Sourdough Bread
The Original Loaf
History of Sourdough
Ancient Times
Because sourdough consists of a spontaneous fermentation process, it can undoubtedly be considered the primordial form of bread leavening. It is believed that the use of sourdough in bread leavening developed in ancient Egypt in approximately 3000 BC and from there spread gradually to Europe, throughout ancient Greece and the Roman Empire until the present.
Nineteenth Century
Since the nineteenth century, baker’s yeast (also called compressed yeast) has almost completely replaced sourdough in the leavening of bread. The increased use of baker’s yeast was due to its greater suitability for the requirements of modern baking processes, as a rapid and simple leavening process, and the adaptation to mechanized bread production. In fact, the sourdough baking process is time-consuming and requires a long fermentation time.
Modern Times
In recent years, sourdough bread has grown in popularity due to increased consumer demand for bread with pronounced flavor, high nutritional value, healthy properties, prolonged shelf life, and less additives; at last, the traditional aspects of sourdough breads have attracted consumers. Many sourdough breads are produced worldwide, most of them in Europe and Mediterranean countries, others in North America. Sourdough was introduced from Europe to the San Francisco area during the California gold rush and to Alaska and western Canada during the Klondike gold rush. San Francisco sourdough bread is the most famous type currently produced in the United States.
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