A flute, an ale-infused loaf, a semolina loaf, and a range of sliced half-bloomers are among the new sourdough products launched by bakers to coincide with Sourdough September.
The annual event organised by the Real Bread Campaign is now in its 10th year. It is a month-long celebration aimed at promoting the baking and buying of genuine sourdough bread made without the use of baker’s yeast, chemical raising agents, so-called processing aids, or other additives.
Supermarket sourdough: how major retailers are meeting demand
Here, we cut through the crust of the NPD quartet:
Sourdough Half-Bloomers, Bertinet Bakery
Bertinet’s three new sourdough loaves made with heritage grains and regeneratively farmed wheat have just hit the shelves of 97 Waitrose stores nationwide after first being stocked at Ocado.
The range includes a Seven Seeds and Grains loaf, which features a blend of seven toasted seeds and wholemeal flours for a nutty, earthy flavour; a Potato, Polenta & Onion loaf created with roast potatoes and skins kneaded into the dough with herbs for a rich and moist sourdough; and Rustic Country White, made using a blend of grains and wholemeal wheat for a full, earthy flavour and nourishing fibre.
Priced at £2.20 each, they are billed as bridging the gap between traditional sourdough loaves and sliced bread. The half-loaf format is said to make them suitable for smaller households and can be frozen without sacrificing taste.
“In a category filled with sourfauxs and ultra-processed bread, Bertinet Bakery is leading the way in putting truly authentic sourdough onto every table,” said the company’s managing director Dan Barrett. Bath-based Bertinet is said to be the largest of around 100 bakeries licensed to use The Sourdough Loaf Mark, which lets shoppers know the product is genuine sourdough.
Little Victories Sourdough, The Cavan Bakery
A collaboration between the Surrey-based artisan bakery chain and Mondo Brewery in London’s Nine Elms district has given rise to a limited-edition sourdough loaf, which will be sold on 22 and 23 September at Cavan’s Wimbledon Park shop.
The sourdough has been infused with Mondo’s Little Victories beer, described as an easy drinking, old school IPA with a citrus aroma and light bitterness.
“Cavan Bakery celebrates Sourdough September every year, since our signature bread – and our most popular – is our Sourdough range,” said Cavan CEO Jeff Greenall. “We wanted to work closely with a local craft brewery which shares our values to create a bespoke loaf to mark Sourdough September.”
Sourdough Flutes, The Bakehouse at Ashburnham Place
Consisting of Wildfarmed T65 flour, wholewheat starter, water and salt, the dough for the flutes was bulk fermented for an hour, folded then overnighted in a fridge, before being divided, shaped, rested and finally baked. The finished products sold for £2.45 each at the Ashburnham Place Farmers’ and Makers Market.
Head baker Matt Jewell and volunteers created The Bakehouse last December by converting two old potting sheds on the grounds of the English country house near Battle in East Sussex. It now supplies sourdough and other baked goods to Ashburnham Place’s onsite café, The Orangery.
People’s Sourdough Loaf, Aston’s Bakehouse
The bakery in Inkpen near Hungerford, West Berkshire, uses semolina – a milling by-product – as an ingredient for its People’s Sourdough Loaf. Along with a reduced profit margin, this allows it to sell for £4.50, around 25% cheaper than its 800g white sourdough.
Aston’s Bakehouse was also prompted by the Real Bread Campaign’s Real Bread For All initiative in donating a People’s loaf to one of its charity and community partner organisations for every three units sold during Sourdough September. In the first week of the scheme, the bakery gave 23 loaves to Acton Homeless Concern. It also contributed 25p per loaf sold to food and farming charity Sustain.
“Times are tough and making ends meet sometimes means that people have to cut corners and, sadly, food is often one of them,” said owner and baker Syd Aston. “We strongly believe that everyone deserves a taste of good, honest real bread, so we’re teaming up with a local food bank and our customers to do our bit.”
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