ISO: ISO Old School Sour SF Sourdough Bread recipe...

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mariadnoca

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Ok, so I've looked all over the internet and either they don't know what I'm talking about (do you mean vinegary?) and/or it seems sour sourdough just isn't in fashion anymore. BTW, every SF Sourdough recipe on the web seems to have rye/other flours in it and I've never had a local old school SF Sourdough that wasn't a white bread, so right off it's not true to the old style. And Acme is some of the best in stores, and it's good, but it's sour isn't sour.

Those of you who live around here know we could buy this stuff in grocery stores all over, but after Interstate Bakeries Corporation (who owned Hostess) bought up several of the sourdough bakeries and then they all went out of business when Hostess did, well, no more sourdough bread. Yes, Boudin is still in business, but I never counted them in with good old fashioned SF sour sourdough taste.

So...I've heard on the web that The Tadich Grill still has old style sourdough (does anyone know if this is true? I haven't been there in years) specially made for them using their old style recipe. So short of going for a taste test and begging for the recipe, I thought some of our local folks might either have a recipe/method or at least know if Tadich still serves old style sour bread.

How could such a landmark SF taste simply vanish with NObody seeming to have a recipe? Somebody out there must know!

 
Maria, I don't think it is the recipe.It is the particular bacteria in the starter.

Several places sell dried San Francisco starter and it is different than "generic" starters.

 
I'm in the SF area so, don't think that's it....

I've read about retarding the dough for a more sour flavor, and have done it, but just can't seem to get there taste wise on my own. Also, none of the local bakeries here in the SF area are making the old school style, many say they are baking in the French style, so that to me seems we are talking method/recipe.

Old school sour sourdough has a pronounced tang to the bread and so far nothing I've tried to make (or buy) comes even remotely close.

 
Tadich uses Boudin rounds and purportedly their starter is 100 years old.

I make sourdough at home, I just rebooted my starter, and I used to use a starter from a baker friend, and his had a wonderful sour tang like Boudin. He used the recipe in the Bread Baker's apprentice and I think it used mashed organic grapes to help get it going, and he uses only white flour. My current (new) starter is using unbleached white flour and it's not as sour as my friend's was. He left his out on the counter, just covered in cheesecloth, and used it daily. Sometimes he fed it twice a day.

About the airborne microbes here, as I said I was using his starter and my bread and his tasted the same. I gave some of the starter to my mom and sister, in the gold country and Lodi, respectively, and their breads tasted different from mine. They said it changed after a while to be more bland.

 
Hummm maybe I should switch to white from unbleached white?...

My starter is strong, I started it at TGiving last year from an all rye cyalexa2 sent me. I've since converted to unbleached at 100% hydration. It's never been in the fridge or completely covered and I feed it daily, sometimes twice daily if I'm getting ready for a bake. While I'm not right on the bay, the water is 10 miles from here and the breeze we get daily comes directly off the bay. (An online friend I'm baking with is in Alameda and is not getting the sour taste either, but she's also using unbleached white.)

I'd "heard" on the web Boudin makes the bread for Tadich via Tadich's own recipe and is not what they sell in their stores.

Do you think if I switched to all white that might give me a chance at the flavor? What kind of white flour was he/you was using when you got the sour flavor?

I really, REALLY want to figure this out.

 
Been there, done that...

there is a recipe there someone tweaked to say is SF sourdough, by someone that used to live here, but I can tell by the ingredients it's not the same. The thing is I am in the SF Bay Area, and while I'm not in the fog belt the western/sunset area of The City, I'm not as regionally far as the gold county that Heather mentioned - I'm just off the bay, no hills or anything, I'm at sea level and get all out breezes (daily) off the bay, so it might not be as perfect as in the city (and not all the bakeries of the past were actually located in the city), but it shouldn't be too far off Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis wise, hopefully still in that region - but heck if someone would just start selling this bread again I'd buy it (and so would a zillion other people here I bet), but until then I gotta try to make something. It's a puzzle I REALLY want to solve.

(If I was still working I'd bring my starter to work, my office was directly on the bay. As in not even a parking lot behind the building.)

 
Maybe, but right now I'm trying this (link) I made a 50% starter last night. Pixs inside

I can't afford to take a class at SFBI right now and I expect they'd steer me that way.

50% hydration starter compared to my 100%

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/Food/Bread/Low%20hydration%20starter/IMG_2785_zpsf67b440f.jpg

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/Food/Bread/Low%20hydration%20starter/IMG_2786_zpsa9d0545a.jpg

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/Food/Bread/Low%20hydration%20starter/IMG_2787_zps15d47b72.jpg

My normal 100% starter
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/Food/Bread/Low%20hydration%20starter/IMG_2788_zps921930a2.jpg

Selfie of sleepy neighbor's cat who has taken up residence here.
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/Food/Bread/Low%20hydration%20starter/IMG_2778_zpsff087348.jpg

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/1040/lesson-squeeze-more-sour-your-sourdough

 
I remember when Parisian closed their plant near 280, it used to smell SO Good driving by there

like sweet bread and yeast...

 
Interesting he uses a Type 85 Flour...

Central Milling refers to it as not quite whole grain (and 85% ash content).

Were you using the same type of flour when you had his as your starter that stayed sour?

 
Nope. I think professionals like puzzle-solving and if you could ask an instructor, they'd help you.

I do this all the time. I'd ask on your behalf, but I don't have enough bread baking knowledge to hold up my end of the conversation! People of authority love to share their knowledge. The thing is, so few people ask!

I have contacts at the CIA at Greystone too but again, you'd have to do the asking. I'd start with the San Fran Baking Institute. It beats months of online research, test loaves of bread, etc. All you gotta do is ask. smileys/smile.gif

 
wow, I find this very informative but mind boggling. My DH has his starter in a jar and feeds it

when he can and doesn't measure or use % or anything fancy like that but does leave it uncovered for periods to get some good Alaska juju in it. but he also just uses it for pancakes. I want to experiment with some of it in breadbaking this winter. I love the person from OK who stated that early sourdough starters probably started in OK and made their way west and those simple poor folk didn't have fancy proofing boxes or even A/C to control temps or scales to measure ounces etc etc etc. and they still made awesome bread.

 
They did, but one thing about SF besides the bacteria...is the cold...

It's often not hot there and it can get downright chilly when the damp from the fog gets into you. Since I've been reading about retarding at a lower temp seems to result in more tang...that would make a lot of sense knowing the SF environment. Either that or, I know just enough to be dangerous and not know a darn thing!

A couple of weeks ago the weather person on tv reported that in 43 miles (from the coast) it was 43F degrees hotter and this is the only place in the world that happens.

 
"cat who has taken up residence here"

Congratulations on your new cat. He is beautiful (guessing "he" because most orange cats are males).

 
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