Sourdough, how to tell if it's the real deal

Hey there!

We just finished baking the Sunday batch (two loaves of white and rye sourdough and one “test-run” Einkorn sourdough, which filled the house with its peculiar scent). After a few days of glorious weather, today is a bit grey and definitely very windy - a perfect day to snuggle up on the couch, savour a home made soup accompanied by one slice (or two!) or buttered, still warm home-made sourdough bread.

You may not be (yet) in the position of baking your bread (but you will be soon thanks to us :), so we thought of kicking off our blog by giving some tips on how to source a good sourdough when shopping, so you can start sharing our pleasure…

First of all, what is sourdough?

Sourdough is the original and oldest way of making bread and it is what we call real bread. It is far superior, in both taste and nutritional quality, to any kind of industrial bread.

Sourdough bread is made with only three ingredients (water, flour, salt) as well as naturally occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus spp.), together known as the starter. A key feature of sourdough baking is that it ferments slowly over several hours. This slow fermentation process not only helps to produce the flavour, but it also makes it more digestible and nutritious. The NHS even calls sourdough “Tummy friendly bread”.

Our tips on choosing the right sourdough

When it comes to sourcing your sourdough bread, it is important to make sure you are getting the real deal. This is the only way you can assure you will be getting the benefits of sourdough and, very importantly, avoiding the side-effects associated with the additives present in industrial bread.

Genuine sourdough should be:

Free of any artificial additives, including preservatives (the lactic acid present only in sourdough acts as a natural preservative)
Leavened using a live sourdough culture (i.e. free of industrial/Baker’s/pre-mix yeast or other leavening agents such as baking powder)
Free of additional ingredients (i.e. souring agents such as vinegar, yoghurt or dried sourdough powder)
Produced through a long fermentation process of at least 18 – 24 hours

Check the taste, texture and aroma

A genuine sourdough should have an open crumb structure (i.e. big holes) with a moist and glossy texture in the inside, and a crackling crust on the outside. The taste and aroma should be complex and delicious. As for sourness, it can vary from a light to a more robust tang, depending on the starter used and skills of the baker.

If buying from a bakery (which is advisable), ask your baker how your sourdough was made (i.e. starter used, length of fermentation) and the list of ingredients. If buying from the supermarket shelves (or any packaged form of sourdough), there is a higher risk you may not be getting a genuine sourdough and you should always read the ingredients list to double-check.

Currently in the UK there is no legal definition of sourdough, and it is still possible to market bread as sourdough even if it contains some of the additives listed above (the Real Bread Campaign calls it “sourfaux”). This is the reason why the Real Bread Campaign is urging the government for an Honest Crust Act to include legal protection of the term sourdough, allowing us all to make better-informed choices about the food we eat. Visit the Real Bread Campaign’s website to find out more about their mission in sharing the word on how to make bread better for us.

Making your own sourdough

Ultimately, baking your own sourdough at home is the best way to know what goes in. It is an art which takes dedication and practice but also comes with great reward and pleasure. And there is nothing better than filling your home with the smell of a freshly baked loaf!

If you would like to start baking sourdough and do not know where to start, just get in touch.