Bakers fear explosion of ‘sour-faux’ bread
Artisans complain that proposed new industry standard definition will only confuse consumers
For keen bread bakers, the rituals of sourdough take on a near religious reverence. So plans to introduce an industry definition of sourdough bread have upset the Real Bread Campaign, which fears it will result in mass produced loaves being wrongly labelled as the real thing. Campaigners claim a code of practice would mean loaves made with processing aids, additives and yeast – unlike traditional sourdough – will slip through the net and create a “sour-faux free-for-all”.
A ROW has erupted over “sour-faux” bread as bakers claim plans to introduce an industry-wide definition will result in loaves being wrongly labelled.
Campaigners from the Real Bread Campaign (RBC), run by the food and farming charity Sustain, have criticised attempts by major trade bodies to get the Government to introduce a baking code of practice, which dictates what constitutes sourdough bread.
They claim it would mean loaves made with processing aids, additives and yeast – unlike traditional sourdough – will slip through the net and create a “sour-faux free-for-all”.
Real sourdough is made from just flour, water and salt. Flour and water is combined to make a starter culture, which is then left to sit and bubble up for several days. This makes the bread rise, instead of using yeast.
Supermarket versions, however, can contain ingredients such as added yeast, ascorbic acid and yoghurt and vinegar.
An investigation by the consumer watchdog Which? previously revealed that four in five sourdough loaves sold in supermarkets do not contain the right ingredients to qualify as such.
The RBC is calling on the Government to reject the code and demanding the introduction of an Honest Crust Act, by which only loaves without additives can be labelled sourdough.
The UK Baking Industry Code of Practice for the Labelling of Sourdough Bread and Rolls is set to be put before the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by the British Sandwich and Food to Go Association, the Association of Baking Ingredients Manufacturers, the Craft Bakers’ Association, the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association and the Federation of Bakers to “clarify the term and prevent misinformation when it is applied to products in the UK bakery market”.
But RBC coordinator Chris Young said the proposed code is an attempt by bread manufacturers to “bully” their way into a niche market that should be reserved for skilful bakers who craft their loaves over a long period.
He said: “We believe that the proposed code undermines the integrity of the word sourdough and would make things more, not less, confusing for shoppers.”
One of Britain’s leading artisan bakers has backed the RBC. Alice Drake, of Hobbs House Bakery in Bristol, said: “A true sourdough requires highly skilled bakers to make it. Its long
‘A loaf not using the proper method that calls itself sourdough is highly misleading’
fermentation time of often 24 hours gives it its unique tangy taste and makes it easier to digest. Baker’s yeast or additives should never be used. A loaf not using the proper method that calls itself sourdough is highly misleading.”
Gordon Polson, chief executive of the Federation of Bakers, told The Daily Telegraph: “The RBC may not like the fact that within the definition is permission to use 0.2 per cent of baker’s yeast. You can make sourdough without it, but it helps produce a consistent product and control the process.
“The code will do the opposite of create a ‘sour-faux free-for-all’,” he continued, “because it regulates the definition. It was put together as a discussion document and hasn’t been discussed with Defra yet.”
The Vestal Virgins, who prevented the sacred fire in ancient Rome from ever going out, faced being buried alive if they violated their vows. Such a punishment would seem too mild in the eyes of defenders of today’s cultic flame: the purity of the sacred sourdough. The Real Bread Campaign is in ferment at an attempt to introduce into a bakers’ code of practice what it sees as a lax definition of sourdough. It speaks of “the true custodians of the ancient craft” of letting loaves rise without the addition of bakers’ yeast. Like many cults, this one owes much of its energy to California, where the friendly bacterium
Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis got its name. Every time a fake sourdough loaf is sold, it is said, a hipster dies. For true believers, the proposed code would be the worst thing since sliced bread.