All rise: why we're all suddenly making sourdough - and how to make the perfect loaf

A national crisis can change a nation — and Covid-19 has brought out our inner survivalists.

Who could have predicted that every other person would now be an aspiring sourdough baker, or that yeast would now be a precious commodity, sold out across London? The self-sufficient Bear Grylls of the kitchen will see out this virus with lovingly tended sourdough starters. We all know this, because they share triumphant pictures of their loaves on social media.

So much for vows of spring healthy eating. “I just want to eat carbs now,” said Nigella Lawson last week, speaking for all of us. Even non-bakers who usually use their ovens for extra storage are reaching into their cupboards, desperately hoping that the flour at the back hasn’t passed its sell-by date. Others are sharing their sourdough starters and yeast stocks with their neighbours. In the US, sales of yeast are up by 647 per cent. Here, Dan Lepard’s baking bible The Handmade Loaf has risen (excuse the pun) to the top of Amazon’s baking charts and there are now 2.7 million photos tagged “sourdough” on Instagram.

Of course a few cynics don’t understand the bread bores. “I wish the sport would come back so my husband would stop obsessing over his sourdough starter,” is a common complaint, along with, “they still have pitta at the corner shop so why waste your daily outing looking for yeast?” So what’s behind the sourdough surge?

Baking back control

Why sourdough in particular? Baking bread gives you a sense of control at a time where we feel that slipping away in the rest of our lives. “There’s something alchemical about it,” says Lepard. “When it works, it is terribly empowering — you are creating something from scratch. Even if the world is collapsing around you, you have your ingredients and your loaf. It’s the survivalist mentality.”

In 2003 Lepard created the world’s first online sourdough forum and his partner noticed that lots of users had biblical names. “There was this sense that if we went to something apocalyptic, bread would be the thing that would sustain them — you aren’t reliant on anything from a packet.”

Sourdough is satisfyingly simple: all you need is your starter, flour, salt and water — and time. “The worry you don’t have the hours in the day to do the things you’ve always wanted has gone,” says Lepard. “Now we are worrying we have too much time so we want projects.”

Dough bros

It may not require complicated ingredients but there is enough technical detail to distract from other anxiety. “It’s geeky,” says Lepard. “The devil is in the detail of all the ratios so it appeals to anyone who is a bit tech minded. Guys like it. And the repetitive activity of kneading can be a destresser.”

DIY yeast

If you didn’t stockpile yeast, people are sharing recipes for making your own online. One yeast hack from biologist Sudeep Agarwala (@shoelaces3 on Twitter) is to mix dried fruit with three tablespoons of water until the water goes cloudy and add an equal amount of flour. After 24 hours, add more flour and water gradually, and you will have yeast.

Comfort eating

“Carb-free eating suits a more buoyant economy,” says Lepard. “Leafy ingredients and meat can be harder to find and more expensive. Anyway, all lots of us want to do is sit down with a big toasted cheese sandwich and drink beer.”

There is a precedent for this. During Italy’s financial crisis in 2013, a third of Italians started making their own bread and pizza.

Branch out

Appealing as sourdough is, Lepard encourages bakers to expand their repertoires. “If you can get other ingredients there’s no reason why you can’t add olives to your sourdough, or seeds or make other breads.”