This bread was brought to Northern California during the gold rush of 1849 by French immigrants. They started making bread, based on their sourdough and traditional way which wasn’t necessarily appreciated at the time but was a reliable and cheap way of making bread in the wild and with the only available ingredients. Through time, this simple round and white sourdough bread became a very iconic and center piece of the local culture.
This bread is characterized by its long fermentation, favorizing the activity of its lactic acid bacteria, its golden color and its crust covered with little blisters. The flavor of this bread is often quite sour and acidic, the crust is rather leathery and the crumb very waxy, making it an ideal bread to make sandwiches or even soup bowls.
Found under different names such as Rugbrød in Denmark, Ruislimppu in Eastern Finland, or even Rågbröd in Sweden, it is a strong part of the food culture in the region.
The first recipe of Danish rye bread goes back to 1703, but Danes have eaten Rugbrød for more than a thousand years. Today, rye bread is still an absolute essential in Nordic cuisine. Many kinds of Danish openfaced sandwiches are built on top of rye bread.
Traditional sourdough is almost always used for this bread as commercial yeast is often not suitable since the rye flour produces a rather acidic environment in which regular yeast doesn’t survive well. This bread often contains a lot of grains and kernels, as well as barley malt syrup or sugar. Its high levels of protein and dietary fiber make it a very nutritious bread.
The Injera is a traditional staple food of Ethiopia, which has also spread in neighboring countries. It is a type of pancake made of a special Sourdough based on Teff flour. It is the base of every meal for almost all the Ethiopians who consume it at least once a day. Traditionally this bread takes about 3 days to make and is based on the starter of a previous batch.
Its history goes back to at least 600 AD, with the first traces of the use of Mitad (the baking grill) and Shiro (a stew based on chickpea). Nowadays it still has a significant and prestigious role in the Ethiopian culture, it is the main food during all celebrations, religious events and family gatherings. Teff flour, on top of being a gluten free grain, is a highly nutritious cereal with one of the highest level of fiber.
Most people associate China with rice rather than wheat, but the latter is the staple crop rather than rice. Mantou and bao bun’s history dates to the period of the Three kingdoms, the legend says that a military strategist offered some filled steamed buns to a deity who wanted him to sacrifice the heads of his soldiers. He apparently prepared some steamed buns filled with meat in the shape of human heads, which the deity found more delicious than its usual diet, so the military strategist was able to protect his soldiers, resulting in the creation of the Mantou (which roughly translates to “barbarian’s head”). Nowadays, more than 700 million of steamed buns are consumed everyday in China, and in many bakeries, they are still made the old fashion way, using traditional sourdough and a little bit of baking powder.