that while freezer-burned food is safe to eat, its quality may be compromised. Therefore, it's essential to assess the extent of the freezer burn and its impact on the final product before deciding to use it in your cooking.
One thing that we have been doing is having a mini-workshop to prepare the recipes before our public workshops. This allows our interns to confidently assist with our workshops, gain volunteer hours and work together as a team. We encourage teamwork so that everyone feels empowered and knowledgeable in teaching our workshops.
We'll start our next training session the second week of February 2025, and we are busy getting ready for the trainees. We are still getting confirmation from the ones who are interested in joining us and we could have as many as nine new trainees. I would like to give a shout out to Sherida for all of her hard work as training coordinator, I'm not sure where we'd be without her.
We already have our workshops planned for 2025 and it looks like it'll be a busy year. We'll are offering eleven of our usual 3rd Saturday workshops, four free evening Zoom classes and four Spanish language classes. San Joaquin County Master Food Preservers are leading the way in teaching Spanish classes. We just successfully completed our third Spanish class in December, and we offered a version of our Gifts from the Kitchen class.
Our 2025 brochures are ready and look fantastic thanks to Sherida's hard work. Workshops this year include sourdough, salsas, holiday spreads, BBQ's and picnics, mushrooms and zucchini preservation just to mention a few. Most of our Saturday workshops will include a lunch. It's nice to have social time to get to know one another and talk about what everyone is learning and have an opportunity to ask questions.
Something else we are working on is updating our equipment. We have just gotten new 8-quart saucepans. Cutting boards have already been renewed as well as some other items. We have many more things on our wish list so hopefully there will be more to come.
Kathy Anderson and I have only been co-coordinators since July, and I think we are succeeding in offering more opportunity for our members to gain volunteer and continued education hours. We are open to suggestions for additional classes and appreciate input from our members. We truly want to proceed into the future with the feeling that we are all a team building our program together. We cannot wait for the coming year and the challenges that it will bring. Have a wonderful New Year and we hope to see you in January at the Lemons X 3 workshop, January 18, 2025, 9 am to 2 pm at the Cabral Agriculture Center in Stockton.
I have found a bar cookie recipe that seems to be popular with most and you can use any jams, jellies, or curds that you have. Plus, it works perfectly with an 8-ounce jar of spreads, and it's easy!
5-Ingredient Jam Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup jam or jelly, any flavor
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Combine first four ingredients until crumbly using mixer or food processor. Reserving 1 ½ cups for topping.
Press evenly into a 9 x 9 baking pan.
Spread jam evenly over the crust.
Crumble topping over jam, press lightly into jam.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Cut after cooling.
Join us for our next 3rd Saturday "Learn it! Make it! Take it!" workshop on January 18th from 9 AM to 2 PM.
For just $40, you'll enjoy a fun-filled day of hands-on learning, delicious creations, and a tasty lunch included! Kathy and her talented team of UC Master Food Preservers will guide you through making zesty Lemon Curd, flavorful Preserved Lemons, and tangy Lemon Salts. These vibrant treats are perfect for elevating your meals, and you'll leave with your creations, plus serving ideas to impress family and friends.
Our workshops are known for being lively and interactive, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions, connect with fellow food enthusiasts, and gain confidence in the kitchen. Space is limited, and these events fill up quickly, so be sure to register early to reserve your spot. Advanced registration is required—don't miss out on this lemony adventure!
