is it just me or does anyone else feel like there is not a significant difference between sourdough and white bread...i mean i order sourdough a lot but i was thinking about it and i really dont taste much difference i suppose most of the time its a little denser and i like then and sometimes its got a little different taste...but i dont understand all these people that like white bread and hate sourdough it just seems to similar to like one and not the other
2007-11-25T19:53:51Z
just as a further thought yeah ive had whats suppose to be good sourdough i live in cali and get it a lot from san fran? and dont get me wrong i like it and yes its slightly sour but ive had dense white bread thats similar
2007-11-25T20:12:51Z
so is it possible though that i just cant taste the difference like being maybe i just dont taste the sourness like everyone else does just as some things arent spicey to some people as much as others?
SB2007-11-25T20:08:48Z
Favorite Answer
A good sourdough bread should have its own distinctive flavour. If you were blind-folded and given a piece of white bread, and sourdough bread (assuming it is of good quality), the difference should be very obvious. But, as with all things, there are high quality goods, and then there are cheaper varieties which are not as good.
Sourdough is usually made with a "starter" ... a small piece of dough that has fermented, and then the starter is incorporated into the remainder of the dough ingredients. This gives it the unusual, stronger flavour than ordinary white bread. I am attaching a link with more information.
Also attached is a link to Julia Child's site, with references to artisan breads, with video clips (including one for sourdough) from her show, showing the making of these breads.
Typicaly sourdough breads are made from a lean dough which means it's flour, water, salt, starter and maybe a little oil. Also, a good sourdough will have a distinctive sourdough flavor and a crunch crust. The interior has large bubble pockets from the fermentation process.
White bread is typically made from an enriched dough which means milk, sugar, oil and eggs are often used to produce a bread that is soft, fluffy and have a small bubble structure.
There are some sourdough breads that are made like white bread where the name "sourdough" is more of a marketing gimmick and not truly sourdough.
I used to not eat sourdough because I hated the taste so much. Now, I still don't love it, but I no longer avoid it like the plague. It has a very distinctive taste and white bread is more neutral. (Nowadays, I prefer whole wheat.)
They're made differently. Sourdough is made with a sour dough starter. White bread is raised simply with yeast (generally, there are exceptions).