Sourdough bread

Keep it cut-side down in a bread bin or a breathable bread bag at room temperature; plastic can soften the crust. If you will not finish it within a few days, slice and freeze it, then toast slices straight from frozen.

A genuine sourdough loaf needs a live starter, made by mixing flour and water and allowing wild yeasts and bacteria to develop over several days. Feed it with fresh flour and water until it reliably bubbles and rises after feeding; ordinary baker’s yeast alone makes a yeasted loaf, not sourdough.

Look for dough that has grown noticeably, feels airy and shows bubbles, rather than relying on a fixed time. To check, gently press a floured finger into it: if the dent springs back slowly and only partly, it is ready to bake.

Its tangy flavour works well with mature cheese, smoked fish, eggs, or soups such as tomato and lentil. Use day-old slices for French toast, croutons or panzanella, where the firmer crumb holds its shape.

No: ordinary sourdough made with wheat or rye contains gluten, even after fermentation. Only bread made from gluten-free ingredients is gluten-free; sourdough gluten-free bread is a separate product.

The listed wholemeal wheat sourdough bread has 6 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 3.4 g in sourdough bread. Wholemeal flour keeps more of the grain’s bran, which is why it is often the higher-fibre choice.

Sourdough bread provides 5.2 g of protein per 100 g. A sandwich-sized amount varies with slice size, so use the weight of the bread you actually eat to work out its contribution.