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Sourdough bread has gone viral again. This time, it’s for the wrong reasons, writes Varsha Anjali.��

On August 22, Texas resident Maria Barradell unveiled a bowl of what looked like raw dough before panning her phone camera to a window. Through it, you saw a jet’s wing and clouds way below. She captioned the Instagram reel: “Making��sourdough bread��in [sic] my flight to��Spain.”��

The crowd went wild. But not in the way Barradell would have hoped.��

Since the��Covid pandemic, social media content featuring making sourdough bread became The Thing To Do. As Emily St James of��Vox��noted in an article: “Bread baking is a thing we do in a crisis, perhaps because bread is one of the very foundations of human civilisation, and perhaps because it has been marketed to us as life-giving.”��

In other words, if you didn’t see people kneading dough on your “For You Page” four years ago, firstly, I am envious - you probably weren’t on social media, because it was everywhere.��

But for Barradell, demonstrating the myriad wonders of sourdough bread on social media isn’t just a boredom killer during a global crisis - as a home bakery owner, it’s her schtick.��

The mum of five’s bread content on Instagram typically garners a few dozen comments. However, the one of her making sourdough bread on a flight to Spain to “surprise” her sister racked up more than 1400 comments. Instead of admiring Baradell’s ability to ferment - quite literally - sky-high, commenters were quick to criticise her actions, labelling them “inconsiderate”.��

But why?��

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The backlash��

The blowback against Baradell’s video on social media was swift and unforgiving.��

With more than 8000 likes, the top comment remarked on the absurdity of the act, saying: “Imagine you settle into your seat and the person next to sets up a camera and starts taking out bowls, ingredients and making bread,” followed by three tombstone emojis.��

Some others thought the act was not only disgusting but rude too. “As a flight attendant, I’m gonna say: Ewwwww … Enjoy your germ-bread. That’s an airplane - not a bakery. Learn some manners, people … please,” commented one user.��

Many pointed out the seeming disregard for people with gluten and wheat sensitivities. “If I was sat next to you, I would ask for a new seat immediately and a full refund because it would make me sick for several weeks to just inhale the flour. Please be more considerate next time,” raged another commenter.��

Baradella responded to the mountain of criticism on August 26, saying she was “trying to be creative” and commenters had helped her see that it “was not a great idea”.��

Can you make bread on an NZ flight?��

Perhaps the better question is, should you?��

Kneading and folding dough with live cultures mid-air is a baffling sight. Barradell may have been roasted for her actions - but in New Zealand, it’s unlikely you would even be able to get that far.��

“Passengers should not bring in any raw food mixes as these could contain honey or egg, which are against our biosecurity rules,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry for Primary Industries, which manages the country’s biosecurity regulations.��

People suffering from severe food intolerances also face risks when flying.��Air New Zealand��states on its website that while all flights that provide meals have a gluten intolerance option, it “can’t guarantee there will be no trace of gluten on the aircraft or in your meal”.��

It went on: “If you have a severe reaction to gluten, we suggest taking the same precautions you normally would when eating at a restaurant.”��

However, for general food intolerances and health requirements, airlines, including the national carrier, are usually able to help if they are alerted in advance - for example, ordering a special meal or allowing you to bring your own food.��

If feeling rebellious, it might be best to avoid lunging for the bowl, the whisk and the sourdough starter.��