Short answer
Sourdough bread is made from flour, water and salt, raised by a live starter of wild yeast and bacteria instead of packet yeast. The long fermentation gives a tangy flavour, a crisp crust and a chewy, open crumb.
Sourdough bread is bread made from flour, water and salt that is raised by a live starter of wild yeast and bacteria instead of packet yeast. The dough ferments slowly, often for many hours, which gives sourdough its tangy flavour, a thick, crisp crust and a chewy crumb with irregular holes.
What makes bread sourdough?
Bread is sourdough when its rise comes from a sourdough starter rather than commercial yeast. The starter is a mixture of flour and water that has been left to ferment until wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria move in.
The bacteria make acids, mostly lactic and acetic, and these create the sour note and help the loaf keep for longer. The yeast makes gas, which lifts the dough. Together they replace the single fast yeast found in a typical supermarket loaf.
The word sourdough describes the method, not a single recipe. A white sourdough, a wholemeal sourdough and a rye sourdough all belong to the same family.
What is sourdough bread made of?
Classic sourdough bread contains flour, water, salt and starter, and nothing else is required. Some loaves add seeds, olives, cheese or other flours, but the base stays the same.
- Flour: strong bread flour, white or wholemeal, sometimes blended with rye or spelt.
- Water: usually between 65 and 80 per cent of the flour weight for a standard loaf.
- Salt: controls fermentation and adds flavour.
- Starter: a spoonful or two of active culture.
When you buy a loaf, a short ingredient list that names a starter, or simply flour, water and salt, is a good sign that the loaf is made the traditional way.
How is sourdough bread made?
Sourdough bread is made by mixing the dough, letting it ferment for hours, shaping it and baking it at a high temperature. The long wait is what separates it from quick bread.
- Feed the starter until it is active and bubbly.
- Mix flour, water, salt and starter into a shaggy dough.
- Stretch and fold the dough several times across a few hours to build strength.
- Bulk ferment until the dough has grown and looks airy, often four to eight hours at room temperature.
- Shape the loaf and rest it, frequently overnight in the fridge.
- Bake in a very hot oven, often in a covered pot, so steam can build and give a crisp crust.
Bakers adjust timings to the weather and the room, so recipes give ranges rather than fixed times.
What does sourdough bread taste like?
Sourdough bread tastes mildly to distinctly tangy, with a deep, slightly nutty wheat flavour and a hint of sweetness from the crust. The sourness comes from the acids made during the long ferment.
A shorter, warmer ferment tends to taste milder and milky, while a longer, cooler one tastes sharper. Wholemeal and rye flours give an earthier flavour than white flour. Most people find a fresh sourdough loaf more flavourful than a standard sandwich loaf, though taste is personal.
What is the texture of sourdough bread like?
Sourdough bread has a firm, crisp crust and a soft, chewy crumb with holes of different sizes. The long fermentation develops gluten, which holds the gas in the dough and makes the crumb elastic.
| Part of the loaf | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Crust | Thick, dark golden to deep brown, crisp when pressed |
| Crumb | Chewy, moist, with a mix of small and large holes |
| Slice | Holds its shape, suits toast and open sandwiches |
A very open crumb with large holes is a sign of a wetter dough and careful handling, but a tighter crumb can taste just as good.
How can you tell real sourdough in a shop?
Real sourdough is best spotted by the ingredient list, the crust and the smell. Check the label or ask the baker whether the loaf is raised only with a starter.
- Ingredients: flour, water, salt, and often “sourdough starter” or “sourdough culture”. Baker’s yeast on the list means the loaf is not purely sourdough.
- Crust: deep colour and blistering rather than pale and uniform.
- Smell: a clean, slightly tangy aroma rather than a plain yeasty one.
- Texture: a chewy crumb with uneven holes that does not collapse when pressed.
Some bakers use the word sourdough loosely, so asking is always reasonable.
What is the difference between sourdough and regular bread?
Sourdough is raised by a starter and ferments slowly, while regular bread is usually raised by packet yeast and risen quickly. The result is a different flavour and texture, not a different category of food.
| Sourdough | Packet yeast loaf | |
|---|---|---|
| Raising agent | Wild yeast and bacteria in a starter | Commercial baker’s yeast |
| Rise time | Many hours | One to three hours |
| Flavour | Tangy, complex | Mild |
| Crumb | Chewy, irregular holes | Softer, more even |
| Keeping | Stays fresh a day or two longer | Dries out sooner |
How should you store sourdough bread?
Store sourdough bread cut side down on a board, or wrapped in a cloth or paper bag, at room temperature for two to three days. A plastic bag softens the crust, and the fridge makes the loaf go stale faster.
For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the slices in a bag. A stale loaf comes back to life if you run it quickly under a tap, shake off the excess water and bake it in a hot oven for about ten minutes.
What are the main styles of sourdough bread?
The main styles of sourdough bread are the country loaf, the baguette, the wholemeal or rye loaf and the enriched or seeded loaf. All are raised with a starter, but they differ in flour, shape and crust.
- Country loaf (pain de campagne in French): a round or oval loaf, usually white flour with a little wholemeal or rye, with a thick crust.
- Sourdough baguette: a long, thin loaf with a crisp crust and an airy crumb, best eaten on the day it is baked.
- Wholemeal sourdough: a darker, denser loaf with a nutty flavour.
- Rye sourdough: common in northern and eastern Europe, with a close crumb and a pronounced tang.
- Seeded or enriched sourdough: loaves with seeds, nuts, fruit or cheese added to the dough.
San Francisco is famous for its sourdough, but the method is old and is found across Europe and many other regions. Who first made sourdough is not known, and claims about a single origin are best treated with caution.
What does Weirdough Bakery sell?
Weirdough Bakery in Walthamstow, London, sells sourdough bread, and its Deliveroo listing describes the loaves as sourdough made with organic flour from a watermill. Listed breads include a pain de campagne and a baguette tradition, both marked vegan there.
The bakery also makes sourdough muffins and sells pastries and pizza slices, according to reviews and local listings. Stock changes through the day, so check the menu page for what the guide has recorded and the hours and location page before a visit. This guide is independent and takes no orders.
Common questions
Is all sourdough bread sour?
No. The tang varies from mild to quite sharp depending on the flour, the starter and how long the dough ferments. Many shop loaves are gently tangy rather than sharply sour, so the name overstates the taste.
Does sourdough bread contain yeast?
Yes, but it is wild yeast living in the starter rather than commercial packet yeast. Some bakers add a little baker’s yeast to speed things up, which is why checking the ingredient list matters.
Why is sourdough bread more expensive than sliced bread?
A sourdough loaf takes many hours to ferment and is shaped and baked by hand in small batches. That time and labour, rather than the ingredients, usually explains why it costs more than factory bread.
Can you freeze sourdough bread?
Yes. Slice the loaf first, wrap it well and freeze it for up to about three months. Toast slices straight from the freezer, or thaw a whole loaf at room temperature and refresh it in a hot oven.
This page is part of the independent guide to Weirdough Bakery, which has the address, hours and menu.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Weirdough Bakery itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.