Page 8 | to wish sourdough would go away?

Turtleyturtles · 2026-04-26T11:52:56+00:00

Sourdough is still everwhere in cafes and restauants. Why? It's either tough or crunchy in a bad way. It's often riddled with holes. Butter doesn't work well on it, what with all the craters. It's not a nice base for things on toast, it's even worse untoasted. Nasty scratchy bread. Why can't we have normal, fresh bread/toast back on the menu? Cafes advertise it on the menu like it's a good thing. Smashed avo on sourdough. GET IT OFF THE SOURDOUGH and put it on decent toast. Even a slice of Warburtons would better. I found a dank, soggy, tasteless piece sinking into my soup in a restaurant last night. Weird. Rant over.

DilemmaDelilah · 27/04/2026 07:02

I don't like sourdough or brioche. However that is my personal opinion and I'm very happy for other people to think it's fantastic!

What I am NOT happy about is that it is now difficult get get good quality ordinary bread. If I want to get a sandwich or something that is not on 'plastic' bread it seems that my choice is now sourdough or nothing. I tried to get some nice bread from the supermarket the other day, something rustic and seeded, and practically everything was bloomin' sourdough! NO! At least give us a choice!

Morepositivemum · 27/04/2026 07:05

I agree op, you’re in a nice cafe, hear of a lovely sandwich filling (egg and avocado!) and it’s in sourdough bread and it ruins it!!!

Heyhelga · 27/04/2026 07:18

Meh I like sourdough and it's much better for you than batched produced bread,

ChopstickNovice · 27/04/2026 07:38

Agree OP.
We went to a greasy spoon type cafe on Saturday and had a fry up and the toast was made from thick, soft, white bread, white tin style. Heaven.

Busybeemumm · 27/04/2026 07:40

Floatlikeafeather2 · 26/04/2026 16:25

What's molten salt?

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Maldon salt- autocorrect obvs😅

Busybeemumm · 27/04/2026 07:43

Sourdough only works well toasted or from the oven like a pizza base. Not so well in a sandwich.

secretrugbyfan · 27/04/2026 07:46

Hate sourdough...terrible stuff for all the reasons listed in this thread.

Also.....pies. Serving something that doesn't have pastry at the bottom CANNOT be called a pie. A pie has pastry base, pastry edges and a pastry lid.....simple!

And don't get me started on the hell that is plastic bottle tops that remain attached to the bottle.......GET RID!!!!!

Ohpleeeease · 27/04/2026 07:50

People get carried away with the making of sourdough with their forty year old starters, but the end product is just sour spongy bread. For texture and flavour I think a homemade wholemeal loaf is hard to beat.

Ohpleeeease · 27/04/2026 07:53

secretrugbyfan · 27/04/2026 07:46

Hate sourdough...terrible stuff for all the reasons listed in this thread.

Also.....pies. Serving something that doesn't have pastry at the bottom CANNOT be called a pie. A pie has pastry base, pastry edges and a pastry lid.....simple!

And don't get me started on the hell that is plastic bottle tops that remain attached to the bottle.......GET RID!!!!!

Thank you! A pie has a top and a bottom. Pubs and restaurants who try to get away with just the topping are swindlers.

Don’f get me started on chips….

likelysuspect · 27/04/2026 08:03

Ohpleeeease · 27/04/2026 07:50

People get carried away with the making of sourdough with their forty year old starters, but the end product is just sour spongy bread. For texture and flavour I think a homemade wholemeal loaf is hard to beat.

This is what I make. Slow rise. It cannot be bettered.

I think its a shame that so many people (if this thread is accurate) simply dont know about our wonderful regional fresh breads and the huge variety of them.

How did it come to be that people think theres sourdough and Mothers Pride and thats it?

PinkNailPolish2026 · 27/04/2026 08:11

maftaz · 26/04/2026 17:05

I'd be happy to, but you have to understand that most home made breads in Ireland were made with a bit of this and a bit of that, and a side plate was used to measure the dry ingredients! My granny made hers by eye only and I used to watch her making it. My mother was not a baker but a great cook.

It is very easy to make but I have tweaked it a bit over time. Darina Allens recipe is a good one, if you want the basics from a professional baker/chef!

Mine is made using US cups as measurements. I never use a scales. Until I bought a proper cup measure I used a mug!

3 cups wholemeal flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup mixed milled flax and chia seeds Optional, if not using, reduce wet ingredients by 1/2 cup, you can add back more if needed.
1.5 teaspoons baking soda (or bread soda as it's called in Ireland)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder ( this is not traditional but I do it)

2 cups buttermilk
1 egg (not everyone uses egg, but it gives a softer texture I think)

Mix dry ingredients, use a fork to incorporate the egg in the buttermilk and add wet to dry. Do NOT knead or overmix, just gather together into a ball and make sure there is no flour left in the bowl. Add more buttermilk if too dry. Should be pliable consistency not too wet, not too dry.

Then shape it on a floured board ( 1.5 -2 " in height usually, but it's not an exact science), and transfer directly to an oven tray, or place in a suitable size tin as you would an ordinary loaf.

If shaped in a round, you MUST make a deep cross in the bread, and prick the four corners "to let the fairies out" 😊If in a tin you can leave it as it is, or cut a line down the middle.

180 oven for 40 minutes or so, just check now and then. The usual test with a cocktail stick to see if it's done.

I don't like a hard crust, some do, so I put a damp tea towel on top while loaf is still hot from the oven. That softens it.

I can tell you now that there are probably hundreds of different measurements, methods and so on, some depend on the part of the country etc. So I know some might disagree with my measurements/method.

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Thank you so much 🥰

Aluna · 27/04/2026 08:12

likelysuspect · 27/04/2026 08:03

This is what I make. Slow rise. It cannot be bettered.

I think its a shame that so many people (if this thread is accurate) simply dont know about our wonderful regional fresh breads and the huge variety of them.

How did it come to be that people think theres sourdough and Mothers Pride and thats it?

Show quote history

It’s weird isn’t it.

One used to be able to buy delicious freshly baked brown or white bread from bakeries back in the 70s and 80s. We never ate sliced packet bread growing up.

Sainsbury’s is the only supermarket I know that is still baking proper deep tin bread - but even that isn’t that good. It doesn’t last well.

Waitrose bread is diabolical, I don’t even bother buying bread there.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 27/04/2026 08:31

Redeagleflyimg · 26/04/2026 22:53

Homemade focaccia is delicious. A local bakery also does a Japanese milk bread, but I think the brioche haters would hate it too!

My eldest DD makes the BEST focaccia! (I can't make bread at all. Even when I try my best it comes out like breeze blocks, so she didn't get her talent from me.)

pinkpony88 · 27/04/2026 08:34

I love sourdough. However, I don’t want my burger in a brioche bun. I like brioche as a toastie with Nutella and strawberries 😍

Imbrocator · 27/04/2026 08:35

Supermarkets and cafes have made people deeply confused about what sourdough is. Sourdough is a yeast colony of two specific strands: one makes the bread rise, one makes the bread sour. The sourness only happens if you leave the bread to prove for a long time because the carbon dioxide forming bacteria is quicker off the mark than the lactobacillus - you can easily make a non sour sourdough by feeding the starter so it’s fresh and doing a quick rise.

The texture of the bread is nothing to do with the sourdough culture, and evening to do with the type of flour, water content and how it’s baked. Supermarkets and bakers are making a conscious decision to make chewy, hole filled bread, and then calling it sourdough because it’s seen as ‘in’.

You’re not wrong to be annoyed. I wish more bakers would make a tighter crumb bread that they don’t leave to prove for so long, and let people see that nice breads can be made with sourdough. Historically, cutting a loaf open to find a big hole at the top was a sign that the baker had been too lazy to properly knock back the dough - so frustrating seeing this sold as if it were a privilege to pay for!

tofumad · 27/04/2026 08:42

Absolutely love sour dough

NoWordForFluffy · 27/04/2026 08:53

DilemmaDelilah · 27/04/2026 07:02

I don't like sourdough or brioche. However that is my personal opinion and I'm very happy for other people to think it's fantastic!

What I am NOT happy about is that it is now difficult get get good quality ordinary bread. If I want to get a sandwich or something that is not on 'plastic' bread it seems that my choice is now sourdough or nothing. I tried to get some nice bread from the supermarket the other day, something rustic and seeded, and practically everything was bloomin' sourdough! NO! At least give us a choice!

Sainsbury's do a lovely multi seed loaf.

SusanChurchouse · 27/04/2026 08:56

I love sourdough. I quite like the fact it’s a bit of work too as it means I eat less of it.

The only bread I’ve ever met that I couldn’t get on with is rye.

Greentomatoes24 · 27/04/2026 09:18

I make sourdough sandwich loaves on a weekly basis. It's so soft and fluffy and tastes great (plus no massive holes for your butter to slip through!). I dont think I'll ever go back to shop bought as long as I can help it!

rainbowunicorn22 · 27/04/2026 09:29

its flaming awful stuff definitely needs banning yukky

DilemmaDelilah · 27/04/2026 09:29

@NoWordForFluffy indeed - Sainsbury's taste the difference brown mutiseeded loaf is just about my favourite bread, but we were in Morrisons! And if I want a nice crusty white loaf? You can't even find one of those in Sainsbury's. Their farmhouse is a soft disappointment.

NoWordForFluffy · 27/04/2026 09:31

DilemmaDelilah · 27/04/2026 09:29

@NoWordForFluffy indeed - Sainsbury's taste the difference brown mutiseeded loaf is just about my favourite bread, but we were in Morrisons! And if I want a nice crusty white loaf? You can't even find one of those in Sainsbury's. Their farmhouse is a soft disappointment.

Their giraffe bread tends to be crusty, albeit an awkward shape! I've not had the farmhouse to compare to it though.

Original poster

Turtleyturtles · 27/04/2026 10:56

Don't get me started on Focaccia. Yes I'm sure it's delicious if homemade. But in restaurants it can be SO greasy. Who wants a damp, oily sponge with soup, cheese, houmous, ham, olives or whatever? Might as well pour half a pint of oil over my face. No thanks. Bring back normal bread! Why not a crusty bloomer, homemade wholemeal loaf or simple baguette? Yum yum, the perfect companion to cheese, ham or soup.

Sourdough, brioche buns and focaccia can all go in the bin.

OP posts:

Hillarious · 27/04/2026 11:35

Imbrocator · 27/04/2026 08:35

Supermarkets and cafes have made people deeply confused about what sourdough is. Sourdough is a yeast colony of two specific strands: one makes the bread rise, one makes the bread sour. The sourness only happens if you leave the bread to prove for a long time because the carbon dioxide forming bacteria is quicker off the mark than the lactobacillus - you can easily make a non sour sourdough by feeding the starter so it’s fresh and doing a quick rise.

The texture of the bread is nothing to do with the sourdough culture, and evening to do with the type of flour, water content and how it’s baked. Supermarkets and bakers are making a conscious decision to make chewy, hole filled bread, and then calling it sourdough because it’s seen as ‘in’.

You’re not wrong to be annoyed. I wish more bakers would make a tighter crumb bread that they don’t leave to prove for so long, and let people see that nice breads can be made with sourdough. Historically, cutting a loaf open to find a big hole at the top was a sign that the baker had been too lazy to properly knock back the dough - so frustrating seeing this sold as if it were a privilege to pay for!

Really interesting. The negative comments on sourdough on here bear no resemblance to the bread I produce each week.

henlake7 · 27/04/2026 11:56

I love a brioche bun with my burger so that can stay as far as Im concerned!

No opinion on sourdough though as Ive never tried it. Im always massively late to any food trend and then when I finally try them Im usually disappointed (avocados and Greggs vegan sausage rolls, Im talking to you!).