San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe

Reader Contribution by Sue Van Slooten
1 / 3
2 / 3
3 / 3

San Francisco sourdough is the mother lode of all sourdoughs, at least historically and for many, taste-wise. This is where the sourdough taste of today was developed, and is even more popular now than ever. Developed during the Gold Rush in 1849, the San Francisco area is renown for its breads, and justifiably so. The unique climate there contributes to the variety of yeast culture. Sourdough was first invented, if you will, in ancient Egypt, many millennia ago, but because of the relative ease of culturing wild yeasts, is still with us today in the form of this wonderfully tasty bread.

Sourdough is as unique as its location, but the San Francisco wild bacteria, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, and of yeast, Candida milleri, are the culprits for the true taste of this region. The bread fell into decline post World War II, in favour of the Wonder Bread type of bread that Americans found more convenient at the time. Fortunately for all of us, this didn’t last, and with the advent of the 1980s “bread revolution,” artisan bakers rediscovered this special treat.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some genuine starter from that region, the above strains now having been isolated out. Mine came from Cultures for Health, whom I’ve mentioned in the past for their cheese and yogurt cultures. It’s also good to know they’re available locally for me, in Kingston, ON. I followed their recipe pretty closely, and the result was bread heaven. The starter began its life about a month ago, and some of the excess from the process went into biscuits, and then it started its aging process. I figure a month was about good.

I would encourage you to check out their website at www.CulturesForHealth.com where you can get all kinds of info, books, and of course, all the starters and goodies for lots of fermentation in general. They have numerous locations where you can buy products all over North America, not to mention others around the world. But on to the bread.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368