Irish Soda Bread Vs Sourdough Bread: The Lockdown Doughs

The lockdown sure turned out to be a boon for many social media bakers. Elevating the standards of their bread and butter (both literally and, well, figuratively), using simple ingredients, easily accessible kitchen equipment and lesser techniques. ‘Irish Soda Bread’ and ‘Sourdough Bread’, became a very popular loaf, seen on social media and being baked in many homes.

Fig 1- Irish Soda Bread. Courtesy- Happy Food Tubes

A paste of flour, water and sometimes use of certain leaveners, surrounded by heat produces a staple food consumed by humanity around the world. Bread has been with humanity for over more than 30,000 years now . Since then, variations of bread have emerged over time, from all parts of the world. From Baguette to Tortillas to Rotis/chappatis to whole-wheat bread, anything baked using staple ingredients such as flour (of all or any grain), water and sometimes using chemical leaveners (which brings about different textures in different loaves of bread), are considered bread. In India, whether it is the round rotis or the factory loaf, bread is often included in the everyday meals of various individuals. However, with the factories shut down, bread was scarce in the market. This was when many Youtubers, Tiktokers and Instagrammers, recreated simple versions of bread recipes for their fans to try at home. Sourdough loaves of bread and Irish Soda loaves of bread got gazillions of hashtags and a place in the feeds of food bloggers with their versions of starter packs.

Compared to the store-bought bread that contains hundreds of chemicals and ingredients incorporated in them, these versions of bread became quite popular among the people. With a minimum of 3-4 easily available in the pantry ingredients, people were able to make freshly baked homemade loaves of bread for their friends and family.

But what is so special about these loaves? Well, for starters, these recipes called for no Yeast. Yes, loaves of bread very well require yeast as a leavener to give the bread the bubbly, rising texture that we all often enjoy. With no yeast, a healthier option of bread was popularized during the lockdown where people learnt to make their bread. With an ample amount of time in their hands, people started to invest their time in the kitchen learning to make these delicious loaves of bread. These loaves of bread are great for making grilled cheese, garlic bread, and for the lovers of Indian cuisine, the Irish soda bread can be used as a great substitute for ‘Pav’ in ‘Pav Bhaaji’.

Fig 2- Sourdough Bread. Courtesy- Home Cooking Adeventure

The difference between sourdough bread and Irish Soda bread is the amount of time it takes to prepare their batter. The batter for Sourdough bread takes over a month to rise properly before putting it in the oven. The sourdough bread calls for a starter. The starter is the process of fermentation of the flour to produce naturally occurring yeast and lactobacilli, to develop the texture and taste of the bread.

Fig 3- Sourdough Starter. Courtesy- Getty Images

Whereas often considered as a ‘quick bread’, Irish Soda loaves of bread is baked on the same day their batter is made. The Irish soda bread is like a soft sweet bread whereas the Sourdough bread, much like its name has a tangy flavour. The great things about these loaves are, they can customize it the way they want for added flavour and texture. One can add seeds (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds) or nuts (Almonds, walnuts, peanuts) and enjoy it with their favourite nut spread ( almond butter, peanut butter) for a rich, healthy breakfast.

A way better substitute for the commercially produced unhealthy loaves of bread took over social media making it one of the newest trends in food. However, another bread has risen to challenge the popularity of these lockdown loaves making its way up into being the next trending bread. The trendy Italian flatbread, Focaccia, is going to be the next lockdown trend? Well, we will see.