A Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free} (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for San Francisco sourdough bread? ›

A sourdough culture based on rye flour is easier to maintain, it does not transform into a slurry when you forget about it, it is easier to stir because it has almost no gluten and it smells very very nice, a bit like fruit.

However, San Francisco sourdough tends to be more sour, aerated and chewy than other types. All sourdough bread is leavened with a starter prepared by spontaneous fermentation of a mixture of flour and water. Large-scale commercial sourdough usually has extra yeast added to speed up production.

Enter the famous Boudin Bakery, which was established in 1849, when Isidore Boudin nailed the "Original San Francisco Sourdough" after she acquired a wild yeast starter from a gold miner and perfected the recipe with a magical combination of flour, water, salt and mother dough.

San Francisco Sourdough™

Since 1849, Boudin Bakery has been the home of a San Francisco classic. The bread that began with the gold rush—local flavor and history baked into every loaf.

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

Any flour containing starch is suitable for a sourdough starter, since it is the sugar that the microbes feed on. Glutenous flours, such as spelt, einkorn, rye, and wheat, tend to work best.

Whole wheat sourdough contains more fiber, while sourdough made with enriched white flour may contain more iron and B vitamins. One slice (56 grams) of whole-wheat sourdough gives : Calories: 100. Protein: 4 grams.

It's good for you. The natural bacteria and yeasts in the sourdough starter make for a healthier gut, and help pre-digest some of the flour – providing a break for our own digestive systems. Sourdough also keeps better because of the natural preservatives formed by the sourdough culture's organisms.

“The whole-grain sourdoughs have more fiber, protein and micronutrients, making them more filling and healthier for you overall,” says Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and nutrition editor at TODAY.com. When choosing a sourdough loaf, look for ones that have whole wheat, spelt or rye, Rizzo adds.

Always read the label. Genuine sourdough bread is NOT made using additives, baker's yeast (usually listed simply as yeast) or chemical raising agents (eg baking powder). If there isn't a label (or you just fancy a chat) then... Ask the baker / salesperson for a copy of the ingredients list.

Why is sourdough better in California? ›

Some say the foggy climate gives San Francisco's sourdough bread a special bounce, and others say it's a specific local strain of yeast that gives the characteristic flavor. That bounce and flavor are notes that pair perfectly with a California Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc.

The "celebrated" San Francisco sourdough is a white bread characterized by a pronounced sourness, and indeed the strain of Lactobacillus in sourdough starters is named Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis (previously Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis), alongside the sourdough yeast Kasachstania humilis (previously Candida ...

The Original San Francisco Sourdough™ In 1849, Isidore Boudin struck gold with four simple ingredients: flour, water, salt, and mother dough. See how San Francisco's history is baked into every bite.

It's a species that produces lactic and acetic acids, which give sourdough its distinctive and nominal flavor. For decades, foodies believed, as did Boudin's bakers and others, that the city's fog and temperate climate helped foster these microorganisms. As it turns out, they may come from insects.

Why is sourdough bread from San Francisco famous? Sourdough yeast culture is easy to grow in SF. The climate supports its own variety of sourdough yeast, L. sanfranciscensis.

Einkorn flour is certainly no stranger in my kitchen. I grind it fresh and use it in nearly every loaf of bread I bake. As the whole-wheat component for all artisan sourdough, I like the deeper, nuttier flavor it adds; but 100% einkorn sourdough is a whole other matter.

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

You can feed your sourdough starter with any flour you like, as long as it provides the starches the wild yeast in your sourdough starter need to convert to Co2 to rise your dough. The flour you choose should always be unbleached flour.

It's best not to use all purpose flour at all for this job. The reason rice flour is best is that it is gluten free so will not actually stick to your dough and it also absorbs less water more slowly than all purpose so will not turn to glue like plain flour.