Seamus Blackley holds a yeast orgy aka sourdough starter in his kitchen/Gastroegyptology laboratory (Image via twitter.com/seamusblackley)

Sourdough starters! Ancient yeasts! Why we need/knead dough! And why you don’t need to buy a starter to start. Polymath, particle physicist, inventor of the Xbox, and truly delightful fermentation nerd Seamus Blackley joins to chat about his kitchen adventures resurrecting dormant yeasts from 4,000 Egyptian baking vessels, plus wild yeasts, the infuriating myth of “yeast scarcity,” the beauty of everyday objects, the debt we owe our ancestors, the joy of getting to know your dough plus tons of tips for newbie and experienced bakers. The first half is all about the history of baking and yeasts and some hot Egyptian gossip, then we roll up our sleeves in the second half for how-tos. Forward this episode to anyone who bakes, who wants to bake, who lovingly feeds their jar of yeasts, who is intimidated by it or who just needs a lesson on how to slow down and enjoy the dormancy period we’re in right now. This episode’s got it all. Including some truly shameless bread puns.

Listen via Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

transcript

Sourdough starters! Ancient yeasts! Why we need/knead dough! Polymath, particle physicist, inventor of the Xbox, and truly delightful fermentation nerd Seamus Blackley joins to chat about his kitchen adventures resurrecting dormant yeasts from 4,000 Egyptian baking vessels, plus wild yeasts, the infuriating myth of "yeast scarcity," the beauty of everyday objects, the debt we owe our ancestors, the joy of getting to know your dough plus tons of tips for newbie and experienced bakers.

Follow Seamus @SeamusBlackley

Follow: Egyptologist Dr. Serena Love, microbiologist Richard Bowman @RBowman1234 and the coiner of “Gastroegyptology,” Kieran Donnachie

A donation went to Boys and Girls Clubs of America: https://www.bgca.org

Sponsor links: Sakara.com/ologies; Kiwico.com/ologies: TheGreatCoursesplus.com/ologies

Transcripts & bleeped episodes at: alieward.com/ologies-extras

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies

Other links which may be of use:

Seamus’s recipe tutorial megathread

Gastroegyptology in the New York Times

More on his resurrection of Egyptian yeast

Sourdough and cereal fermentation

“Yeast of the Dead,” University of Iowa article