Looking after sourdough | Wild Hearth Bakery (2024)

It may come as a surprise that sourdough is a process, not a specific product. We make everything from a feather-light croissant to 100 percent wholemeal rye bread using sourdough. Essentially, it’s about nurturing a wild culture to produce products of exceptional flavour, digestibility and keeping quality.

Sourdough keeps for longer

A well-made sourdough loaf will keep for 3-7 days in your kitchen if you keep it from drying out; a yeasted loaf only 2-3. The difference is just as pronounced with pastries. The chemistry involved is complex but is mainly to do with the acids produced during sourdough fermentation helping to retain water in the loaf and slow down the staling process.

How to store bread

  • Cover and keep at room temperature
    Bread kept in a paper bag, cloth bag, or wrapped in a tea towel will last 3-7 days in a reasonably cool place. Wrapping the loaf in plastic will retain even more moisture but you risk stale odours and, eventually, mould, so we prefer not to. If you do, we suggest using paper or cloth first so the bread is not in direct contact with the plastic.
  • Wrap and refrigerate
    This time you’ll definitely want to use plastic, or a reusable food wrap, to protect and retain water in the loaf. Yes, refrigeration stales bread fast, but it dramatically slows spoiling, and re-heating reverses the staling process (read on for more about this). If you mainly eat toast, this is a great solution and the bread will keep for 2-3 weeks.
  • Freeze
    Fresh bread doesn’t toast as well as day old bread, so enjoy your bread fresh on day 1 and then slice and freeze any time from day 2. Slices can be thawed or toasted from frozen and you’d never know the difference. Or freeze whole or half loaves – they thaw very close to the condition they were when frozen.

Looking after sourdough | Wild Hearth Bakery (1)

Staling of sourdough is largely reversible

Contrary to popular belief, staling is not primarily about drying out, but rather the way the water interacts with the flour particles, a phenomenon scientists call ‘starch retrogradation’. Even when sourdough bread goes hard, most of the moisture is still hiding in there; it just needs to be unlocked.

How to revive ‘stale’ bread – reheat it!

The magic number is 60°C – when the interior hits that temperature, freshness is restored. Prepare to be amazed!

  • Toast it
    Pop a slice in the toaster so the inside becomes soft and moist and the outside deliciously crunchy. Even a week old, a slice of our rye bread becomes soft and delicious when warmed briefly in the toaster.
  • “Refresh” (re-bake) it
    Take a ‘stale’ loaf of sourdough bread, splash the top with water, and re-bake at 180/200C (fan/conventional) to restore to its just-baked condition. Indicative times are: 5-8 minutes for small loaves like baguette or ciabatta, 12-15 minutes for a 600-900g loaf. Squeeze it and you will hear the crust crackle and feel that the inside has been restored to the soft and yielding crumb it had when it first came out of the oven. Once you have refreshed bread or pastries, they are best eaten the same day as they will then stale quickly.

Looking after sourdough | Wild Hearth Bakery (2)

Storing and refreshing pastries

Sourdough pastries will keep well in your kitchen for at least two days in the paper bags or cake boxes they came in, some much longer if your kitchen is cool. To maintain maximum freshness, they can be refrigerated or frozen. In that case they will be best if restored in the oven. Thaw frozen pastries first. When refreshing, treat them more gently than bread – 4 minutes at 160°/180°C (fan/ conventional) will do the trick. Ideally leave them for 15 minutes before eating for the crust to crisp up and the interior to cool a bit.

Looking after sourdough  |  Wild Hearth Bakery (2024)

FAQs

Why is everyone making sourdough bread in 2024? ›

The continued popularity of homemade sourdough bread is rooted in a confluence of factors which has gained momentum as more people gravitate towards more nutrient-dense foods made from scratch and many families adopt a homesteading lifestyle.

Is it okay to eat sourdough bread every day? ›

The type of flour used — all-purpose, whole wheat, rye — can affect the nutritional content of sourdough bread, says Wee. But generally speaking, sourdough bread is a healthy option and can be eaten regularly as part of a nutritious, balanced diet.

Can I eat 2 week old sourdough bread? ›

It is edible for around 3 days. Between days 3 to 5 it would need to be toasted or warmed before consuming. After day 5 your sourdough bread would be stale (but not moldy).

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter? It would be best to discard some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used food (flour and water) that's sustained your starter during the last fermentation period.

Why not to eat sourdough bread? ›

But, a word of caution: sourdough is mostly made with white flour rather than wholegrain. Wholegrain bread is higher in fibre, an important part of a healthy diet. While it's fine to have white bread for a change, a better everyday option is wholemeal bread. Also, look out for the salt content of breads.

What is the disadvantage of sourdough bread? ›

Therefore, sourdough bread is not a safe choice for people with celiac disease or a wheat allergy, and it is not an ideal choice for people who are eating gluten-free or avoid wheat for any other reason. Also, though sourdough bread does offer many benefits, it does not contain as much fiber as most whole-grain breads.

What is the healthiest sourdough bread? ›

Whole wheat sourdough bread is one of the healthiest types of sourdough breads. Any sourdough bread with whole grains is considered healthier to classic sourdough bread.

Is sourdough bread anti-inflammatory? ›

The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.

Can I freeze sourdough bread? ›

Freezing sourdough bread works great for those with small households that can't finish a loaf in a few days. It's also perfect for times when you want to get ahead on baking and have bread ready to go for a busy season of life. If you know how to do it right, sourdough bread freezes quite well.

How to tell if store-bought sourdough bread is bad? ›

As a general rule, you should throw out a loaf of sourdough bread when it shows visible signs of mold, when it has an unpleasant odor, or when it doesn't taste right. At this point, mold may be contaminating the bread below the surface, even if you can't see it.

Is sourdough bread good for your heart? ›

3. May reduce the risk of heart disease. Typically, diets high in fibre are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Sourdough appears to offer additional benefits thanks to the natural fermentation process these benefits are enhanced when wholegrain rye flour is used.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

Why do you throw away half of your sourdough starter? ›

In order to allow your starter to grow and flourish, you need to "refresh" it with fresh flour and water. Discarding some first allows you to add this fresh food, whilst maintaining your starter at a manageable size.

What happens if you forgot to discard half of your sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

Why is everyone making sourdough bread now? ›

For many folks, the renewed interest in sourdough is health-related. Some are going even further than baking their own bread: They're milling their own flour from whole wheat berries, too.

What's the deal with sourdough bread? ›

Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn't use commercial yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a 'starter' – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise. This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you'll find in sourdough.

What is the sourdough market trend? ›

The global Sourdough Market is on a trajectory of prominent growth, with an estimated value projected to reach USD 3.8 billion by 2029 from the 2024 valuation of USD 2.5 billion, displaying a promising Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.2%.

What is this sourdough trend? ›

Sourdough starter is more than just a trend; it's a time-honored tradition with historical roots. Dating back thousands of years, sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread, cheered and raved for its natural fermentation process.

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