History

Sourdough is California's oldest food story, carried through Gold Rush camps and kept alive by the state's wild-yeast cultures. San Luis Obispo joined the modern grain revival when Bread Bike began milling California-grown wheat in-house on Parker Street, fermenting slowly and pedalling loaves to subscribers across town. The bakery's house-milled, long-fermented, naturally leavened loaves now set the city's bread standard, sold over the counter until they run out.

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Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Makes 1 large loafHands-on 45 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 450 g strong white flour
  • 50 g wholemeal flour
  • 350 ml water
  • 100 g active sourdough starter, fed 6 hours before
  • 10 g salt

Method

  1. Mix flours and water and rest 1 hour; add starter and salt and knead briefly until smooth.
  2. Bulk ferment 4 to 6 hours at room temperature, folding the dough every 45 minutes.
  3. Shape into a tight boule, seam up, in a floured banneton and refrigerate 12 to 16 hours.
  4. Heat a covered cast-iron pot in a 240C oven for 45 minutes.
  5. Score the cold loaf, bake covered 20 minutes, then uncovered 20 to 25 minutes until deeply browned.
  6. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.

Tip from the editors. The overnight cold prove builds flavour and makes the wet dough easy to score; never skip the full cooling hour.

Where to eat naturally leavened sourdough

Naturally leavened sourdough in San Luis Obispo

Bread Bike Bakery ★ 4.6

$$ BakeryHouse-milled, naturally leavened breadsSouth BroadWalk-in only

Bread Bike Bakery mills California-grown grain in-house and ferments its loaves slowly, then delivers subscriptions by bicycle across San Luis Obispo.

Worth the queueNaturally leavened country loaf

TipLoaves sell down by early afternoon; the community-supported bakery subscription guarantees your bread.

Directions

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