Sourdough Bread History

Sourdough bread is considered by many home bakers to be the pinnacle of craftsmanship and skill. It is a bread that is quite tricky to make and even more tricky to do well. This is because every aspect of the bread is from scratch, most importantly the yeast used in its production. When making sourdough, the baker must grow and cultivate their own yeast cultures in order to make the bread rise. It is through this process that more control is given, and this allows for better quality bread. This is the essence of making sourdough. The idea that the quality of the bread is more important than how much of it the make is why sourdough is such a tantalising achievement for many bakers. It is a product that allows for a baker to put their own stamp on the end result and make it something unique to the person that makes it.

Brief History
The first step of the culture is where everything can go wrong, which is good because failing early makes it easier to start over. 20 gram of flour and 20 grams of water is measured on on scale and then added to a jar. The lid is then placed loosely on the jar and moved to a warm and dark place. Usually the space behind a desktop computer is a perfect place. The jar is then left alone for three days. After the three days have passed, the paste in the jar should be bubbly. This is a good thing as it shows the yeast has begun to break down the sugars in the flour and are giving off carbon dioxide. The food scale is brought back out and then 40 grams of flour and 40 more grams of water is added to the jar. The contents is then given a good thorough mix with a wooden spoon and placed back in the warm and dark place, again with the lid loosely on. After one day, the process is repeated with 80 grams of each flour and water. Once another day has passed, the starter should be ready to be used in bread. It is important that the culture is fed 20 grams of flour and water