Though it's tough, lengthy and pungent to make, the sourdough loaf, once its baked, is coveted. Its tart flavor goes brilliantly with a good, fontina cheese fondue, beef stew, or a hefty winter soup. A piece of bread topped by an oyster scooped from oyster bisque is heavenly. Sourdough bread is perfection served with a drizzle of good, additional virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of fleur de sal, its sourness blending sublimely with the oil's sweetness and the salt's pelagic tang.
No one actually knows who was the 1st chef to find out that milk and sugar left out for days and days could go into making a flavorful and tasty bread. It's possible that sourdough, like so many other worthy things, traces its beginnings back to ancient Egypt. It was probably one of those contented culinary accidents that humanity would be poorer for had it not occurred.
Sour Dough Bread gets its singular taste from the lactic acid from the lactobacillus cultures found from the sour milk that helps leaven it. Academics have written articles on the convoluted chemistry that goes into making a perfect loaf.
The way sourdough loaf was produced was the predominant way to make bread till the Middle ages, when bread began to be leavened with barm, then with yeast. Barm is the foam skimmed from the top of lager during its fermentation process. This too was confirmed to help bread to rise was possibly also a very content accident. People still use barm to make bread rolls.
But the replacement of culture was not enough to cause the sourdough loaf to be deserted altogether, awkward as it is to make. Many bread lovers claim the best tasting, and by some accounts, sourest, sourdough loaves can be bought in San Francisco. The custom of making superb sourdough began during the 1849 Gold Dash in that part of the state. For prospectors, men principally without women, it was easier to keep sourdough starter than baker's yeast. Sourdough baking in the San Francisco area, indeed, has been going on uninterrupted since 1849.
The sourdough loaf is here to stay, and good for all food lovers everywhere!
No one actually knows who was the 1st chef to find out that milk and sugar left out for days and days could go into making a flavorful and tasty bread. It's possible that sourdough, like so many other worthy things, traces its beginnings back to ancient Egypt. It was probably one of those contented culinary accidents that humanity would be poorer for had it not occurred.
Sour Dough Bread gets its singular taste from the lactic acid from the lactobacillus cultures found from the sour milk that helps leaven it. Academics have written articles on the convoluted chemistry that goes into making a perfect loaf.
The way sourdough loaf was produced was the predominant way to make bread till the Middle ages, when bread began to be leavened with barm, then with yeast. Barm is the foam skimmed from the top of lager during its fermentation process. This too was confirmed to help bread to rise was possibly also a very content accident. People still use barm to make bread rolls.
But the replacement of culture was not enough to cause the sourdough loaf to be deserted altogether, awkward as it is to make. Many bread lovers claim the best tasting, and by some accounts, sourest, sourdough loaves can be bought in San Francisco. The custom of making superb sourdough began during the 1849 Gold Dash in that part of the state. For prospectors, men principally without women, it was easier to keep sourdough starter than baker's yeast. Sourdough baking in the San Francisco area, indeed, has been going on uninterrupted since 1849.
The sourdough loaf is here to stay, and good for all food lovers everywhere!
About the Author:
Rick Welton is always hunting for the best sour dough bread recipe. That is because the best recipe makes the most delicious sourdough loaf!
