San Francisco Sourdough

Sourdough became popular with the American pioneers during the 1849 Gold Rush in California, and San Francisco sourdough remains one of America's most famous types of bread. It is made using a combination of white wheat flour and wholemeal flour, and relies on airborne yeast for fermentation rather than the addition of commercial yeasts.

The dough is formed into a round loaf with a crosshatched pattern (like a noughts and crosses grid) slashed across the top. When baked, the loaf has a golden colour, crispy yet chewy on the outside, light and airy on the inside, with a distinctive sweet-sour bite.