IS YOURS UPPER CRUST... OR HALF-BAKED?
CHRIS YOUNG from The Real Bread Campaign sorts the wheat from the chaff, taste-testing some of the most popular high street brands and determining if they are true sourdough, or ‘sourfaux’, with extra ingredients.
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN
Sourdough peasant rye, £8 for a very large loaf It has a complex, wheaty aroma. It’s slightly acidic and springy rather than crumbly, so has the right ratio of water to flour. SOURDOUGH: 9/10
WHOLEFOODS
48 hour sourdough, £3.25 It has a crunchy crust and the dough is evenly uneven. It hasn’t got the greatest depth of flavour for the price. SOURDOUGH: 8/10
MORRISONS
The Best Sourdough Bloomer, £1.55 It says ‘freshly baked’ but looks like it’s been to the in-store loaf-tanning salon to me. It’s very dry, crumbly – and insipid SOURFAUX 1/10
TESCO
Sourdough bloomer, £1.60 It’s an attractive loaf but smells plasticky. It has an acidity that I really don’t like. SOURFAUX (close to the real thing, but it has one artificial ingredient) 1/10
MARKS AND SPENCER
Signature sourdough, £2 Despite its 26-year-old sourdough starter, it’s lacking any aroma and tang. A bit dull. SOURDOUGH 5/10
ASDA
Extra Special Sourdough Basket, £1.50 It’s pallid to look at, has some aroma but quite what I don’t know – Play-Doh? It’s aggressively vinegary. Also 12 different ingredients? SOURFAUX 2/10
SAINSBURY’S
Taste The Difference Sourdough, £1.60 It’s a pale and wan pillow; doughy and uninspiring. Also, why add vinegar – one of 15 ingredients – to bread? SOURFAUX 4/10
WAITROSE
White Sourdough Bread, £1.99 It looks good, is quite dense, has a good texture and a nice aroma. It’s a bit dry, though. SOURDOUGH 7/10
ICELAND
Luxury Sourdough White Batch Loaf, £1 People might think ‘sourdough for a quid – brilliant’! But have they seen the 12 ingredients? It’s untouched by human hands. But not as bad as some. SOURFAUX 3/10