Multiple Choice, Single Answer (Reading) — practice #rmcsa-007

Sourdough bread relies on a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria rather than commercial baker's yeast. Bakers maintain a 'starter' by regularly feeding a mixture of flour and water, which over days develops a stable community of microorganisms. The bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids, giving the bread its characteristic tang and helping it keep longer without preservatives. Fermentation also breaks down some of the gluten and complex sugars, which many people find makes the bread easier to digest. Because each starter hosts a slightly different mix of microbes, influenced by local flour and air, no two sourdoughs taste exactly alike. Some bakeries proudly maintain starters passed down for generations. The process demands patience, since a single loaf can take a full day to ferment and rise before baking.