The History of Sourdough Bread

Widespread breadmaking began around 5,000 – 6,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. We know this because hieroglyphics of farmers collecting wheat and baking bread loaves can be found decorating many tombs and temples. However, it is unclear whether a “starter” or “mother” was used to make these loaves. (The use of a fermented starter, sometimes called a mother, as the leavening agent is what sets sourdough apart from other types of bread.) The first mention of leavening bread with a starter is found in the writings of Pliny the Elder and dates to around 77 CE in ancient Rome. There are also multiple references to leavened bread in the Bible; some historians assert that this would have been done using a starter of some kind. Another important epoch of time for sourdough bread? The Gold Rush of the 1800s that took place in the western United States, Alaska, and Canada. Miners searching for gold would keep sourdough starters with them for baking bread and would even sleep with them to warm them up before using them in the morning. Some people claim to have surprisingly ancient starters that they still use to bake sourdough bread today — many specifically claim to have starters that date back to the Gold Rush. Credibility varies, as there is no way to scientifically date a sourdough starter, but there is a collection of supposedly ancient sourdough starters at the Puratos Center for Bread Flavour in Belgium; it is run by baker Karl De Smedt. Sourdough bread has become increasingly popular in the United States in recent years, especially during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when baking sourdough bread became a popular at-home activity. It remains a popular bread choice in many parts of the world today.