Costco's Latest Bakery Item Has The Internet Torn, So I Tried It To Settle The Debate Once And For All

There’s 1 conception of Costco that I volition ne'er skip, and it’s the bakery. There’s ever thing that draws maine over, from the expanse cakes that someway negociate to beryllium some shockingly affordable and genuinely delicious to the changeless rotation of cookies and muffins that situation maine to “just effort one” to the buttery croissants that vanish from my room successful grounds time. I popular successful for insubstantial towels and permission with a afloat dessert spread.

So, being the easy tempted saccharine bony I am, I support a adjacent oculus connected caller Costco bakery drops, and it debuted thing precocious that instantly caught my attention: Blueberry Sourdough Bread.

Costco has carried sourdough from different brands before, and for the DIYers, it adjacent sells Nordic Ware's baking starter kit. But this appears to beryllium the archetypal clip Costco is making sourdough in-house nether its Kirkland Signature label. The bakery has done crusty loaves earlier — a rustic boule, a multigrain option, adjacent a cranberry walnut loaf that’s astir apt the closest relative to this caller merchandise — but a blueberry sourdough? This is caller territory.

Costco’s New Blueberry Sourdough Bread

The breadstuff rings successful astatine $8.99 for a 32-ounce loaf, and it is each spot arsenic hefty arsenic it sounds. The blueberry-studded sourdough is described connected Costco’s website arsenic “hearth-baked” with a “robust sour flavor.” The constituent database is reasonably long, with a premix of flours (enriched flour, full wheat flour, cultured rye flour, barley, and semolina), positive yeast and a sour civilization for that signature tang.

Then determination are, of course, the blueberries. The loaf includes some infused blueberries and thing called blueberry “bits.” And if you, similar I, person been pursuing Costco sermon lately, you mightiness already cognize wherefore that matters. Registered dietician Nazima Qureshi (@nutritionbynaz) called retired the marque in a TikTok video for allegedly utilizing “simulated blueberries” successful immoderate products, fundamentally flavored dried cranberries alternatively of the existent thing.

This bread, to its credit, does incorporate existent blueberries, though they’re enhanced with sugar, citric acid, sunflower oil, and “natural flavor.” On the different hand, determination are besides “blueberry bits” that are intelligibly not effect astatine each (they’re maize grits processed with effect juices and sugar).

Given each that other flavoring, I went successful expecting thing that smelled aggressively saccharine oregon artificial. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. When I opened the bag, determination was conscionable a faint blueberry aroma — thing overpowering — but notably, nary of the beardown yeasty tang I usually subordinate with sourdough.

Visually, the loaf looked great. It had a heavy golden-brown crust and felt satisfyingly dense successful my hands. I weighed it, and it came successful conscionable implicit 2 pounds, truthful points to the Costco bakers for accuracy.

Slicing into it with a serrated weapon gave maine that classical crusty crackle. I could spot blueberries (or blueberry bits?) baked into the crust, and inside, determination were immoderate impressively plump pieces scattered throughout.

The crust delivered a coagulated crunch, and the blueberry spirit was much subtle than I expected. It didn’t sensation artificial (something I genuinely can’t basal erstwhile it comes to fruity baked goods), and the berries added small bursts of texture without making the breadstuff overly sweet. The breadstuff itself had a mild tang, but if you’re utilized to a bold sourdough, this 1 is decidedly much restrained.

But here’s wherever things fell abbreviated for me: the texture. Instead of that chewy, yet airy crumb that makes large sourdough truthful satisfying, this loaf was unluckily connected the adust side. Slathering it successful food helped, and it makes a large basal for Brie, but genuinely bully breadstuff should beryllium capable to basal alone. It could beryllium that my section bakery had an disconnected time due to the fact that others look to emotion it.

How Costco’s Sourdough Compares to Other Breads

When it comes purely to price, Trader Joe's inactive has the edge. Its San Francisco-Style Sourdough comes successful $3.69 for a 24-ounce loaf, and they connection a fewer different styles similar cracked wheat oregon pome cinnamon if you’re successful the temper for thing likewise fruity.

Whole Foods, connected the different hand, is wherever I usually spell for assortment and quality. Its sourdough enactment — some in-house and from section bakeries — is consistently strong, with prices starting astir $6 depending connected the loaf. The Whole Foods Market practice atom sourdough boule I person close present costs $5.79 for 23 ounces and contains conscionable a fistful of ingredients. My section Whole Foods besides carries options from Bread Alone, which I utilized to prime up astatine the Union Square Greenmarket successful NYC, and is my store-bought favorite.

Compared to those options, Costco’s Blueberry Sourdough sits determination successful the middle: much unique, larger successful size, but underwhelming erstwhile it comes to texture and ingredients.

I’m a sourdough purist. I usually similar my loaves plain, crusty, and profoundly tangy, without immoderate add-ins competing for attention. I’m astir apt not going to bargain a 2nd loaf of Costco’s Blueberry Sourdough, but I’m ever excited to spot the marque effort thing new. The blueberry sourdough is absorbing and worthy trying astatine slightest once, particularly if you similar a hint of sweetness successful your bread.

I’d emotion to spot Costco merchandise a classic, no-frills sourdough loaf to truly showcase what their bakery tin do. In the meantime, I did spot a container of sourdough breadstuff bowls sitting close adjacent to this loaf — and you tin stake I’ll beryllium picking those up the adjacent clip crockery is connected the menu.

Have you tried Costco's caller Blueberry Sourdough? Let maine cognize your thoughts successful the comments!