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When we opened our bakery 5 years ago, we decided we would offer bread that is simple and genuine. In order to achieve this goal we decided that all our bread has to be made with organic ingredients and traditional methods.

This choice was driven by what our elders used to say repeatedly: “non esiste più il pane come una volta” translated as “ there is no longer the bread as it once was”.

My mother told me many times a story about my granny: In the ’60, they lived in a small village. A small farming community of a few hundred souls. My granny used to work in a textile factory but every Sunday she used to bake bread. Huge loafs of bread so tasty that many in the neighbourhood asked to buy them. They stayed fresh and soft  for  a long time.

What was granny’s secret? Why was bread considered to be tastier and to remain soft longer with respect today’s bread?

Simple…

Since we opened our bakery, we realised that gluten, this poor protein created during the fermentation process, is in the minds of many people considered a negative element in their everyday diet.
So with this article, we want to clarify and explain things properly.

Sourdough bread has become popular nowadays. People are re-discovering this ancient process that makes bread more digestible and tastier. There is proof that many ancient cultures used this process, such as the Egyptians.

Currently, in English language, the term ‘sourdough’ is used to describe a yeast free bread. It is simply made by creating a starter dough with flour and water (sometimes with addition of yeast), which is left to rest for a few days/weeks. This allows the natural microorganisms contained in the flour to grow creating a leavening agent.

Today, surfing on the internet, you can find thousands of blogs and websites about sourdough. However, there seems to be a lot of confusion around this matter. Confusion about terms as sourdough, mother-dough, starter, wild yeast and how these are processed.

So, what do these terms actually refer to?

Let’s throw some light on the matter ….