SOURDOUGH BREAD

Although commercial yeast was available in the late 17th century, French bakers continued to use the sourdough method in their leavened bread. In the 19th century, French bakers brought this tradition to Mexico where it was adopted, and eventually became a staple among ranchers in the form of the sourdough biscuit in Texas and New Mexico. This tradition was carried to California in part by Mexican miners, along with their gold mining techniques (Tamony 1973, 265-267). Although commercial yeast was available during the mid-19th century, it was not readily available to the Forty-Niners traveling west in search of gold. Sourdough bread was a staple among these pioneers because “if you had flour and water then you could make a bread rise,” and therefore, had access to a dependable source of nutrition (Brones 2016). 

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In this journey west, the way sourdough bread was baked evolved to fit the needs and lifestyle of those preparing it. Since there were no ovens in mining camps, miners baked their bread “in a Dutch oven in a hole in the ground” that was about two feet wide and two feet deep (Conlin 1985, 221; Harris 2003, 76). Their campfire was built in this hole, which besides allowing them to bake bread, also provided a low-maintenance fire that had little to no flame and did not produce smoke (Conlin 1985, 221; White 1956, 93). Once the coals in the campfire were hot, the Dutch oven was placed in the hole, covered with more coals and dirt, and then left to bake for several hours (Harris 2003, 76).