Talk:Sourdough
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I lived in the S.F. Bay Area all my life, but I just moved to Illinois, and no one sells sourdough bread. This is killing me. Why is this? I once heard that it's impossible to make sourdough bread in the Midwest. Is that true? --JM
- The problem is that the distinctive flavor of a sourdough bread depends greatly on the particular breed of natural bacteria and yeasts growing in the starter. Different areas have different breeds, and therefore different tastes. Sourdough works anywhere, but the flavor can change from location to location, starter to starter, and day to day. --Mdwyer 05:18, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Is this original work? -- Zoe
It passes the Google test - it also looks like the legit recipe. --mav
Cite for ancient sourdough from http://www.sourdo.com/book.htm
"the organisms of sourdough that produced man's bread for 5,000 years."
--Dr.Ed Wood
Cite for wheat in ancient egypt from http://teaching.ucdavis.edu/nut120a/0032.htm
"G. Regarding cereals-grains
1. Wheat and barley were the cereals used most commonly. Indeed, during the Greek and Roman period of Egyptian history, Egypt was the grain producing breadbasket of the ancient Mediterranean. Even today, one may travel westward from Alexandria along the coast towards Libya, and in springtime, see the hundreds of ancient mounds that represent ruined villages where cultivators were housed; the irrigation system, cisterns are still in place and today, some of these are used by settled Bedouins. '
--Darrell
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[edit] Congratulations on wonderful work
I had a terrible time finding a definition for sourdough – the stuff that is used as an alternative to yeast – in my big dictionary at home, and had little luck with several online dictionaries. All gave a definition so superficial " sour dough used as a leavening agent" that it told me nothing useful. Your definiton was wonderfully complete and so interesting to read that I learned a good deal more than the basics of sourdough biology, which was my original query. Many thanks to all who contribute to Wikipedia. Jay Bryan Montreal
[edit] Spoilage?
Does this statement As a result, many sourdough bread varieties tend to be relatively resistant to spoilage and mold. refer to the culture or the finished bread? pstudier 02:37, 17 September 2005 (UTC)
I remember reading, and it conforms to my exerience, that the longer it takes to make the bread (in development of the dough and in baking) the longer the bread will retain it's freshness.
A stable starter is somewhat resistant to other organisms taking over. Also the bread tends to have a longer shelf life.
- Some breads will go stale and hard (even if kept properly) long before they spoil or become moldy. That has more to do with the fat content - the higher the fat, the longer the bread will remain soft and fresh. I suspect this is why commercial breads stay soft for so long. --Charlene.fic 04:16, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Sour dough loaves02.jpg
There has been criticism that this picture is "bad" and "blurry": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sour_dough_loaves02.jpg
The loaves are in perfect focus and the zoom blur is only for artistic effect. Perhaps the original uploader could upload a non-blurred image? Dav2008 18:40, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
I didn't even notice the blur until I read this page. I think it's fine —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.69.156.35 (talk • contribs).
It clearly shows Sourdough's amazing ability to arrive on shelves in 70 mph bursts. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.215.128.199 (talk • contribs).
- This article is being vandalized very frequently purely because of this image; frankly, I'm tired of both doing and seeing the reversions. As a result, I'm going to remove it for the time being, and rearrange the existing images. If the photographer would consider uploading a non-blurred image (I will request it on his talk page), I would certainly welcome it back to this article. Anon user: it was barely funny the first time you did it, and repetition has only decreased its humor value. — Wwagner 18:09, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
This photo looks like it is taken at a Bakers Delight franchise. Their sour dough doesn't really have the proper (or should I say as rich) taste that sour dough bread usually has. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 144.137.38.93 (talk • contribs).
- I agree. Check out Baker's Delight nutritional information for rye and sourdough - all the sourdough loaves have yeast and food acids in their ingredients. Of the included foods acids, 270 is lactic acid. If the image is of a Baker's Delight shop, the bread isn't sourdough. Webaware 09:28, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
Alrighty, I talked to the photographer (Fir0002) and he uploaded a non-zoomy version of the image, which I have added back into the article. As far as whether these loaves are or are not sourdough, I didn't see them being made, so I have no comment. The image looks very good, and hopefully this will reduce our vandalism problems. — Wwagner 14:31, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
- I checked with the photographer, and he confirms it is in fact a photograph of bread in a Baker's Delight shop. IOW, it isn't actually sourdough bread. Webaware 23:20, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
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- It looks like sour dough, and that's all that matters for an encylopedic entry, to be honest. Don't be pedantic! 86.54.130.68 11:43, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
I don't understand why everyone is so angry about that caption. I got a good chuckle out of it. "But Sourdough cannot fly onto the shelves!! It is an inanimate object!!" Give me a break, lighten up guy.
[edit] Image placement
I recently rearranged the images for the following reasons:
- More attractive picture was made larger and placed on top-right
- Sourdough starter picture placed in the appropriate section so it aids the text
- Sourdough loaves was added a |thumb| and placed on the left side for left-right alternation. It was also made smaller so the amount of text between images is limited
Does this image placement work or does anyone have any other ideas? Dav2008 14:25, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] A Person As "Sourdough"
A person can be called a "sourdough," meaning an early settler or prospector in Alaska or NW Canada, according to the American Heritage College Dictionary.
Perhaps the term used in this context deserves some discussion, or an entry of its own? --Skb8721 22:18, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
