Sourdough Bread From San Francisco Is Built Different — Here's How

Sourdough is serious business in San Francisco. The city's iconically crusty circular loaves are an essential ingredient in everything from clam chowder-stuffed bread bowls to the best grilled cheese. While every starter produces a unique fermented flavor, sourdough baked in the Bay Area is extra special. Much like a proper Philly cheesesteak, San Francisco sourdough just isn't the same outside of its namesake city. 

San Francisco sourdough is widely appreciated for its singularly sharp tang and deeply chewy, fluffy texture. In fact, some bakers swear that the signature flavor of San Francisco sourdough is impossible to recreate outside of the City by the Bay. While taste is subjective, it's clear that San Francisco sourdough really is built differently, for several reasons.

Sourdough bread's signature sour flavor is derived from the unique mix of bacteria and yeast in the starter, meaning bacteria are one of the most important elements of any loaf. Conveniently, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, a sought-after bacterial strain crucial to giving sourdough bread its tangy taste, thrives in the Bay Area. Although this bread-y bacteria is found around the world, it was discovered in San Francisco (hence the name) and flourishes particularly well in the Bay Area's consistently cool seaside climate.

In addition to its supreme bacteria, the Bay Area boasts a long and rich sourdough-loving culture. The tangy bread has been a San Francisco staple since the Gold Rush days, when it served as affordable and reliable sustenance for miners (Americans have always turned to sourdough in tough times). Bakers across the city have been perfecting their recipes for well over a century, and these days the city's sourdough scene is deliciously competitive. For example, one of the city's most iconic bakeries, Boudin, opened its doors in 1849 and still uses the same starter to bake fresh bread daily (unsurprisingly, it's one of the sandwich chains with the highest quality bread). In other words, when it comes to sourdough, San Franciscans know their stuff, and they won't accept anything less than the best.

The enduring sourdough obsession even extends to sports — the mascot of the local NFL team is Sourdough Sam, a gold miner famous for his love of the flavorful bread. In short, San Francisco sourdough gets its signature taste and texture thanks to a unique combination of climate, history, and culture. If you're feeling inspired to start your own sourdough starter, make sure to avoid the biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough bread.