weekend
cooking
omemade sourdough
has been beloved by
artisan bakers for
years, but it became a national
obsession this spring when
Americans found themselves
stuck at home. Google searches
for recipes reached an all-time
high, and baking a loaf became
the quintessential quarantine
activity: It’s time-consuming,
and you need only flour and
water—no yeast, because
the starter, which is the base
of every sourdough loaf, is
naturally leavened by bacteria
and wild yeast. People have
been making bread this way
for thousands of years, but
America’s sourdough culture
dates back to the California
Gold Rush: Miners traveled with
starters, and the bread they
made tasted slightly sour thanks
to a strain of local bacteria.
(San Francisco’s Boudin Bakery
still makes sourdough from
a Gold Rush–era starter!) The
best way to make your own
sourdough is with a starter from
a fellow baker, but if you aren’t
able to get one, you can grow
your own with this recipe from
our test kitchen sourdough
pro Alexis Pisciotta.Sourdough bread baking is everyone’s new favorite hobby.
Here’s what you need to know to make your own loaf.6 6
It’s never too late to
jump on this trend!a note from
SunnyPROCESS PHOTOS: ALEXIS PISCIOTTA. BREAD PHOTOS: RALPH SMITH; FOOD STYLING: CHRISTINE ALBANO; PROP STYLING: PAIGE HICKS.