Sourdough Bread is Overrated, Long Live Instant Yeast

Yeah, that’s right. I said it! But I have my reasons…

Sourdough Bread is Overrated, Long Live Instant Yeasted Breads!

I’ve got a hot take that I have been nervous to finally admit, but sourdough bread is completely and totally overrated. I feel like all you see on social media now a days is homesteaders showing off all the ways they cut back on consumerism by dying their own wool and knitting their own clothes and culturing their own buttermilk, but most of all maintaining and making their own sourdough starter and bread.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you sourdough bread isn’t delicious. It is and nothing beats a good loaf from a place like Aioli WPB but the process of starting and maintaining a sourdough starter just isn’t worth it if you aren’t either single, living alone, or have kids that are grown. Right now my kids are 6 and 1, I work 8+ hours, my commute is long and my time is extremely valuable.

When I first moved in with my wife and our oldest was 4, I tried the sourdough starter. I had more time and was able to maintain it for about a month but all of my bakes with it were disappointing when compared to baking with instant yeast, so I stopped maintaining it.

Then when we moved into our current place, I tried again. I did research, though I addressed all my pain points from my first attempt, and had even less success. This time the starter didn’t even bubble even after a solid 10-14 days of trying so I gave up.

Fast forward to now, for the entire month of January 2024 I tried and still failed. The furthest I got was baking a sourdough focaccia that was a little dense and chewy instead of light and airy. I was using wheat flour to feed it and the starter was super sour and delicious, but after baking the focaccia it just went flat and watery. After trying to save it, it just fell flat and wouldn’t be maintained. It didn’t help that I missed some feedings here and there busy with life.

With February kicking off, I’ve decided sourdough is just not for me. My kitchen is cold, I don’t have a ton of time to troubleshoot this stuff, and I’d rather spend my time baking things that are delicious every time instead of working with something so temperamental.

Plus, yeasted bread dough is just the best. It’s easy to make, very versatile, fun to handle, and delicious. You can enrich it with butter and eggs, you can make it soft and tender with a tangzhong paste, and you can usually make it start to finish in a day.

Maybe one day I’ll try to summit the mountain that is sourdough, but not for a long, long time.

Pain De Mei - The Ultimate Low-Effort Sandwich Bread

Baking bread was always one of those things I was too scared to try. It seemed so difficult to do at home, but I was on a tear of trying the things that scared me in the kitchen so I had to try it. My first loaf was a plain sandwich loaf that turned out way better than I could’ve imagined and I immediately fell in love with the process.

The feel and smell of the dough, the satisfaction of seeing it rise before it goes in the oven, the taste of that first slice of toast with butter on it. You can’t beat it, it’s the best experience in home baking hands down.

I came across this bread about 2 years ago and have been constantly making it since. As far as bread recipes go, this is probably one of the most basic ones. It’s one that I made when I was early into my bread journey and since then I’ve learned a lot of different techniques that I could probably apply to this version of the recipe I’ve created, but that’ll have to wait for another day.

The MVP of the recipe is not only instant yeast, but also the honey. I think it adds a really nice dimension of flavor and it helps the crust develop a deep rich brown color. This makes fantastic grilled cheese, cinnamon toast, and French toast.

It takes a few hours to make, but once you’re done you’ve got an amazing homemade bread for the week that you can enjoy or share. Homemade bread that is good is the perfect thing to give out to friends or coworkers.

Click the link below for the recipe and let me know how it turns out for you!

Random Cookbook Recipe of the Week - Vinaigrette Sauce from the Four Seasons Cookbook

I wanted to dig deep into the collection and as you can tell from the cover of this book, it’s an old one. First published in 1986, this cookbook served as a collection of the famous hotel’s recipes and the book is loaded with celebrities from old Hollywood.

I love collecting cookbooks from restaurants and hotels, especially ones that have stood the test of time like the Four Seasons has. If you make this one, let me know what you think. It looks a little complex, but I’m sure it’s excellent.

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Thanks again for reading! If you enjoyed, feel free to share with people and stay tuned for the next one! Don’t forget to follow @DadsFoodNewsletter on IG to see what I am baking and making during the week.