Sourfaux is a relatively recent term that refers to bread product that give the impression of being sourdough loaves but which have been created using industrial processes (including lots of additives) rather than a minimal set of ingredients plus time and hand-crafting. As well as allowing producers (in the UK) to charge more for the result, it creates a particular issue for people who can cope with eating sourdough bread but not more processed food stuffs.

This morning I got round to listening to a recent episode of Radio 4’s The Food Programme which covers the Sourfaux issue. Surely there is a very simple solution – limit what can be sold as sourdough bread but allow producers to use ‘sourfaux’ as an official label. They can’t pass off one thing as another and medically vulnerable consumers are protected but it still allows for them to at least test the market to see if people are willing to buy a bread with some sourdough characteristics even if compromises have been made to contribute to shelf stability and to keep the overall price down.

I know that when I buy bread rather than make it, I often go for one of these faux loaves. I’m informed enough to know that it isn’t the “real thing” but it is still preferable to most of the alternatives and reasonably affordable.