Desem

Desem
Type	Pre-ferment and bread
Main ingredients	Flour (whole wheat, spelt, amaranth or kamut)
Cookbook: Desem Media: Desem

Desem (Dutch for "leaven") is a type of sourdough starter made from whole wheat, spelt or other flours (amaranth or kamut) and water, inoculated by wild yeasts and bacteria, traditionally used in Belgium to make healthy, nutrient-rich bread. The starter is grown in a bed of flour at cool temperatures until it reaches sufficient maturity. The term "desem" also describes the loaf made with this starter. Desem bread made from a mature desem is characterized by a strong rise, and a light texture, and nutty, slightly sour taste. The loaf is similar in process to the French "pain au levain", but made with whole wheat flour and starter instead of white flour.

Desem bread has a strong following in the natural foods community, where it was largely popularized by vegetarian cookbook author Laurel Robertson.

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on

Sourdough Starter

References

Good Food: The Complete Guide to Eating Well, Margaret Wittenberg. 1995. p93.
Natural Tucker Bread Book, John Downes. 1983.
The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking 2ed, Random House, 2003, ISBN 978-0-8129-6967-2.

External links

Bread

Types	Brown bread Chapati Flatbread Injera Multigrain bread Naan Paratha Pitta Quick Rye bread Salt-rising Sandwich bread Soda bread Sourdough Texas toast Unleavened White bread Whole wheat

Ingredients	Baker's yeast Barm Calcium propanoate Eggs Fat Flour Flour treatment agent Leavening agent Milk Salt Sugar Water

Equipment	Oven Bread machine Bread pan Dough scraper Farinograph Lame Peel Stand mixer Weighing scales

Processes	Autolysis Baking Biga Chorleywood bread process Kneading Leavening Maillard reaction No-knead bread Proofing Pre-ferment Pre-slicing Sponge and dough Steaming Straight dough Vienna process

Uses	Bread crumbs Bread bowl Bread pudding Croutons French toast Stuffing Sandwiches Toast

Other	Breadmaking Baker percentage Bread in Europe History of bread

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