 Desem bread has a strong following in the natural foods community, where it was largely popularized by [[vegetarian]] cookbook author [[Laurel's Kitchen|Laurel Robertson]].Unlike [[Sourdough|sourdough starters]] which are exposed to outside air, the desem starter is grown in a bed of flour (3-4 inches of flour surrounding the ball of dough made from fresh wheat flour and pure water).Keeping the flour cool (approx.