What’s SF Sourdough Bread?

Print anything with Printful



San Francisco sourdough bread is made with a unique starter and can be shipped worldwide. Sourdough breads have unique starters based on local yeasts and bacteria, resulting in different flavors. San Francisco’s sourdough history began with the Gold Rush, and today, several bakeries claim to use starters dating back to the late 1800s. The starter includes unique yeasts and bacteria, making San Francisco sourdough bread distinct.

San Francisco sourdough bread is a sourdough bread made with the use of a starter unique to San Francisco. Contrary to popular belief, San Francisco sourdough bread does not necessarily have to be made in San Francisco, as the sourdough can be shipped worldwide, and in fact ordinary bakers can order it through several specialty companies that supply sourdough to natural leavening. This style of sourdough has become popular among bread aficionados, and is a ubiquitous offering in San Francisco bakeries and restaurants.

Sourdough breads are made with naturally fermented starters. An interesting thing about these breads is that the starter is unique to the area where it is grown, as it is made from local yeasts and bacteria. As a result, sourdough breads around the world taste radically different, depending on the origin of the appetizer, even when they’re prepared the same way. Entrees from certain regions of the world have become known for their flavor and performance, and San Francisco is one such example.

San Francisco’s sourdough history began with the Gold Rush, when numerous enterprising bakers began opening bakeries to cater to hungry gold miners. Many of these bakeries made sourdough breads in the French and Italian tradition, using the starter they grew themselves, and the San Francisco sourdoughs turned out to be unusually delicious, with a tender texture and complex flavor that began to make the city is famous. In addition to the starter, San Francisco sourdough bread includes flour, salt, and water, with some bakeries adding a small amount of oil as well.

In the 20th century, four bread kings emerged as San Francisco’s sourdough bread kings: Colombo, Parigino, Toscano, and Boudin Bakery. Today, the top three are united under one flag company, although they actively compete with each other, and Boudin Bakery remains independent. Many of these bakeries claim to use starters that date back to the late 1800s, refreshing their starter every morning to make a new batch of bread the traditional way. These bakeries ship San Francisco sourdough bread throughout Northern California, as well as supply bread for San Francisco.

San Francisco’s famous sourdough bread starter includes a number of special yeasts and bacteria. One yeast, Candida humilis, appears to be unique to San Francisco, as is the dominant Lactobacillus bacterium, Lactobacillus sanfrancisco. The unique combination of local yeasts and bacteria is also influenced by the precise location in the city where the starter is grown, which explains why home cooks in San Francisco can produce a range of sourdoughs when making their bread from scratch.




Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN


Skip to content