It’s the staple of cafes and artisan bakeries, loved by celebrities like Taylor Swift and dominating the bread aisle of your local supermarket.
Sourdough has become the go-to loaf for middle class shoppers wanting a cut above the usual sliced pan, with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Morrisons promising ‘hand-finished’, ‘stonebaked’ and authentic-looking loaves – at a fraction of the price your local posh bakery charges.
But should you believe what you see? A traditional sourdough – which can be traced back 14,000 years – can take up to four days to make and contains only three ingredients: flour, water and a ‘starter’ – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria to make the loaf rise.
Yet supermarket loaves are often more ‘sourfaux’ than sourdough, filled with up to 13 ingredients.
Co-op’s Irresistible Hand Finished White Sourdough (costing £2.65 for 500g) shows rice flour added to the loaf, as well as sunflower and rapeseed oils. Versions sold at Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco use similar ingredients.
The rice flour helps to give the bread a crunchy outer crust, while the oils make the dough easier to mould and keep the loaf softer for longer. Ascorbic acids are also often added to the breads to speed up the baking process, meaning loaves are ready within hours rather than days.
With the global sourdough market worth an estimated £2.5billion, it’s no surprise supermarkets and much-loved bread brands like Hovis wanted a slice of the action.
But the issue is that sourdough bread is actually better for most people than other kinds of loaves, with the authentic product containing live cultures which help to support a healthy gut. Yet ‘sourfaux’ can lack such health benefits.
So how do products from supermarkets and bakery brands measure up? Read on to find out just how traditionally authentic they are…
Sainsbury’s Sourdough Medium Sliced White Bread, Taste the Difference, contains ascorbic acid, which isn’t traditionally found in sourdoughs
Sainsbury’s Sourdough Medium Sliced White Bread, Taste the Difference 400g
PRICE: £2
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour, Soya Flour, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid
VERDICT: NOT AUTHENTIC. The ascorbic acid rules it out as a traditional sourdough, as well as the added oil and soya flour.
Bertinet Bakery White Sourdough Bread 500g
PRICE: £2.25 at Waitrose
INGREDIENTS: Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamine), Water, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Barley Flour, Organic Wholemeal Emmer Wheat Flour, Spelt Flour (Wheat), Sea Salt
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Morrisons The Best Stonebaked Sourdough Bloomer 400g
PRICE: £2.10
INGREDIENTS: Fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), Water, Rice flour, Salt, Rapeseed oil
VERDICT: NOT AUTHENTIC. The recipe contains oil, so is not the real, traditional deal.
Co-op’s Irresistible Hand Finished White Sourdough 500g
Co-op’s Irresistible Hand Finished White Sourdough contains oil so doesn’t follow the traditional recipe either
PRICE: £2.65
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Rapeseed Oil, Rye Flour, Fermented Wheat Flour, Salt, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil
VERDICT: NOT AUTHENTIC. It contains oil and ascorbic acid so doesn’t follow the traditional recipe.
A Co-op spokesperson said: ‘We’re passionate about good food and are committed to offering high quality and tasty products conveniently to our members and customers, which is why our hand finished sourdough is made without yeast and acids and uses a traditional starter for that great authentic taste.’
GAIL’s San Francisco Sourdough 650g
PRICE: £4.95 at Ocado
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Rye Flour, Salt, Wholemeal Spelt Flour (Wheat) Wholemeal Wheat Flour
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Tesco Finest White Sourdough Loaf 400G
Tesco Finest White Sourdough Loaf appears to be authentic when compared to traditional recipes
PRICE: £2
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Sea Salt, Rye Flour, Stoneground Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Barley Malt Flour, Barley Malt Extract, Durum Wheat Semolina
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Jason’s Sourdough The Great White Bread 450g
Jason’s Sourdough The Great White Bread contains flour, salt, water and fermented wheat flour
PRICE: £2.20
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Rye Flour, Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Exceptional by ASDA White Sourdough Loaf 500g
PRICE: £2.44
INGREDIENTS: Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)], Water, Rye Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Rice Flour, Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour
VERDICT: NOT AUTHENTIC. For some experts, it can’t be called sourdough when it contains oil
Ocado White Sourdough
Ocado’s White Sourdough contains oil and ascorbic acid, which suggests it isn’t sourdough in the traditional sense
PRICE: £2.25
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin, Folic Acid), Water, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Wheat Flour, Soya Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).
VERDICT: NOT AUTHENTIC. The oil and ascorbic acid suggests it isn’t sourdough in the traditional sense.
A spokesperson from Ocado Retail said: ‘Ocado’s Own Brand Sourdough is an authentic sourdough.
‘The determining factor is whether the sole leavening agent is a naturally occurring, continuously propagated sourdough culture which is true of our product – the use of oil does not impact that.’
Duchy Organic White Sourdough
PRICE: £2.50 at Waitrose
INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate*, Iron*, Niacin*, Folic Acid*, Thiamin*), Water*, Salt*, Rye Flour, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Barley Salt Flour *non-organic ingredients
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Hovis Sourdough White 450g
This sourdough from Hovis contains flour, salt, water and a fermented wheat flour
PRICE: £2.10
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Durum Wheat Semolina, Wheat Protein, Sea Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Celtic Bakers Organic White Sourdough Bread 500g
Celtic Bakers Organic White Sourdough Bread is sold on the Ocado website for £2.50
PRICE: £2.50
INGREDIENTS: Fortified Wheat Flour* (Wheat Flour*, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin Thiamin),Water, Rye Flour*, Salt, Wholemeal Wheat Flour*, *Denotes Organically produced ingredients
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
Ernest 450g Brace Welsh Sourdough White Bread
This loaf contains flour, water, salt and a fermented wheat flour
PRICE: £2
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Folic Acid, Thiamin), Water, Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour (<1 per cent)
VERDICT: AUTHENTIC
