Everyone’s talking about ... SOURDOUGH

Why is it in the news? SOURDOUGH bread sales have, er, ‘risen’ — by a third at Waitrose in a year — partly because millennials are making a favourite brunch dish at home: smashed avocado on sourdough toast. It’s supernourishing but, being veggie, no match for a full English. Is it sour, like lemons? NO. IT HAS a subtle tangy flavour because, unlike sliced white, it’s slowly fermented for up to two days using wild yeasts that turn natural sugars in the flour to acids. Acid in bread? THE acid helps us absorb minerals and nutrients and helps make sourdough more digestible than factory-made bread. Slow fermentation sourdough was made back in ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago — some sourdough bakers today claim their yeast cultures are decades or even centuries old. What’s wrong with white sliced? QUICK-FERMENTING modern yeast changed the game in the Sixties, along with a factory process (the Chorleywood method) for high-speed mixing of the dough. Today, it churns out 11 million cheap sliced loaves a day. But springy loaves that stay soft for days means plenty of additives, and many complain they are ‘intolerant’ of sliced bread.

Tough and crusty

DON’T be put off by appearances. Sourdoughs are made with a much wetter dough (which gives the bread a nice chewy texture).

Where’s the catch?

SOURDOUGH bread costs anything from £1 to £5 for a 400g loaf. But they’re tastier, better for you — and fill you up.

Does it go stale?

THE acidity means sourdough loaves age slowly and gracefully. It’s soft enough for sandwiches for two or three days. A good sourdough won’t go mouldy for a week.

Where can I get it?

EASY. From one of the thousands of new artisan bakeries that make the finest sourdough, but you can buy it in most supermarkets.

Is it easy to make?

NO.