Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to sourdough bread? ›

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.

I love the combination of cheddar, gruyere, Havarti, and parmesan here. It gives the grilled cheese a slightly elevated and gourmet feel. Some other great cheese options would be mozzarella, brie, gouda, pepper jack, Monterey jack cheese, or American cheese.

Some say the foggy climate gives San Francisco's sourdough bread a special bounce, and others say it's a specific local strain of yeast that gives the characteristic flavor. That bounce and flavor are notes that pair perfectly with a California Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc.

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour.

Sourdough bread's fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium content all support a heart-healthy diet. The soluble fiber found in sourdough bread binds to dietary cholesterol in the small intestine, helping pass this fat through the system instead of absorbing it.

Note: As loaves begin to overproof they lose their height and shape. The crumb becomes more dense. The holes become more ragged and irregular in shape. The crust begins to thin and separate from the crumb.

One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees. If it's a lot colder, the process will be much slower.

Keep the dough temperature lower: Lactic acid bacteria are most active in the higher temperatures of the mid 80s-90sºF. Keeping the dough in the 76-78º F range will still ferment and produce bacteria but will encourage lactic acid bacteria instead of acetic acid bacteria resulting in a more mild flavored loaf.

Delicious whipped herb butter has the ability to transform anything you spread it on - from crusty sourdough bread to the perfect steak.

What pairs well with sourdough bread? ›

"Tartines (open-faced sandwiches) are an excellent application for sourdough. Nut butters, cheeses, high-quality butter and seasonal jam are all wonderful toppings."

I'll share my tips on the best way to store sourdough and a plan on the best way to eat it too. Sourdough bread will keep well for up to 3-5 days at a moderate room temperature of 18-20°C or 64-68°F. The warmer and more humid the conditions become, the more chance the sourdough has of spoiling.

Enter the famous Boudin Bakery, which was established in 1849, when Isidore Boudin nailed the "Original San Francisco Sourdough" after she acquired a wild yeast starter from a gold miner and perfected the recipe with a magical combination of flour, water, salt and mother dough.

Somehow, the bread tasted tangier and more flavourful than it did elsewhere, and thus San Francisco sourdough was born. More than 170 years later, San Francisco is synonymous with sourdough bread.

The mother-dough is made of a mixture of flour and water fermented with bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Acetobacter and Saccharomyces. To create it and keep it alive requires patience and constant care. The mother-dough is a great leavening agent and makes a highly digestible bread.

Sourdough is a leavened bread, which means the dough naturally rises as a result of the gas that is produced as the grain ferments. While most commercial breads use baker's yeast as the raising agent, sourdough is made using a sourdough starter.