What is National Sourdough Bread Day?
On April 1st, one of the world's oldest leavened breads is recognized on the world's oldest leavened breads..
Sourdough dough is made by the process of long fermentation of the dough using lactobacilli and yeasts. The bread is slightly sour, but not pleasant tasting, due to the use of naturally occurring yeasts and friendly bacteria over cultivated yeast.
According to Ancient Egyptian times around 1500 BC, sourdough was the first form of leavening available to bakers. It was also the traditional form of leavening during the European Middle Ages.
Sourdough was the primary bread made in Northern California during the California Gold Rush and is now a part of San Francisco's culture. At that time, the bread was so common that the word "sourdough" became a nickname for the gold prospectors. A "sourdough" is also a term used in Yukon and Alaska for someone who has spent an entire winter north of the Arctic Circle. It refers to their custom of shielding their sourdough during the coldest months by holding it close to their body. During the Klondike Gold Rush, the sourdough tradition was also carried into Alaska and western Canadian territories.
The most popular sourdough bread made in the United States today, the San Francisco sourdough is the most popular sourdough bread made in the United States today. Unlike sourdough production in other areas of the country, the San Francisco variety has remained in continuous production since 1849, with some bakeries able to trace their starters back to California's Gold Rush period. Many restaurant chains keep it as a menu staple. Several restaurant chains keep it as a menu staple. Sourdough bread is a popular alternative to your soup, stew, or toasted with your morning cereal.
