• 4 slices white sourdough bread or sourdough bloomer
• 90g grated mature cheddar
• 100g grated Gruyere cheese
• small or ½ red chilli sliced lengthways, deseeded & thinly sliced
• enough softened salted butter for spreading on both sides of your sourdough bread

What’s the difference between sourdough and regular bread?

Sourdough is one of the oldest and simplest ways of making bread. Unlike most shop-bought loaves, which use commercial yeast to help the dough rise, traditional sourdough relies on a natural starter made from just flour and water. This creates a mixture of naturally occurring yeast and bacteria that helps the bread rise and gives it its distinctive flavour.

A traditional sourdough recipe needs very little else – usually just flour, water and salt. It doesn’t need added commercial yeast, milk, sugar or the various extras and processing aids that can be found in some commercially produced breads.

So, where does that slightly tangy taste come from? It’s produced by naturally occurring bacteria during fermentation – the same type of bacteria responsible for the familiar sour taste of foods such as yoghurt and sour cream.

But sourdough isn’t just about taste. The longer fermentation process can make some of the carbohydrates and gluten proteins easier to break down, which may make it easier to digest for some people. It can also affect how quickly the body absorbs the carbohydrates, potentially giving sourdough a lower glycaemic index (GI) than some regular breads.

In short, sourdough offers a different way of making bread, with a distinctive flavour and some potential nutritional benefits. And if you enjoy good bread, that’s another reason to give it a try!

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