Costco's New Bakery Loaf Is Nearly 2 Pounds Of Lies: 'Not Real Sourdough Don't Be Fooled'

Costco has just released a new bread that has everyone talking, but not about whether it's better when toasted or what type of jelly tastes best on it. No, those in the sourdough-know are questioning the authenticity of Costco's freshly baked sourdough loaf.

A recent Instagram post from costcohotfinds claims the sourdough bread tastes really good, is huge (weighing nearly 2 pounds), and has a perfectly crackly crust and spongy center. As she put it, "It's chewy in the best way." That's all fine and good, but people are taking issue with whether it really is true sourdough, and almost everyone is saying it's most certainly not; both bakers and connoisseurs are fuming.

The comments on the post point out that it has far too extensive an ingredient list to be sourdough, which is supposed to contain nothing more than flour, salt, and water (preferably non-chlorinated water). The Costco bread contains yeast, for one, making it a yeast bread rather than a sourdough. The presence of artificial ingredients was also a concern for some people, primarily the enriched flour. Beyond that, the fake-sourdough whistleblowers complained the bread doesn't look like the real thing. True sourdough bread tends to have an open crumb, whereas this bread is denser with minimal air holes.

Why is this issue so important to people? To some, it might seem like overkill to have all this hoopla over sourdough or not sourdough, but it goes way beyond just calling Costco's bluff. For many small bakers, the fact that a big commercial chain is encroaching on their turf is threatening, especially if it's not the real thing but is being passed off as such. "Go support a local baker instead," someone commented.

Making fresh sourdough is a tradition, essentially a handicraft, and it's hard to make. It can take days to prepare, and those who do it right are those willing to put in the effort. It comes from a starter, and sometimes a very old starter. In fact, one person on Instagram joked, "In come the sourdough police telling us about how it's not sourdough unless the starter is pre US revolutionary war." Considering the work involved in making real sourdough, Costco's mass-produced bread could be seen as a slap in the face.

For other people, it's more of a nutritional issue. People who monitor their sugar intake or have a sensitivity to yeast say that sourdough is better for them and more easily digested, so a mislabeling of bread can cause big trouble. Still others are miffed that Costco, which is normally a trusted brand, would mislead its customers like this. These people called the bread a misrepresentation, and someone even suggested filing a class-action lawsuit. Whatever each individual's reason is to be annoyed, this bread is certainly causing real sourdough strife on social media.