Heard a customer at the cafe say 'sourdough is just lazy baking'

I was grabbing a coffee before a job yesterday and the person next to me was telling their friend that making sourdough is just an excuse for bakers to be lazy. They said it's just flour, water, and waiting, and that real skill is in fancy pastries. It made me laugh because my starter, Betty, needs more care than my truck. I've spent six months getting my loaf's crumb just right. Has anyone else had to defend their sourdough to someone who just doesn't get it?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel_wood1d agoMost Upvoted

Ever tried explaining fermentation to a clueless friend?

the_mila1d ago

Yeah, and I always have to stop people who say it's just rotting. Rotting makes you sick, fermentation makes sauerkraut and kimchi. It's good bacteria doing the work on purpose. How do you even start that talk without them making a grossed-out face?

jade_johnson1d ago

Honestly this is just like trying to explain ANYTHING people find a bit weird at first. The grossed out face is the same one you get for sourdough starter or even composting. People see the process and not the good result. It's all about controlled transformation versus just letting stuff go bad. You have to get them to think about cheese or yogurt first, stuff they already like.