National Sourdough Bread Day

National Sourdough Bread Day, observed on April 1st, celebrates one of the oldest forms of leavened bread, made using a natural culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria rather than commercial baker's yeast. Sourdough baking dates back thousands of years, with evidence of naturally fermented breads found in ancient Egypt, and it remained the dominant method of bread leavening in Europe until commercial yeast became widely available in the 19th and 20th centuries. The bread gets its distinctive tangy flavor and chewy texture from the slow fermentation process, during which the wild yeast culture, known as a starter or "mother," is fed regularly with flour and water to keep it alive and active, sometimes for decades or even generations within a single family or bakery. San Francisco became particularly famous for its sourdough starting in the Gold Rush era, giving rise to a distinctive strain of bacteria later named Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis after the city. The bread saw a massive resurgence in home baking during 2020, as people stuck at home took up starter cultivation as a hobby. On this day, bakeries and home bakers alike celebrate by baking loaves, sharing starters, and experimenting with sourdough-based recipes beyond just bread.