We see consumers everywhere enjoying wholesome staple foods like bread during the crisis, perhaps even more than usual. And so it’s not surprising perhaps, with millions of people grounded at home, that there has been huge interest in how bread, and sourdough bread in particular, is made. The number of Google searches related to bread and sourdough has shot up, and the trends report suggests there’s been a 5-fold increase in search for the term "sourdough" since early March. It seems everyone wants to know a little more about sourdough.
The number of Google requests for the term ‘sourdough’ has risen to 5 times the level it was before the crisis.
We asked Karl De Smedt, the Sourdough Librarian who manages the Puratos World Heritage Sourdough Library in Belgium, why he thinks the profile of sourdough is on the rise. “The popularity of sourdough has been growing for many years now, but it really seems to have become the zeitgeist of the time. More and more consumers appreciate its traditional character and flavor: it’s bread from the good old days. Clearly the current situation has only accelerated this need.”
The rising interest by consumers in bread and sourdough hasn’t gone unnoticed by media. Influencers, bloggers and media all over the world cover the increasing fascinations consumers have in sourdough. To answer consumers questions regarding the science, health, and craft of sourdough baking, Karl is sharing his positive message on bread in the The New York Times, BBC, Vice, and many other platforms.
With this spotlight on baking, it is now, more than ever, important to share your passion for bread with consumers.
As Karl confirms, “Bread — throughout history — has always been particularly special to people. It’s why I believe that by sharing our passion, answering questions, and most importantly continuing to bake the very best breads that we can ensure that bread has a bright future as well.”
“From cooking schools, home-bakers, pizzerias, and artisan and industrial bakeries. “Sourdough is the soul of many bakeries,” – Karl De Smedt, New York Times.
The Sourdough Quest in Turkey
Looking to discover more about sourdough?
We would love to share our knowledge with you.
Discover sourdoughs from all over the world on the website of The Quest for Sourdough or join Karl on his latest Quest for Sourdough to Turkey.
Are you looking for ways to benefit from the sourdough interest? Reach out to your local representative who can introduce you to our sourdough ingredients Sapore, O-tentic and Specialty Grains.
You can rely on us to continuously share a positive message on bread and support the continuation of the sourdough baking tradition with new insights, recipes and sourdough ingredients.
More about how Puratos is facing covid-19
We are issuing some articles to help guide you through these challenging times:
- Making Hygiene your bakery’s priority to fight covid-19
- Enter the world of online ordering and contribute to social distancing with Bakeronline
- Adapt your bakery’s services in times of covid-19
- Toolkit for your store
More articles are available on our website.
