{"id":220,"date":"2023-08-28T01:24:48","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T01:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/08\/28\/costco-kirkland-bakery-sourdough-bread-boule-review\/"},"modified":"2025-03-22T16:45:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T20:45:59","slug":"costco-kirkland-bakery-sourdough-bread-boule-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/28\/costco-kirkland-bakery-sourdough-bread-boule-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Bakery Sourdough Bread Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I have no affiliation with Costco, and I was not compensated in any way for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stayed fresh for three weeks.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hot dang. These are heavy loaves! Chonky fellows. The loaves are 2-pounds, but not particularly<\/em> huge. Just heavy. Super dense loaves<\/em>. At first I wasn\u2019t sure if my bread had risen all the way, because it seemed like my loaf should be larger for the weight. MAYBE it should be, but it was still perfectly tasty in its current manifestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Appearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t look like mass-produced supermarket bread \u2014 it really looks artisanal and rustic. The crust is beautifully browned and scored with a decorative lattice pattern and dusted with some flour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Plastic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Watch out for the holey bags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the things the Costco bakery has done well is packaging the sourdough in plastic bags that have tiny<\/em> holes. The holes allow enough air inside to keep the crust crusty. My loaf arrived home looking and feeling like a freshly baked loaf. This is a huge step up from most supermarket bread, which has a flaccid crust from being stored in an airtight plastic bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downside of the holey bag is that the bread needs to be stored in something else if it takes more than a few days to eat it. I put mine in another (unholey) plastic bag at home and stored it in my fridge. This kept the bread from drying out prematurely. More about the shelf-life later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Loaf<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Color<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, the bread is not white. It\u2019s a light tan color. It turns out this is from added dark rye flour<\/a>. More about the ingredients later.<\/em> The flavor is tangy, and nutty, with just the right amount of subtle saltiness. I hate<\/em> it when bread lacks salt and has no flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Texture and crumb<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The texture is traditional sourdough crumb, with large air pockets and a chewy, crisp texture. It\u2019s not as fluffy or soft as some sourdough varieties, but it is moist.<\/em> I reiterate that this is heckin\u2019 dense<\/em> bread, so one slice is quite filling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Kirkland Sourdough Boule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although this isn\u2019t an organic product, I love that Costco is using unbleached flour<\/a>. Additionally, this bread is leavened with natural sour culture, not just \u201csourdough flavor,\u201d which I appreciate. The dark rye flour was a surprise, but this is part of the deep nutty flavor of the loaf, and also what is giving it a sort of tan color instead of white. I\u2019m not a fan of the additional \u201cnatural flavors\u201d and \u201cyeast\u201d and \u201cyeast extracts,\u201d but this is still a big step up from most<\/em> supermarket sourdough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the full ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n