The Real Reason Sourdough Baking Has Become So Controversial
With so many people cooped up at home during shelter-in-place orders and self-quarantine, there have been quite a few trends for passing the time. From playing Animal Crossing and putting together puzzles to watching Tiger King, several trends for home entertainment have already peaked (via CNBC).
If controversy is a necessary part of becoming a trend, then sourdough baking at home during quarantine has officially reached trend status. While sourdough bread making is currently having its moment, some people have had enough. So much so that attention-starved partners and exasperated social media users have released their thoughts and takes on Twitter (via Buzzfeed). It turns out there has been quite a bit of backlash, and it is coming from some who are not-so-new to home baking.
What's controversial about sourdough?
Those who are familiar with baking sourdough are calling for new bakers to stop making the tangy bread at home. Bakers with some knowledge of sourdough have deemed it wasteful because some grocery stores are running out of flour and yeast. Sourdough is a complex process and an advanced level of baking. Those who do not know how to use a starter might be wasting it, along with the other ingredients that are running out in some areas (via Fox News).
The same bakers who are calling for an end to sourdough bread making have also suggested some easier, beginner-level bakes. Loaves like soda breads and flatbreads are just a couple of recommended types of breads that new home bakers can, and should, start with.
Naturally, those who are new to making sourdough are less than happy about the call to stop baking the complex bread. Some even try to justify their new habit by explaining how they've used their excess sourdough starter — and thus, the Sourdough Wars wage on.