Scientist bakes bread from 4500 year old yeast

[Mike Nolan]

Yeast extracted from a 4500 year old piece of Egyptian pottery was still viable and apparently made delicious bread.

See 4500 year old yeast

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[Joan Simpson]

Wow amazing!

[Italiancook]

I don't think I'd want to eat bread made from such old yeast, especially yeast in pottery. I'd worry about lead and germs.

[Mike Nolan]

Apparently what they did was harvest yeast spores from the pottery, then used that to grow enough yeast to make bread, using ancient grains. They're also analyzing the yeast's DNA.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting the link to the article, Mike. I read it to my husband, who found it fascinating as well. It certainly had to be a different yeast from modern yeast, which can expire. I hope that there is a follow-up article at some point after they analyze the bread.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Need article. Wonder if they will use it to make Egyptian beer too.

And they should use some of the honey discovered and rehydrated at Pompeii!

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