Baking Up Some Sourdough in San Francisco

There are lots of things to do in San Francisco. One of those things to do is to visit Fisherman’s Wharf and see where sourdough bread is created.

It has a flavor all its own and has a history to back it up. The history is a bit iffy but is somewhat sure.

It likely got its start in Ancient Egypt around 1500 BC. It was the first form of leavening available to bakers.

Sourdough remained the typical form of leavening in Europe until the Middle Ages when it was replaced by barm from beer brewing processes. Later even that technique was replaced by a purpose cultured yeast.

It is even used to leaven other kinds of bread. For example, bread made from 100 percent rye flour is usually leavened with sourdough and is very popular in the northern half of Europe.

Baker’s yeast is not as useful as a leavening agent for rye bread, because rye does not contain much gluten, or enough to matter. Rye’s structure is based on the starch in the flour in Kamagra jelly addition to other carbohydrates called pentosans.

However, rye amylase is active at much higher temperatures than wheat amylase which causes the build of the bread to disintegrate as the starches are divided and broken down while they are being cooked.

The lower pH value of a typical starter is then able to make it impossible for the amylases to activate when the heat cannot. This allows the carbohydrates in the bread to gel and set properly.

In the southern part of Europe, baguettes and pentanes were originally made with wheat flour and rye flour. It has become less common as the standard of living has risen.

It has replaced by the faster growing baker’s yeast which is sometimes replaced with longer fermented breads which rest to allow for some bacterial activity to build flavor. This makes it quite the commodity, and it can all be found at its roots in San Francisco.

It is the main bread made in Northern California during and has been since the California Gold Rush. It is also a big part of the culture of San Francisco.

The bread has become so popular that sourdough has become a common nickname for the gold prospectors. The nickname remains in “Sourdough Sam,” the mascot of the San Francisco 49ers.

The tradition has been carried into Alaska and the western Canadian territories during the Klondike Gold Rush. Conventional forms of leavening such as yeast and baking soda were much less reliable in the conditions during the time.

Experienced miners and other settlers would frequently carry a pouch of starter around their necks or on their belts which were fiercely guarded to keep from freezing. Little did they know, freezing does not kill a sourdough starter, but excessive heat does.

Older Alaskan people became known as “sourdoughs.” Cialis Jelly This term is still used to describe the old timers and their practices of the past.

However, San Francisco is the real sourdough hub. San Francisco is the most famous maker of sourdough bread in the U.S. Today.

They also have a variety that has remained in continuous production for almost 150 years with some bakeries able to trace their starters back to California’s territorial period. It looks just like a typical white flour bread, but it is set apart by a distinct sourness.

It has also become popular because of its ability to combine well with seafoods and soups such as cioppino, clam chowder and chili. Sourdough has not enjoyed the popularity it once had since bread has become so mass produced and filled with preservatives.

Many restaurant chains such as Cracker Barrel keep it as a menu staple, and it can be found in many stores. Manufacturers make up for the lack of yeast and bacterial culture by bringing in an artificially produced mix known as a bread improver.

Therefore, if you want to get a taste of the real thing with lots of history mixed in the starter, then there is only one place to get it, San Francisco, California. You can visit Fisherman’s Wharf and see it in action from start to loaf; afterward, you can even have a taste of it.

Author Bio: Terry Daniels has been writing about things to do in cities across America. He recommends things to do in San Francisco for finding great activities in San Francisco.

Contact Info:

Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
www.thingstodo.com

Category: Recreation and Leisure/Travel/Destinations
Keywords: things to do in san francisco

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