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The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
I've found the best supermarket sourdough loaves worth adding to your weekly shop
Remember a time before sourdough ruled the bakery roost? A simpler time, when tiger bread was a fancy weekend loaf, or a French stick would be a solid go-to. Now, sourdough is everywhere and has even become a status symbol. Some bakeries with cult followings sell out each morning (even on weekdays) and have queues snaking out the doors. So of course, supermarkets had to get in on the action and create their own. Thought to date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, sourdough isn't new, but what defines it is hard to agree on. ''Sourdough' isn't a legally protected term, so technically any bread can currently be called sourdough,' explains Swie Joo, head baker at The Palmerston restaurant in Edinburgh, which bakes all of its excellent own sourdough onsite in its downstairs bakery. Generally, to be considered a sourdough, the bread must be made with a live sourdough starter (a culture made from natural yeast, not shop-bought, and bacteria) and go through a slow fermentation process. Joo advises checking the ingredients list of a sourdough loaf before you buy because if it has 'yeast' listed, it's not a genuine sourdough, as yeast should not be added. Sourdough is a leavened bread, meaning the dough naturally rises as a result of the natural yeast, creating the distinct air pockets. A well-made sourdough has a good spongy 'crumb' (the bread's internal structure) with evenly sized and distributed air pockets. If fermentation or the bake goes wrong, it can lead to 'tunnelling', where the holes are too large and frequent. In a bid to see if supermarkets could really impress with their sourdough loaves, I taste-tasted my way through more than 20 loaves. Here's how I got on. How I tested First and foremost, I kept the advice from head baker Swie Joo in mind, analysing the ingredient list of each loaf. I then tasted more than 20 loaves, including pre-sliced and non-sliced loaves from all the major supermarkets' own range. I also tested some well-known branded and higher-end options that are available in supermarkets. Where available, I chose a white loaf, so each sample was as similar as it could be. I ate it plain, in sandwiches and as toast with butter. When taste-testing, I considered the below: Crumb: I was looking for a decent crumb (the interior of the bread), which should be spongy, fairly open with evenly sized and well-distributed air pockets. A well-fermented sourdough should have a moderately open crumb with holes and a springy texture. The overall rise was also considered. Crust: I noted the exterior of the bread and whether it had a good crusty crunch. I also considered whether any of the loaves had toppings, such as seeds. Taste: A sourdough loaf is known for its delicate sour and tangy taste, so I assessed how noticeable this was. I also assessed whether the taste leaned towards traditional white sourdough or had earthy, nutty notes typical of a wholemeal loaf. Shelf life: I monitored how long each loaf stayed fresh, noting when signs of staleness and mould appeared. Sourdough tends to last around two to three days before it starts to stale and may show mould after five to seven days. If it lasted longer than this, it may suggest that preservatives were used in the bake. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Emma Henderson is a self-confessed foodie. She was also the editor of IndyEats, The Independent' s monthly digital food magazine, and was twice shortlisted for 'best food magazine' at the Guild of Food Writers Awards. She's sampled everything from Michelin-recommended menus to the best olive oils, so she knows exactly what is worth savouring. When it comes to sourdough, she's tasted the good, the bad and the questionably stodgy all in the name of journalism. Every loaf in this review has been rigorously tested, from sniffed and sliced to slathered in butter. The best supermarket sourdough bread for 2025 is:
The Herald Scotland
27-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Fish stew earned The Palmerston chef high five from Richard E. Grant
The 60-cover restaurant is housed in a former 19th-century bank, and includes an in-house bakery that serves freshly baked bread and pastries This week, co-founder and chef Lloyd Morse answers our chef Q&A. What was your first kitchen job? I started washing up in a local restaurant outside Sydney when I was 15 Where is your favourite place to eat out? Kinneuchar Inn, Kilconquhar Fife. James Ferguson is one of the best chefs in the UK. What is your guilty pleasure meal? Buy a supermarket margarita pizza. Put ham and pineapple on it, then grate loads of Comté on it. Can you share a memory of your worst kitchen disaster? When I first moved to London, I worked at a now closed restaurant called Magdalen. After being there nearly a year I was promoted to sous chef, my first kitchen management position. We worked with whole animals mostly and on my first Saturday night running the kitchen myself I managed to overcook an entire 4-5kg beef rump. I can remember cutting into it and steam rising out of the grey meat. Still haunts my dreams. What is your signature dish? The menu at The Palmerston changes daily. Because of this we don't really have a signature dish, we relish the perpetuity of a changing menu! But one of the things we're known for is our pies for two to share. The fillings often change, but the lamb fat pastry is a constant! Who would you say is your biggest inspiration? I couldn't ever pin it on one person. There have been too many. Read more: What is one of your pet peeves as a chef? Spoons in pockets. Disgusting. If you weren't a chef, what do you think you would be doing with your life? I'd love to be able to work outdoors full time. Even in the horrendous Scottish winter. Pictured: Lloyd Morse, co-founder and chef at The Palmerston in Edinburgh (Image: Supplied) What's your favourite trick for making cooking at home easier? Learn to sharpen a knife. An accident with a blunt knife will hurt a lot more than a sharp one. And buy the best pots and pans you can. Wide and heavy-bottomed! What has been one highlight that stands out in your career so far? Being placed on the National Restaurant Award's top 100 restaurants before we'd been open for a year. It's voted by the industry itself, so it felt like a big welcome hug by hospitality. But also Richard E. Grant high-fiving me for a fish stew I cooked him.
