What is Sourdough?
Updated Feb 06, 2025
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If you’ve ever wondered, ‘What is Sourdough?‘ you’re not alone! In recent years, this ancient bread has made a big comeback, sparking curiosity among homebakers and bread lovers alike.
Sourdough is the original way bread has been leavened for thousands of years—long before commercial yeast existed. Instead of relying on packaged yeast, sourdough uses a natural ‘starter,’ a simple mix of flour and water that captures wild yeast and good bacteria from the environment. This traditional method not only develops rich, complex flavors but also improves the bread’s texture and digestibility.
Table of Contents
- How Does Sourdough Work?
- What Makes Sourdough Different From Other Breads?
- A very SHORT History of Sourdough
- Is Sourdough Bread Healthier than Regular Bread?
- What is Sourdough Bread Made of?
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
- What Sourdough Recipe Should I Start With?
- Easy Sourdough Recipes
- Frequently Asked Sourdough Questions
How Does Sourdough Work?
- Wild Yeast: The wild yeast in a sourdough starter produces carbon dioxide (CO₂), which creates those beautiful air pockets and helps the dough rise. The specific strains of yeast vary depending on your environment and the types of flour you use.
- Bacteria: Lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria work alongside the yeast to ferment the dough. Lactic acid brings a mild tang, while acetic acid adds a sharper, vinegar-like flavor. The bacteria help preserve the bread naturally and are responsible for the flavor in your sourdough loaf.
Since a sourdough starter is a living culture, it needs regular feedings of flour and water to stay active. Once it’s well-established and bubbly, you can maintain it with simple routine care to ensure strong fermentation and consistently delicious bread.
What Makes Sourdough Different From Other Breads?
Unlike conventional loaves that rely on quick-rise store-bought yeast, sourdough takes its time. That slow fermentation doesn’t just develop better flavor and texture—it also makes the bread easier to digest by breaking down gluten and phytic acid and unlocking more nutrients along the way.
Once you have a healthy sourdough starter and learn a few simple ways to care for it, you can make fresh sourdough bread anytime you want!
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Hi! I’m Amy – I created my first sourdough starter in 2013 and have been baking with a sourdough ever since! I love feeding my family delicious foods that are made from scratch and usually include sourdough starter. You will find many tried and true, naturally-fermented sourdough recipes and some of my favorite sourdough discard recipes on my website – Amy Bakes Bread. So glad you’re here!
A very SHORT History of Sourdough
Sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread with history dating back to ancient Egypt. Over the years people have learned techniques, cultured starters and changed the way that bread is made – from carrying around sourdough starters during the Gold rush to the discovery of commercial yeast in the mid 1800s (baker’s yeast) which changed the way much of our current bread is made.
Sourdough regained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 because it was difficult to find commercial yeast – and you can create sourdough starter with kitchen basics – just flour and water! In the years after the pandemic, many people have become interested in sourdough again because of the flavor, simple ingredients and the way it makes them feel after eating it.
Is Sourdough Bread Healthier than Regular Bread?
Many people make and eat sourdough bread for the health benefits that come through the fermentation process sourdough goes through. Remember we’re talking about sourdough made using a natural fermentation process. Typically that is not the “sourdough” found in the grocery store aisle which is made with commercial yeast and “natural flavors”. These are some of the health benefits you may find from the fermentation process:
- The fermentation process “pre-digests” the gluten in sourdough bread, making it easy for our bodies to digest and supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
- Keeps you full for longer
- Sourdough is full of prebiotics thanks to the fermentation
- Sourdough bread is lower on the glycemic index than other bread. Studies have shown it can keep your blood sugars in check or even lower it.
- Sourdough neutralizes phytic acid that is naturally found in grains. Phytic acid makes it hard to absorb the nutrients that are in grain. The fermentation process neutralizes the phytic acid, allowing your body to absorb the nutrients in the grain.
Research is still being done on the exact health benefits from sourdough bread. If you are interested in reading more about the potential benefits of the sourdough fermentation process, I’ve found these articles helpful:
Whole Grains: If you are looking to pair the sourdough fermentation process with whole grains like whole wheat flour and rye flour, you will find a lot of research on the benefits of eating whole grains. I love baking with whole wheat flour so you will also find delicious sourdough whole wheat recipes on Amy Bakes Bread.
What is Sourdough Bread Made of?
Traditional sourdough bread is made from just a few simple ingredients: flour, water, salt and sourdough starter (which is made from flour and water!). But, you can use sourdough to make just about any baked good! I make soft and fluffy sourdough sandwich bread, decadent sourdough cinnamon rolls and even my family’s go-to sourdough dinner rolls are made using the long-fermented sourdough fermentation process.
Sourdough can also be used for its non-leavening properties too. It makes the most flavorful tangy sourdough pancakes, light and tender discard biscuits and even incredible sourdough chocolate chip cookies! When used in this way we are usually using fermented sourdough discard instead of active sourdough starter in recipes for flavor and moisture.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
To make a sourdough starter from scratch we use a process of feeding, discarding, and allowing a mixture of flour and water to ferment and attract the wild yeast and bacteria needed to raise bread dough. I have a guide on how to make a sourdough starter from scratch that will walk you through this process. Plan for about 2-3 weeks until you have a thriving sourdough starter that is ready to make a loaf of bread.
Don’t want to wait? I recommend asking a neighbor or friend, checking in a local Facebook group or purchasing one online.
What Sourdough Recipe Should I Start With?
If you want to learn how to make sourdough bread, you are in the right place. I have so many incredible recipes on my website! I recommend starting with my Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipe and then use your sourdough starter to make some of my favorite Easy Sourdough Recipes.
Easy Sourdough Recipes
Frequently Asked Sourdough Questions
Sourdough uses the natural fermentation cycle of wild yeast and bacteria to raise bread and acidify the dough. This process takes a long time and is dependant on the temperature and activity of the sourdough starter it uses to raise the bread. Bread made with commercial yeast does not have the same benefits of the fermentation process and often has other additives to keep bread fresh for longer.
Sourdough tastes delicious! Contrary to its name, sourdough doesn’t actually have to taste sour. In fact, in my experience, it usually doesn’t taste sour unless you want it to. You can adjust the flavor in your sourdough bread based on how you mix and manage the dough during the fermentation.
After eating exclusively sourdough bread for a few years, I can now taste the “commercial” taste of yeast in bread dough that you don’t get with a sourdough loaf. I love the mild flavor, soft texture and crispy crust of a sourdough artisan loaf.
This one is tricky and you need to watch your labels! Most sourdough bread from a local grocery store is not long-fermented sourdough. It often has vinegar and commercial yeast added to it which makes it taste like sourdough – but without any of the fermentation benefits. If your store-bought sourdough includes commercial yeast, it isn’t fully giving you the benefits of a naturally fermented, 100% loaf.
Check your local farmer’s markets and ask how your loaf was made before purchasing, or use my website to learn to make a loaf of sourdough bread yourself! I recommend starting with my Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipe.
No. Sourdough is not gluten-free. It is typically made from wheat flour which contains gluten. The gluten is pre-digested through the fermentation process, often making it easier for our bodies to digest, but if you have a gluten or wheat allergy, you will not want to eat traditional sourdough bread. If you want to make sourdough gluten free, I recommend Mary Thompson’s cookbook, “Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking.”
Yes. Most traditional sourdough bread recipes that consist of flour, water and salt are vegan. Make sure to double-check your ingredients to be sure!
Sourdough Beginner Guide
What is Sourdough?
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
How to Feed and Maintain a Sourdough Starter
When Is Sourdough Starter Ready to Use? Easy Signs to Look For
What is Sourdough Discard?
How and Why to Make Levain
Sourdough Timeline for Beginners: How To Fit It Into Your Day
How Temperature Affects Sourdough
Sourdough Starter Ratios Explained
Essential Tools for Baking with SourdoughSourdough Frequently Asked Questions
How to Dehydrate and Rehydrate Sourdough Starter
How to Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe
How to Replace Yeast with Sourdough Starter
Adjusting the Sour Flavor in Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Artisan Bread Guide
How to Bake Sourdough in A Loaf Pan
Adding Inclusions to Sourdough Artisan BreadNeed More Help? Take a Sourdough Class with Amy Bakes Bread
Looking for in-depth Sourdough instruction?
You need my online sourdough course.
- Step by Step Instruction on Beginner and Advanced Recipes
- 2+ hours of pre-recorded video instructions
- Community forum to ask questions and help you troubleshoot
- 15+ PDF recipe downloads
- Make incredible sourdough bread today!
So glad to have found you! Just retired and have always wanted to make sourdough (my favorite) bread. Being a nurse for 46 years, I finally have time!
Im horrible with yeast and could never get it right, so Im excited to try this.
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes, recommendations and instructions. I will definitely take your classes.
Thank you Linda! Welcome!
I saw a recipe you had for sourdough bread made with the butter flaked butter. Where can I find that recipe?
Here it is: https://amybakesbread.com/sourdough-croissant-bread/
Thank you for doing this. I learned a lot! I still am not clear on the health benefits of using discard in recipes. I love the recipes that I have tried but are they really healthier? If the answer is yes, then why?
For discard it will depend on the recipe. A recipe like sourdough crackers that uses only the fermented discard has the same health benefits of a naturally fermented bread loaf because the sourdough in it has been through the fermentation process and there is barely any added flour. A recipe that uses discard for moisture or to use it up, like cookies for example, will only have the little added benefit of the fermented starter in it, so probably not as beneficial. BUT, some people like to long-ferment recipes so that the discard basically activates the fermentation cycle in those recipes. In the case of cookie dough, they will let the cookie dough sit in the fridge for a few days to get more of those fermentation benefits into their cookies. Hope that helps!