ALASKA SOURDOUGH: BREAD, BEARDS AND YEAST By Susannah T. Dowds, B.A. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of the Arts in Northern Studies University of Alaska Fairbanks August 2017 APPROVED: Terrence Cole, Committee Chair Mary Ehrlander, Committee Member Director of Arctic and Northern Studies Molly Lee, Committee Member Todd Sherman Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Michael Castellini Dean of the Graduate School Abstract Sourdough is a fermented mixture of flour and water used around the world to leaven dough. In this doughy world wide web of sourdough, one thread leads to Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Commonly associated with the gold rush era, sourdough is known both as a pioneer food and as a title for a long-time resident. Less well known is the live culture of microbes, yeasts and bacteria that were responsible for creating the ferment for nutritious bread, pancakes, and biscuits on the trail. Through the lens of sourdough, this study investigates the intersection of microbes and human culture: how microbes contribute taste and texture to baked goods; why sourdough, made from imported ingredients, became a traditional food in the North; and how “Sourdough” grew to signify an experienced northerner. A review of research about sourdough microflora, coupled with excerpts from archival sources, illuminates how human and microbial cultures intertwined to make sourdough an everyday food in isolated communities and mining camps. Mastery of sourdough starter in primitive kitchens with fluctuating temperatures became a mark of accomplishment. Meanwhile, as transient fortune seekers ushered in the gold rush era, experienced Sourdoughs continued to take pride in a common identity based on shared experiences unique to northern living. iii iv Table of Contents Page Title Page......................................................................................................................................................i Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................................v List of Figures............................................................................................................................................ix Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................................xi Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 Microhistory and Microbes.....................................................................................................5 1.1 Microhistory.....................................................................................................................................5 1.2 Sourdough Microbiology................................................................................................................8 1.2.1 A Harvest out of Thin Air.......................................................................................................9 1.2.2 Microbial Solidarity in Sourdough Starter..........................................................................11 1.2.2.1 Synergy in Sugars: Carbohydrate Non-Competition.................................................11 1.2.2.2 Monosaccharides and Disaccharides...........................................................................11 1.2.2.3 Acidic Growth Requirements.......................................................................................13 1.2.2.4 Antimicrobial Byproducts of Fermentation................................................................13 1.2.3 Microbial Variation and Taste.............................................................................................14 1.2.4 Homegrown Microbes..........................................................................................................15 1.2.5 Location and Ingredients.......................................................................................................16 1.2.6 Airborne and “Flour” borne Ingredients.............................................................................17 1.2.7 Starters through Time...........................................................................................................18 v 1.2.8 Sourdough Variations...........................................................................................................22 1.2.9 Temperature...........................................................................................................................23 Chapter 2: Leavens Through Time........................................................................................................27 2.1 Sourdough Origins........................................................................................................................27 2.2 Barm and Brewer’s Yeast in Europe and North America........................................................28 2.2.1 Hop Rising..............................................................................................................................31 2.3 Baker’s Yeast.................................................................................................................................32 2.4 Chemical Leavens: Baking Soda and Baking Powder.............................................................34 Chapter 3 Sourdough Flourishes on the Frontier.................................................................................37 3.1 Sourdough Bread and Biscuits in the West................................................................................37 3.2 Sourdough in the Klondike..........................................................................................................41 3.2.1 Sourdough Skills....................................................................................................................48 3.2.2 Challenges and Vicissitudes of Camp Cooking.................................................................49 3.3 Culinary Legacy of the Gold Rush.............................................................................................56 Chapter 4: The Sourdough Moniker......................................................................................................59 4.1 The Trail of Sourdough in the West 1867-1897...................................................................... 59 4.1.1 Sourdough in Eastern Newspapers.....................................................................................62 4.2 Sourdough in Western News.......................................................................................................63 4.2.1 Sourdough Place Names.......................................................................................................64 4.2.2 Sourdough Nicknames..........................................................................................................68 4.2.3 Sourdough Metaphor............................................................................................................71 4.2.4 Veterans of the West.............................................................................................................73 vi 4.3 Sourdough, Cheechako and the Klondike Gold Rush.............................................................77 4.3.1 Sourdough in the Press 1897-1899.................................................................................... 79 4.3.2 Sourdoughs in the News.......................................................................................................82 4.3.3 Time, Skill and Tenacity.......................................................................................................83 4.3.4 Who could become a Sourdough.........................................................................................88 4.4 Post-Klondike Sourdoughs..........................................................................................................92 4.5 Sourdough Legacies......................................................................................................................94 4.5.1 The Sourdough Legacy in the West....................................................................................95 4.5.2 The Sourdough Legacy in the North...................................................................................97 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................101 Bibliography...........................................................................................................................................105 Appendix..................................................................................................................................................113 vii viii List of Figures Page Figure 1.1 Glucose....................................................................................................................................12 Figure 1.2 Fructose...................................................................................................................................12 Figure 1.3 Sucrose....................................................................................................................................12 Figure 4.1 Frequency of Sourdough in State Newspapers 1867-1897............................................61 Figure 4.2 Frequency of Sourdough in State Newspapers 1867-1899............................................80 Figure 4.3 Frequency of Sourdough in State Newspapers 1897.......................................................81 Figure 4.4 Frequency of Sourdough in State Newspapers 1898.......................................................81 Figure 4.5 Frequency of Sourdough in State Newspapers 1899.......................................................81 ix x Acknowledgements I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Terrence Cole and the other members of my thesis committee, Dr. Mary Ehrlander and Dr. Molly Lee for all the guidance and assistance they have given me throughout my degree program and especially during the preparation of my thesis. xi