Zakwas

Zakwas - what is that?

For those of you, who know a bit of polish, kwas = acid. But "za kwas /kwaśne " -> too sour?

Yes, there is a bit of truth.

Zakwas, meaning sourdough or natural leaven is a bread product made by long fermentation (ca. 5 days) of dough using naturally occuring in rye flour bacteria and wild yeast.
It is used to bake bread, mainly rye-based. The bread with sourdough is a bit more dense and sour - thanks to lactic acid produced  by bacteria ;-)

 



Sourdough (starter)


 The preparation is very simple. You need only rye flour, water and patience :-P... as it has to be fed every day for 5 days.


Sourdough bread left to rise (needs 5-8 hours)

 

Freshly baked sourdough bread

The benefits of sourdough bread?
- easy to digest
- improves glucose tolerance
- long fermentation breaks down gluten - some gluten-sensitive people can tolerate it 
- contains minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus etc.
- stays fresh for longer time than typical white bread!






Sourdough bread ready to be eaten :)

Once you've made the sourdough, or easier you've get it from a friend, you can keep it in the fridge for a long time . The more mature natural leaven, the better bread. But remember to feed it once a week or before making a bread!
It's a bit like Tamagotchi ;-)

Natural leaven in polish cuisine is also used to prepare Żurek - a sour rye soup, traditionally eaten at Easter. More about it in our post about traditional Easter in Poland.









Have you tried this type of bread being in Poland?