> I am certainly not a biblical scholar. But with the passover season
> upon us, I am curious about breadmaking if and as described in the
> Bible. Is breadmaking described in it? The passover story
> certainly says that the bread before the Exodus was unleavened. How
> was it normally leavened? How was flour made? And many more
> questions.
I can't answer your questions about Bible references, but I had
always presumed the first leavened breads were basically sourdough.
If you consider the way a sourdough starter is made (without yeast),
one begins to see how this could have happened. The sponge is
essentially made with flour, water, perhaps a pinch of salt, and
perhaps a pinch of sugar. If you leave it in a warm, draft-free
place for 3-4 days you will have a very nice sourdough starter. In
fact, that's how I made my starter when I lived in Memphis, TN. It
served me very well for 3 years until I moved. Yeast is present all
around us, and the sponge sitting in a warm location is a perfect
breeding ground for the yeast organisms. As they multiply, you will
find that you've basically "gathered" the yeast into this sponge,
thus making your sourdough starter. Different regions have
different strains of yeast, which is why the flavor will vary
somewhat from different areas of the world. For example, the famous
"San Francisco sourdough" has a unique flavor because that region
hosts a particular strain of yeast that imparts that particular
flavor.
Hope that helps,
Joan