Sourdough

In almost all cultures around the globe, bread is an essential staple that enjoys an equal share of appreciation in any platter. In fact, consumption of bread predates the first human use of metals. The Sourdough bread, or simply the Sourdough, is one of the earliest forms of leavened bread made by man. What makes the Sourdough unique and in remarkable demand even today, is a combination of its tangy, sour flavour, a crackling crust, and an overall chewy texture – all hailing from the natural fermentation of the dough using wild lactobacilli and yeast.

Sourdough making begins with a carefully cultured sourdough starter that is mixed thoroughly by hand with water, olive oil, bread flour, and sea salt into a fine dry dough. The dough is then left to autolyse for about 30 minutes, which is the technical jargon for resting the mixture to kickstart gluten development. The autolysed dough is then given a rough circular shape and left to rise in two long resting phases, with some stretching and folding in between. The voluminous dough is then fed into a preheated oven and baked till a flaky golden-brown exterior and a warm, soft interior are achieved.

Though the oldest archaeological Sourdough specimen dating from 3700 BC was excavated in Switzerland, food historians speculate that Sourdough making originated in the ancient Fertile Crescent and Egypt much earlier, well supported by numerous Egyptian wall paintings and loaf samples discovered so far. It is believed that the historic art of Sourdough making travelled northwards from Egypt to ancient Greece. In fact, such was the Greek fascination of leavened bread-making, that as many as 70 different varieties of Sourdough bread have been documented to be popular back in the day. In all probability, Romans adopted Sourdough into their culinary repertoire from the Greeks, suggested by Pliny the Elder’s elaboration of a Sourdough recipe in his work Naturalis Historia.

There is no doubt that Sourdough bread spread farther as we move forward in history, making it a standard staple in most of Europe and the Middle East by the 17th century, including France that became the modern masters of the recipe. It was the French aficionados who introduced Sourdough to America during the California Gold Rush of the 1840s. The introduction of commercial baker’s yeast about 150 years back was the point in history that gave modern civilisation an alternative to the more delicate art of Sourdough baking. However, Sourdough’s apparent oblivion has been short-lived as the bread has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in most global cuisines since the 1980s.