How to make great sourdough? Use beer brewing science

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Adam Curfew began making sourdough bread as a hobby about 15 years ago. Now, his hobby is the heart of the Northwest Portland business, The Brewer's Bread, he shares with his wife, Kellee Curfew.

"I went to school for chemistry while I was a brewer and really got into the science of making beer,"Adam told KOIN 6 News. "And when you look at what happens with sourdough bread, it's very similar."

He said they use scientific methods from brewing and apply them to making sourdough bread.

"So what we come up with is this really interesting, wonderful sourdough that's not overly sour, but it's really flavorful and just delicious and really has great texture."

The Curfews opened up the Brewer's Bread at NW 26th and Vaughn in March 2023, several months after moving from Salt Lake City to the Rose City.

"We just felt like the way that Portlanders embrace local business, it was going to work for us and we could open a local neighborhood bakery and people would really be into it," he said. "And there's such a great food scene here that it just makes so much sense to do Portland."

He embraces that when he talks about what it took to perfect his sourdough croissant.

"I spent a year-and-a-half about figuring out how to make sourdough croissants because sourdough croissants aren't really something that you see anywhere and you can't really look up videos on how to make them either," Adam said. "There was a lot of tears and near banging my head into the wall kind of moments making them. But after just a lot of trial-and-error, we've come to something that we really, really love."

The Brewer's Bread is also a nut-free bakery because he grew up with a nut allergy.

People are noticing the love they put into their baked goods.

"I had a customer tell me that it brought him to tears to eat the croissant. It was the best he'd ever had. And it was just like, oh, that year-and-a-half of struggle is worth it just to hear that."