Sourdough Bread

A boule of wild-fermented wheat bread with a thick, shattering crust and an interior of irregular, glistening holes: complex, slightly sour, with the depth that only a living wild yeast culture and a 24-hour fermentation can create. San Francisco sourdough became the archetype of artisan bread culture and launched the global sourdough revival of the 21st century.

Origin: San Francisco, California, USA

From the journey of Wheat.

Sourdough fermentation is the world's oldest bread-leavening method; wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria captured from the environment and maintained in a flour-water culture. San Francisco became the centre of American sourdough culture during the Gold Rush of 1849, when miners (49ers) carried their sourdough starters as precious survival equipment. The particular combination of wild yeasts and bacteria in San Francisco's microclimate produced a distinctively sour loaf that the Boudin Bakery (established 1849) has been making continuously since. Modern artisan bakers; Tartine, Chad Robertson, Ken Forkish; turned sourdough into a global phenomenon in the 2000s.

Ingredients

  • 100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • 400 g strong white bread flour
  • 100 g wholemeal flour
  • 375 ml water, lukewarm
  • 10 g salt

Method

  1. Mix starter, flour and 350ml water together. Cover and autolyse for 1 hour.
  2. Add salt dissolved in remaining 25ml water. Knead until incorporated. Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds over 4 hours at room temperature.
  3. Shape into a tight boule: stretch the dough, fold the edges to the centre, flip, and rotate to create surface tension. Place seam-side up in a floured banneton.
  4. Refrigerate 12–16 hours for cold fermentation.
  5. Preheat oven to 250°C/480°F with a Dutch oven inside for 1 hour.
  6. Score the cold dough deeply. Lower into Dutch oven, cover and bake 20 minutes. Remove lid, reduce to 230°C/445°F and bake 25 minutes more until mahogany. Cool completely 2 hours before cutting.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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