Why San Francisco does sourdough best

Why San Francisco does sourdough best Michael Ventura/Alamy Sourdough bread became popular in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush The artisan bread-making movement is flourishing in homes worldwide, but it’s in San Francisco where the heart of sourdough still resides. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Boudin Bakery is considered San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating business Then there’s Boudin Bakery, considered San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating business, which has been churning out loaves of sourdough bread since first opening its doors in 1849 – just one year after Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill. “It likely sat in the sun, and eventually baked up into something that was both more delicious and more nourishing than its unfermented predecessor.” Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Boudin Bakery has been churning out loaves of sourdough bread since opening in 1849 In the 1970s, researchers Frank Sugihara and Leo Kline set out to discover just what kind of lactic acid microbe – similar to the ones found in yogurt or kimchi – was providing San Francisco sourdough with its characteristic taste. “San Francisco sourdough as a bread style has a characteristically tangy flavour profile,” he said, “which is really due to the acetic acid.” Yet its flavour profile has more recently shifted to something much milder, with many bakers balancing the bread’s lactic acid sourness with the nuance and characteristics of the grains that are employed in that particular loaf. Baking sourdough is an amazing opportunity for patience and presence, and then you get to share it with someone.” *** Baking sourdough is an amazing opportunity for patience and presence Josey Baker sourdough bread recipe Step 1 – Sourdough starter For this recipe, you’ll need a sourdough starter, which is a small amount of fermented dough made with natural bacteria and yeast.