Half a loaf is better than none

[Rene T]

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

My wife just bought a sour dough bread here in FL at a Publics. I believe we are in the East. Southeast to be exact.

 

[Wasillaguy]

Bought a loaf at the tiny Roadrunner market in Quartzsite when we got here because my starter wasn't going to be ready for a few days. It was from LaBrea Bakery in L.A. and surprisingly had a good sour bite to it.
Even more surprising, "sour culture" was listed as an ingredient. $5 for a smaller (bigger than a half) loaf.
I was stunned. Never seen real bread in a grocery store in Alaska. I think they make health restrictions so tight you can't get away with a wild starter in a commercial kitchen in most states.
I may be wrong on that, but seems the logical reason for the conditions seen.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

We’re near Cincinnati, here’s what a search turned up:

The 15 Best Places for Sourdough Bread in Columbus

We did the research so that you don't have to. Panera Bread and Block's Bagels are on the list. See what other places made the cut.

foursquare.com

katzingers we can say is good. i make my own.

if you get near yellow springs Yellow Springs Baking Company | Yellow Springs OH

 

[ziplock]

Where would you find one of those?

There are 4 within 30 minutes of me. I guess you guys don't have them?

They have crafts and all that crap in them too. But many fresh meat booths, baked goods and stuff like that at the farmer's markets close to me.

 

[Tom]

My wife just bought a sour dough bread here in FL at a Publics. I believe we are in the East. Southeast to be exact.

Was that a full loaf or half a loaf?

 

[Onyrlef]

Was that a full loaf or half a loaf?

I’m pretty sure half loaves are illegal in Florida. Matter of fact you can’t even talk about them in in the schools.

 

[Tom]

I’m pretty sure half loaves are illegal in Florida. Matter of fact you can’t even talk about them in in the schools.

Thought we were talking about bread

 

[Tulecreeper]

Then she ordered blue cheese dressing for her salad!

I use Blue Cheese dressing.

 

[Rene T]

Was that a full loaf or half a loaf?

I have no idea. It’s baked right there in their bakery. It was about 12” long , 7” wide and probably 4” high in the middle.

 

[Tulecreeper]

There are 4 within 30 minutes of me. I guess you guys don't have them?

They have crafts and all that crap in them too. But many fresh meat booths, baked goods and stuff like that at the farmer's markets close to me.

As far as I know, there are no farmers markets at all around here. Not a lot fruits and veggies grown in these parts; mostly hay.

 

[Tom]

I'm reminded when I was growing up in the UK ... our house backed onto a bakery. I'd be asked to go buy a loaf and, when I arrived, they'd be taking it out of the oven using long paddles. That's as fresh as it gets. On the way home, I'd eat bread from the middle of the loaf and, by the time I arrived home, I'd have a crust surrounding a large cavity

 

[TXcmpr]

The Costco near us sells sourdough bread. It is baked as individual sandwich sized squares.

 

[Wasillaguy]

Lots of bread is sold as sourdough, but it's actually made with yeast.
Ingredient list should show "sour culture".

 

[ziplock]

"sour culture".

Have you tried doing wild cultures in different parts of the United States and compared?

I think my Maryland wild culture would be alot different if I started a sourdough starter somewhere else.

Different wild yeasts in different parts of the country make a different taste, and of course, the different flours, especially those you grind yourself change tastes.

I haven't been anywhere long enough to catch a different wild yeast culture than the one I have from here.

Have you been lucky enough to collect 2 or more strains?

 

[Wendy]

During the height of Covid, a lot of us were making our own bread, including sourdough. When yeast got in short supply at stores, you could find info on capturing your own yeast from the air. It was a lot of fun but it sure is easier to grab a loaf of real SF sourdough at a local bakery or grocery. Sadly, my sourdough starter got tossed.

 

[ziplock]

Sadly, my sourdough starter got tossed.

No time like the present to start a new one, don'tcha think?

 

[Wasillaguy]

The reality is that a culture will change quickly to a different dominant yeast in a new environment and you cannot prevent it without biohazard lab level facilities.
Every time I take the lid off my jar it is immediately exposed to wild yeast in the air.
Different flour brands and batches have different strains of wild yeast.
The water you mix it up with has yeasts.
The stir stick/spatula has yeasts on it.

This is why buying special starters on the internet is kinda snake oil. You might get a good dominant strain from your purchase for a couple loaves, but before long it's local starter as the local dominant strain will take over.

Most people think of a sour flavor, dense white bread with a thin crunchy crust when they hear "sourdough", but the reality is any bread made with sour culture rather than yeast is sourdough bread. I make whole wheat, rye, Russian black, French, Italian, ciabatta, etc. and it's all wild yeast culture instead of active or instant yeast.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I had a bread maker once, it made some very good bread. The bread doesn't keep long, so you have to make some every few days, but thats ok. I have considered getting another one, but not sure where I would put it.

Charles

 

[TheBar]

This is why buying special starters on the internet is kinda snake oil. You might get a good dominant strain from your purchase for a couple loaves, but before long it's local starter as the local dominant strain will take over.

I halfway agree but some foreign strains may be dominant over the local strain. I started out cultivating local yeast but it tasted more like commercial bread than breads I sampled in Europe. Which is different by country.

I do know that the starter I got on the internet was the strong European sourdough taste and texture. But what I have now tastes stronger than when I first got it 6 years ago. I've read 2 or more kinds of yeast can crossbreed which may be why my starter has changed.

To each their own but US commercial bread is made from flour and yoga mats. That's reason enough to bake your own bread.

 

[Ray-IN]

In Indiana it seems most people keep their own starter going while making bread, rolls and biscuits, etc.
DW gave away starter bowls of her batch after the car wreck smashed her up so badly she can't hardly work.