Peasant’s fare

One of the best things about artisan bread is that its creation from wheat flour, wild yeast (ferment), water and salt, hasn’t really changed since pre-history.

A sourdough ferment is made with a mix of flour and water, left to grow yeast and bacteria which form a commensal arrangement that begins to bubble in the container after a few days. When it’s really active, this ferment is the basis for the rising in the oven of the dough, to make a loaf of bread when it’s baked.

Although this image was taken in our kitchen only days ago, as of writing, it can trace its provenance back long before, sharing the same characteristics as pain de campagne would have had in the early twentieth century.