Sourdough? Well next to the Bible, sourdough is the most important possession on the frontier. You can make flapjacks and biscuits with it, patch a crack in the cabin, treat wounds, and even make a brew.

Maggie Brendan

Did you jump on the sourdough craze during Covid times? I did! Ok, I had done sourdough before but after a while I kind of… well I killed my starter. I lost interest in it and just kind of let it go. Once the shut downs started and the grocery stores were a disaster, I though to myself “We will be fine. I can bake.” I had been baking most of our bread from scratch for quite a while using yeast, however when the stores ran out of bread on their shelves, everyone set out to learn how to bake their own bread, which in turn meant once I ran out of yeast I couldn’t find anymore. So back to sourdough I went, and I haven’t looked back!

In full transparency, I do still use yeast in some of my recipes. I haven’t been able to master a delicious sourdough cinnamon roll that rivals the yeast version I make, so I stick to what works. Some things I make that are strictly sourdough these days are sandwich bread, bagels, and English muffins. My starter is over a year old and her name is Ethel. You have to name your starter… it’s the rules.

A Little History

Sourdough was first thought to be used as far back as 1500 BC by the Egyptians, and was used as a main bread making source up until the making of commercial yeast which happened around the end of the 1800’s. The use of sourdough remained popular even after more recent ways of leavening bread, such as yeast and baking powder, with people in more unpredictable climates such as Alaska and the Yukon of Canada. It is even said that during the Gold Rush the miners would carry small flasks of starter around their necks into their camp.

The Come Back

Someone Tweeted during the Covid lockdowns that sourdough was like a Tamagotchi for people in their 30’s. I don’t know who said it, but it’s true! If you had a Tamagotchi, you’ll know. You have to feed your starter, much like your Tamagotchi, and it does require a certain level of care to keep it alive and thriving. Perhaps this is part of what made sourdough so popular with people my age in 2020? It could also be that the stores were out of everything and with lockdowns happening everywhere, people needed a hobby that was safe to do at home.

Whatever the reason for the massive come back of sourdough, I’m here for it. Instagram feeds were filled with beautiful loaves of bread, recipes galore, and best of all- the massive amount of pride pouring out of aspiring bakers around the country.

Is Sourdough Better?

In my personal opinion, yes. Let’s look at what some others think though. You know… the experts who actually know the facts, not just what I feel in my soul.

To start with, did you know that most sourdough bread you buy in the grocery store isn’t “real” sourdough? I had no clue! Real sourdough is fermented and it is quite a long process. Creating a true sourdough loaf can take up to 24 hours in most cases, which in terms of mass production doesn’t work. Therefore, a large amount of the sourdough bread we purchase in the store is sourdough flavored, but uses yeast and other leavening agents to get the bread to rise.

A true, long fermented loaf of sourdough can have so many health benefits, and is overall considered a healthier choice than a traditional white bread. Some studies show that sourdough has prebiotic properties, helping feed the good bacteria in the gut. It is also easier to digest because the fermentation process starts breaking down things in the dough before we consume it. The fermentation also makes vitamins in the bread easier for our bodies to absorb. Yay for vitamins!

My favorite part as a diabetic carb lover, is that sourdough has a lower glycemic index than yeast breads, making it a better choice for those of us who need to limit carb intake because there is less of a spike in blood sugar levels. Now if you are diabetic, you also know that what diet works for me might not work for you and vice versa, so take that with a grain of salt.

For those who are gluten sensitive, sourdough also makes a better choice. It as a whole contains less gluten, therefore if you have a slight sensitivity to gluten, sourdough may make it possible for you to enjoy that slice of toast.

After all of that, a long fermented loaf of sourdough has also been thought to be anti-inflammatory by many researchers. Guess what else? It is absolutely delicious!

Getting Started

I hope this has at least grabbed your attention enough to make you consider trying sourdough. It is fun, satisfying, yummy, and well worth the effort. You can buy starters from many people online, or you can start your own. I recently did a whole series on TikTok starting a brand new sourdough starter. You can find me under the username mrshuskisson.

Happy Baking!

~Tara