Half a loaf is better than none

[Tom]

Having been SF Bay residents for over 40 years, we're used to seeing multiple options for sourdough bread in the supermarkets. Here in the MidWest, Chris has to search the stores for sourdough, and the best she can find are "half loaves"; They appear to be what we're used to as a whole loaf cut in half and repackaged. Can't figure out if folks here don't like sourdough, local bakeries don't bake it &/or shipping costs make whole loaves too expensive to ship from the West coast

 

[TheBar]

Having been SF Bay residents for over 40 years, we're used to seeing multiple options for sourdough bread in the supermarkets. Here in the MidWest, Chris has to search the stores for sourdough, and the best she can find are "half loaves"; They appear to be what we're used to as a whole loaf cut in half and repackaged. Can't figure out if folks here don't like sourdough, local bakeries don't bake it &/or shipping costs make whole loaves too expensive to ship from the West coast

I love sourdough also but local bakeries here don't make them and name brands don't taste like sourdough. Coming from a restaurant background but short on time I bought a breadmaker on eBay. It was a very old but unopened 2 lb Montgomery Ward which appears to have been made by Zojirushi. $7 + shipping and makes almost perfect bread after 6 years. Both white and rye.

Just dump the ingredients in and press a button. Yeast was a problem but I found a great one on eBay. It has a disturbing name - "Black Death", so named because it originated during the plague in 1633 in Germany. And supposedly has been used by the same family in their bakery since then. My only trick is to let any kind of yeast rise for 15 minutes in room temperature buttermilk before adding to the machine. That activates the yeast better than cold ingredients. A breadmaker with adjustable rise and cooking time is best for wild yeast. But there is one big problem with homemade bread. The smell of it cooking will bust any diet you have going

 

[ziplock]

I love sourdough

Me too. I made sourdough fried pickles yesterday. Today I made sourdough funnel cakes, Tomorrow is pancakes.

Then back to sourdough beer bread.

Everyone has a different starter. Taste, thickness of the starter.........Recipes are hard to share, because of that.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Just bought two loaves of sourdough yesterday at the supermarket here in central California.

$14 total. That's insane. People in the midwest probably won't pay that much. They're smarter than we are...lol

 

[Larry N.]

But there is one big problem with homemade bread. The smell of it cooking will bust any diet you have going

It sure will. My wife uses the breadmaker for lots of things, including pizza dough and homemade rolls (process dough, then bake in oven), but on those rare occasions when she makes real loaves of bread, I'm standing by with lots of real butter to top it off when the loaf comes out of the oven. There's nothing like fresh bread when it just came out of the oven-- my mouth is watering from just thinking about it.

 

[Larry N.]

love sourdough also but local bakeries here don't make them and name brands don't taste like sourdough.

Our local Safeway does sell sourdough from their bakery, but it's usually too big a loaf for just me to finish in a reasonable time (gotta keep the carbs down) and DW isn't so fond of it, though there was a time decades ago when she made it once in a while (fond memory).

 

[Onyrlef]

Having been SF Bay residents for over 40 years, we're used to seeing multiple options for sourdough bread in the supermarkets. Here in the MidWest, Chris has to search the stores for sourdough, and the best she can find are "half loaves"; They appear to be what we're used to as a whole loaf cut in half and repackaged. Can't figure out if folks here don't like sourdough, local bakeries don't bake it &/or shipping costs make whole loaves too expensive to ship from the West coast

I’m guessing it’s a marketing strategy. If you were paying $5.00 for a full loaf, an ordinary consumer might balk at paying $7.00 for the same full loaf but not $3.50 for half a loaf.

McDonalds’s had to discontinue the 1/3 lb’er because people thought the 1/4 lb’er was a bigger hamburger for less money.

When Yogi Berra was asked whether he wanted his pizza cut into 8 slices or 4 he said “4, I can ‘t eat eight”.

 

[ziplock]

search the stores for sourdough

Maybe indoor farmer's markets?

 

[Tom]

I was waiting for someone to suggest we buy 2 half loaves

 

[ziplock]

I was waiting for someone to suggest we buy 2 half loaves

We figured you knew that. hahahah

 

[TheBar]

I haven't tried any of these sourdough recipes but they were compiled by the company selling the Black Death yeast.

 

[Tom]

We figured you knew that. hahahah

Only when I pulled out my calculator

 

[John From Detroit]

Breadmaker from Salvation Army thrift store (or other thrift) sourdough starter and dump in the stuff in the order and amount instructed. Come back in about 3 hours.. Slice.

 

[DutchmenSport]

You say "here in the midwest"... not sure where in the MidWest you are at, but in Central Indiana, sometimes Sourdough can be found at Wall Mart.

I know it's probably not the same as you had in California. Every part of the country has different "takes" on their local culture of food. But a simple search on the Wal Mart web site returned several types of Sourdough they sell.

Sourdough Bread in Bread - Walmart.com

Shop for Sourdough Bread in Bread. Buy products such as Great Value Sourdough Bread, 24 oz, Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Sourdough Bread, 24 oz Loaf at Walmart and save.

www.walmart.com

 

[Tom]

You say "here in the midwest"... not sure where in the MidWest you are at, but in Central Indiana, sometimes Sourdough can be found at Wall Mart.

We're near Columbus, OH. Chris searched WalMart & Krogers. Not sure if she checked Giant Eagle.

 

[Larry N.]

Maybe indoor farmer's markets?

Where would you find one of those?

 

[Tulecreeper]

Having lived in Arkansas for a decade, but being born and raised in California, I have found one place here that makes sourdough bread that even compares to SF sourdough. We were at a restaurant (don't remember which one) and ordered some sourdough appetizers. The couple that was with us had never had sourdough bread before. When it came, the woman said, "Something is wrong with this bread. It tastes spoiled." We explained what it was, but she refused to eat any more of it. She thought it would give her food poisoning. Yeah, there are people like that roaming around.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

Having lived in Arkansas for a decade, but being born and raised in California, I have found one place here that makes sourdough bread that even compares to SF sourdough. We were at a restaurant (don't remember which one) and ordered some sourdough appetizers. The couple that was with us had never had sourdough bread before. When it came, the woman said, "Something is wrong with this bread. It tastes spoiled." We explained what it was, but she refused to eat any more of it. She thought it would give her food poisoning. Yeah, there are people like that roaming around.

Then she ordered blue cheese dressing for her salad!

 

[TheBar]

the woman said, "Something is wrong with this bread. It tastes spoiled."

And it is. But I'm betting the manna from heaven was sourdough

 

[darsben]

Out west you can't get a great bagel. In the east sour dough is not a thing.