Sourdough

Sourdough is bread baked using a starter cultivated over several days from flour and water. This starter hosts a symbiosis of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria: yeast leavens the bread while bacteria produce organic acids for sourness and complex flavor. Without commercial yeast, each starter develops its own unique microbiome, so even identical methods yield distinct flavors at each bakery. Around the world, some starters have been maintained for decades. Sourdough has regained worldwide attention amid a global bread boom. Baking with a self-cultivated starter is one of the most accessible ways to bring fermentation into daily life. The time spent dialoguing with starter while baking is the joy of fermentation itself.