Sourdough..........To dough or not!!

Sourdough. 


Just the word alone can bring  images to one's mind.

Sourdough bread, San Francisco Sourdough bread, sourdough miners......

But, where did this distinctive tasting and so versatile dough come from?

A long time ago, in a world far, far away................Sourdough likely originated in ancient Egypt times around 1500 BC and was likely the first form of leavening available to bakers.(Wikipedia!!!)

Sourdough was the main bread made in California  during the gold rush and it remains a part of the culture of San Franciso today.

The bread became so common that "sourdough" became a general nickname for the gold prospectors.

A 'Sourdough' is also a nickname used in the North (Yukon/Alaska) for someone who has spent an entire winter north of the Arctic Circle and refers to their tradition of protecting their Sourdough during the coldest months by keeping it close to their body.  (Wikipedia..again!!)                 

There is so much history behind such a simple dough.

I started my sourdough starter last year, and since than have been making sourdough bread on a regular basis. I get bored real quick with the same recipes, so, I'll start changing them up some.

I make a sourdough bread with cranberries, pumpkin seeds and orange zest. Tastes great as toast.

The other day, I got a wild hair and added a few spoonfuls of Basil Pesto Sauce to my dough before rising.  Gonna plan on dipping this in some Olive oil. Yummmm!!!!

This tastes great as a sandwich with chicken, smoked mozzarella, sliced avacodos and just  a smidgen red onion. 

I haven't had the chance to try cooking sourdough bread over a camp fire. That's on my to do list for this year.

I'm looking forward to trying my hand at baking some sourdough bread in a cast iron dutch oven the next time we go camping. 

 Do You Sourdough???