Growing the grain, milling it, and baking a 1-kilogram sourdough loaf thus requires an energy input equivalent of at least 250 milliliters of diesel fuel, a volume slightly larger than the American measuring cup. For a standard baguette (250 grams), the embedded energy equivalent is about 2 tablespoons of diesel fuel; for a large German Bauernbrot (2 kilograms), it would be about 2 cups of diesel fuel (less for a wholewheat loaf).
