Scientist Uses 4,500-Year-Old Yeast To Bake Bread, Says It Tastes Incredible

Is this what the ancient Egyptians were eating back in the day?

A scientist wanted to find out if dormant yeast can be activated even after thousands of years.
He managed to find yeast from ancient Egyptian clay pottery that is 4,500 years old.
Amazingly, he decided to make some bread with the yeast and claims that the “flavor is incredible.”

Some people can be truly adventurous when it comes to food. However, one scientist took it to a completely new level when he used 4,500-year-old yeast to create some dough and make bread. Interestingly, he claims that the finished product tastes incredible.

Seamus Blackley may be known as the Father of the Xbox but he is also a scientist with an appetite for culinary adventures. Blackley wanted to find out if it was possible to make bread from yeast that has been dormant for several years. To find out, he worked with two other scientists in an effort to find yeast from ancient Egypt.

It might look like normal dough but it contains 4,500-year-old yeast!

Blackley joined Richard Bowman, who studies tiny forms of life as well as Serena Love, who studies and teaches about ancient Egypt. They were able to contact scientists who work at two museums in Boston to get a hold on some 4,500-year-old Egyptian pottery.

The pottery that contained the ancient yeast.

When they were able to find yeast in the pottery, Blackley decided to keep a sample so he could test it out on his own. First, he made sure the dormant yeast would be active before using grains that ancient Egyptians would have eaten. The result was an interesting bread that may have been a replica of loaves that were eaten thousands of years ago.

It certainly looks yummy!

So what does it taste like? Blackley was astounded with the resulting bread.

“The crumb is light and airy, especially for a 100% ancient grain loaf. The aroma and flavor are incredible. I’m emotional. It’s really different, and you can easily tell even if you’re not a bread nerd. This is incredibly exciting, and I’m so amazed that it worked,” he wrote.

It’s important to point out that Blackley believes that the yeast isn’t actually 4,500 years old. He is currently waiting for Bowman’s findings to be sure.