A Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread

Sourdough has become the dominant style of modern artisan bread, but the vocabulary around it can be intimidating. Here’s a short guide to understanding what you're looking at.

Naturally Leavened

A sourdough loaf is made without commercial yeast. Instead, a wild starter — a culture of wild yeasts and lactobacillus bacteria — raises the bread. Naturally leavened breads have more complex flavour, longer shelf life, and are often easier to digest than commercial yeasted breads.

Long Ferment

Good sourdough typically ferments for 12–24+ hours. The long ferment develops gluten structure, flavour, and the open "alveolar" crumb inside the loaf. Short-cut sourdoughs exist but they taste noticeably flatter.

Heritage Grains

Many modern artisan bakeries work with heritage or ancient wheat varieties — spelt, einkorn, emmer, Red Fife — that predate modern industrial wheat breeding. These grains tend to have more character and are often easier to digest.