Did you know more than 100 types of bread exist? That’s a staggering number, especially considering that we only buy a limited quantity of different kinds of bread.
Bread is one of those foods found in cultures around the world. Some breads are best for sandwiches, others are great for dipping or serving as a meal unto themselves.
One of the most popular types of bread is sourdough. Although it can be purchased commercially, nothing beats the taste of fresh sourdough bread made at home.
Making sourdough bread and sampling your culinary creations are some of the joys of baking. The process of making it is special for many people, which is why novice and experienced bakers alike have embraced the art of baking sourdough bread.
What Is Sourdough Bread?
If you’ve never had sourdough bread and are curious about it, your taste buds are in for a treat.
Many types of bread use yeast to make the dough rise; sourdough is naturally leavened. The dough used to make the bread has a mix of water and fermented flour added to it, which allows it to rise. This mix, which includes good bacteria and wild yeast, gives sourdough bread its unique flavor and texture.
Sourdough bread is also unlike many other breads because it uses natural yeast instead of commercial yeast. The addition of natural yeast means the bread is all-natural.
Other types of bread using commercial-grade yeast may taste good, but it’s no match for the distinctive flavor of sourdough.
How Did Sourdough Bread Come to Be?
Sourdough bread may have gained a legion of new fans in the last few years, but it’s hardly the new kid on the block. Believe it or not, its origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt!
It’s one of the oldest types of bread with a raising or leavening agent. No one can say for sure who invented sourdough bread or how it started, but according to legend, it was accidentally created when Egyptians allowed some bread dough to sit out in the open. Wild yeast ended up in the dough and became mixed in with it, making it rise. Egyptians discovered that this process led to a final product that was less dense and tasted better. It wasn’t called sourdough until centuries later, however.
Ancient Sourdough Bread Migrates
As with all good things, the ancient Egyptians couldn’t keep the deliciousness of sourdough bread within the confines of their country. Other ancient cultures caught wind of this new style of baking and its tasty results and soon adopted this process for themselves, making sourdough bread something of a phenomenon in the ancient world.
It is unknown how other ancient cultures discovered the Egyptians’ new baking technique, but over time, they integrated sourdough bread into the making of artisanal bread.
Ancient Greeks were the first to learn about bread, making it at home and eventually selling it in bakeries. Only after sourdough bread migrated to the Roman Empire did it become the product we know today.
Sourdough Heads West
Sourdough bread baking eventually moved to Europe before heading west at the start of the California Gold Rush in 1848. A family of French master bakers went to San Francisco, bringing along their process for making sourdough, which involved mixing flour and water fermented by bacteria, making the bread even more flavorful.
At the height of the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s, miners took the dough with them to Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Territories. The sourdough mixture was ideal because they couldn’t use yeast and baking soda as leavening agents due to the extremely cold weather in those regions. To keep the dough from freezing, the miners would sleep with it. This led to the miners becoming known as sourdoughs, which is how the bread got its name.
How Sourdough Differs From Other Breads
Even if you’ve never eaten sourdough bread in your life, one look at it demonstrates that it’s unlike other commercially available breads. Many consumers are used to buying their bread in loaves like sandwich bread. They may also buy flatbreads like pita and naan, which have a flat, round shape. Sourdough bread has a distinct appearance, inside and outside.
Sourdough is usually made into round, baguette, or oval shapes and has a crispy, darker brown crust with a light coating of flour.
The inside of sourdough bread is also distinguishable from loaf bread. Due to the fermentation process, sourdough has large, similarly sized holes throughout the bread, giving it an airy consistency. Traditional loaf breads have fewer holes and are more dense inside. Loaf breads have a shorter baking time than sourdough.
How Does Sourdough Bread Taste?
Besides the differences in appearance and texture, sourdough has a taste that is unlike that of sandwich breads and flatbreads. Except for strongly flavored breads like rye and pumpernickel, most sandwich breads have a mild taste.
The natural yeast used in the bread gives the dough a slightly sour taste.
While sourdough bread is readily available to buy at grocery stores and bakeries, more people are finding that they like making their own at home, from scratch. Starting in early 2020, the sale, popularity, and availability of sourdough bread increased over commercially available breads, largely due to concerns about the additives used to make other types of bread.
Sourdough Bread Facts
For all of its popularity, there are some interesting facts about sourdough bread that most people may not be aware of.
Did you know there are several types of sourdough bread, including those made with whole wheat, rye, einkorn wheat, and spelt wheat? It’s also one of the more unprocessed bread products that use only a few ingredients.
Because of the lack of additives, sourdough bread has a relatively short shelf life compared to bread made with commercial yeast and other artificial products. Sourdough bread baked at home typically lasts four to five days. To keep it fresh, it should be stored in plastic wrap, kept at room temperature, and never refrigerated.
Is Sourdough Bread Better For You?
One of the biggest questions about eating sourdough bread is if it’s healthier than other types of bread.
Sourdough bread contains antioxidants that can reduce the signs of aging and the risks of contracting chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and even some forms of cancer. It’s also a good source of vital minerals, including calcium, folate, magnesium, niacin, and potassium.
Eating white bread tends to increase blood sugar levels; eating sourdough bread keeps blood sugar levels more even.
Sourdough bread can even aid in digestion. The fibers in the bread work as a prebiotic, which nourishes the beneficial bacteria within the intestines. There’s less gluten in sourdough bread, which may make it easier for those with gluten intolerance to eat, but it’s not gluten-free.
Is Sourdough Hard to Make?
Buying sourdough from the store may be more convenient, but there’s nothing like the taste of homemade bread or the satisfaction of making it yourself.
Making sourdough bread can take hours, much longer than baking traditional bread. But even with a busy schedule, it’s worth the effort.
It doesn’t take a professionally trained baker to try making homemade sourdough bread. You don’t even need a special sourdough bread kit or a lot of things to get started. All you need is the kitchen space, basic ingredients, baking tools, and the time to dedicate to crafting your very own artisanal bread.
Is There A Right Way to Make Sourdough Bread?
There’s no single correct recipe for making sourdough bread. Many variations of sourdough bread can include different flavorings to meet your specific tastes, including sweet or savory ones.
You could also opt for a traditional sourdough recipe and allow the bread’s taste to stand on its own.
The base ingredients and the process of making it are what counts, even if it’s your first time making sourdough bread. Before you even start, the most important step is to decide how much time you have to dedicate to your sourdough bread project and how quickly you want to have the finished product.
Making Sourdough Bread
When you’re ready to jump into making sourdough bread at home, you’ll want to look at the different recipes available.
If you’re a beginner, there are recipes for baking long-fermented sourdough bread, which takes several days to make from start to finish. The process has a lot of steps to follow and requires a degree of patience if you’re willing to wait.
There are also recipes for baking sourdough bread on the same day, starting in preparation in the morning and having it ready to serve by dinnertime. This quicker method of making sourdough results in an equally delectable bread when finished, so you don’t have to wait for days to taste your creation.
This article originally appeared on Pink When.
Author: Tina Bevk
Tina, from the blog Stretch and Folds, balances motherhood and a passion for sourdough baking. Based in Slovenia, she offers practical sourdough tips and recipes, bridging European and American baking styles. Her blog simplifies sourdough for busy families, focusing on easy, nutritious sourdough recipes.