History of Sourdough Bread — The Nest by Dough Dough (2024)

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History of Sourdough Bread — The Nest by Dough Dough? ›

The origins of sourdough bread can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians used sourdough as a leavening agent for their bread. Archaeological evidence suggests that sourdough bread was being made in Egypt as early as 1500 BC.

In the Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology, Michael Gaenzle writes: "One of the oldest sourdough breads dates from 3700 BCE and was excavated in Switzerland, but the origin of sourdough fermentation likely relates to the origin of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent and Egypt several thousand years earlier", which was ...

Blackley's sourdough starter, created from 4,500 year-old yeast, is considered the oldest sourdough starter, per Oldest. Other starters like the Saint Honoratus Wheat also are quite old. A bakery called Chrissi's Farmhouse Bakery uses it and said, “This noble starter dates back 900 years.

The popularity of sourdough is understandable. We know that it tastes great and has a unique flavor that can't be replicated with other types of bread or baked products. We also know that it is relatively easy to make although it does take a lot of time.

The mother-dough is made of a mixture of flour and water fermented with bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Acetobacter and Saccharomyces. To create it and keep it alive requires patience and constant care. The mother-dough is a great leavening agent and makes a highly digestible bread.

There also seems to be some evidence that sourdough is easier to digest than typical white bread, and the yeasts and bacteria that help the bread rise are also beneficial for the gut, feeding into the current fixation with gut health.

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.

While the age of your starter won't make your bread any better — turns out, only good sourdough practices can do that — it's a link in the long legacy of sourdough, one of the oldest forms of baking that exists. Whether your starter is a week or a decade old, you can become part of that lineage as well.

Ideally, you don't want to allow sourdough bread to cold ferment for longer than 72 hours. Even up to 48 hours, you do risk some loss of gluten structure unless you manipulate the amount of starter down.

Feeding your starter regularly cultivates a healthy colony of wild yeast and good bacteria, which maintain an average pH of 3.5-5, a level that inhibits the growth of mold spores and other pathogenic bacteria, such as botulism and E. coli.

What city in the US is known for famous sourdough bread? ›

San Francisco Sourdough™

Since 1849, Boudin Bakery has been the home of a San Francisco classic. The bread that began with the gold rush—local flavor and history baked into every loaf.

Sourdough starters require regular feedings to stay active. If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain.

Traditionally, sourdough only uses three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. As such, it's particularly appealing for those looking for bread that isn't laden with extra artificial ingredients. Not only that, but sourdough is slow-fermented, a process which breaks down gluten and makes it easier to digest.

Luke 13:21 In-Context

21 It is like to sourdough, that a woman took, and hid it in three measures of meal, till all were soured. [+It is like to sourdough, which taken, a woman hid in three measures of meal, till it were all soured.] 22 And he went by cities and castles, teaching and making journey into Jerusalem.

Supermarket sourdough is often sourfaux – here's how to make the real thing. Mass-produced sourdough has been found to be adulterated with everything from vinegar to commercial yeast. Why not bake your own?

As the city's bread fame grew, a rumor circulated that the strain of bacteria (found in the starters' wild yeasts) responsible for San Francisco sourdough's distinctly tart flavor simply could not be produced anywhere else.

Sourdough relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, rather than baker's yeast, to leaven the dough. It's richer in nutrients, less likely to spike your blood sugar, contains lower amounts of gluten, and is generally easier to digest than bread made with baker's yeast.

Sourdough bread is called “sourdough” because it is made using a naturally occurring yeast and bacteria culture known as a sourdough starter. The starter is a mixture of flour and water that is left to ferment over time, which allows wild yeast and bacteria to colonize it.

Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn't use commercial yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a 'starter' – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise. This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you'll find in sourdough.

During the fermentation process, yeast and bacteria convert the simple sugars in the flour into other organic substances like carbon dioxide (that rises your bread), ethanol and acids (lactic acid and acetic acid). It's the acids that give sourdough it's unique sour flavor.