Sourdough, explained from starter to loaf.

Sourdough is bread leavened with a live culture of wild yeast and bacteria instead of a packet of commercial yeast. It takes longer than a same-day loaf, and gives you something a sachet can't: real depth of flavour, a naturally longer shelf life, and a starter that keeps you baking indefinitely once it's alive.

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What it actually is

What makes bread "sourdough"?

Every bread needs something to produce the gas that makes it rise. Regular bread uses commercial yeast, a single cultivated strain sold in a packet or sachet, which works fast and predictably. Sourdough uses a starter instead: a living culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that you grow yourself from nothing more than flour and water.

The wild yeast still produces the gas. What the bacteria add is acid, and that acid is doing most of the work that makes sourdough taste and behave differently. It builds the tang, strengthens the gluten network as fermentation runs its course, and it's a large part of why a proper sourdough loaf keeps well past the point a same-day loaf has gone stale.

Start to finish

The sourdough journey, guide by guide

Every stage of making sourdough, from a jar of flour and water to a scored loaf out of the oven, has its own free guide and calculator on DoughRise. Start wherever you are.

The bakeDivide, shape, score, bake

Why bother

Why bake sourdough instead of a same-day loaf

The honest answer is time and flavour. A sourdough loaf takes most of a day, largely unattended, in exchange for a depth of flavour a two-hour commercial-yeast loaf can't reach and a crumb structure and keeping quality that come directly from that longer fermentation. It also means never running out: a healthy starter, fed regularly, keeps you in bread indefinitely without buying yeast again.

The long fermentation partially breaks down gluten and reduces phytic acid, which some people who find regular bread heavy report getting on better with. It isn't gluten-free and isn't a substitute for a gluten-free diet if you have coeliac disease, but for most home bakers the appeal is simpler: it just tastes like actual bread.

Common questions

Sourdough FAQ

What is sourdough bread?

Sourdough is bread leavened with a live culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, called a starter, instead of a packet of commercial yeast. The wild yeast produces the gas that makes the dough rise, and the bacteria produce the acids that give sourdough its characteristic tang, its chewy crumb, and its longer shelf life.

Is sourdough different from regular bread?

The main difference is the leavening agent and the time it takes. Regular bread uses commercial yeast and can be mixed, proofed, and baked in a few hours. Sourdough uses a wild-yeast starter and a much longer, slower fermentation, often 12 to 24 hours across bulk and cold proof, which builds more flavour and a firmer, more open crumb.

Do I need to buy anything special to start?

No. A sourdough starter needs only flour and water, both of which already carry the wild yeast you need. A clean jar, a kitchen scale, and a Dutch oven or a baking stone for the bake are the only real equipment, and most home bakers already have at least the first two.

How long does it take to bake a loaf from scratch?

Building a starter from nothing takes 7 to 14 days the first time, but that is a one-off. Once it is established and fed, a single loaf typically takes 12 to 24 hours from mixing to baking, most of which is unattended bulk fermentation and proofing rather than hands-on work.

Is sourdough easier to digest than regular bread?

The long fermentation partially breaks down gluten and reduces phytic acid, which some people find easier on their digestion than fast-proofed bread. It is not gluten-free and is not a substitute for a gluten-free diet if you have coeliac disease or a diagnosed intolerance, but many people who find regular bread heavy report getting on better with a properly fermented sourdough loaf.

Can I make sourdough without a starter?

No, the starter is what defines sourdough. You can buy a small amount of established starter or dried starter to skip the first week of building one from scratch, but you still need a live wild-yeast culture at some point in the process, whether you grow it yourself or acquire it from someone who already has.