Wondering what to do with sourdough bread? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 35 recipes to put it to work.

What is sourdough bread?

Sourdough bread is naturally leavened bread, raised by a live sourdough starter instead of packaged yeast. That starter is a culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, and the acids those bacteria produce give the bread its signature tang and its long keeping quality.

The texture is the other signature. A proper loaf has a thick, chewy, crackly crust and an open, irregular crumb full of holes, the result of a long, slow fermentation rather than a quick rise.

Flavor ranges from mildly sour to sharply tangy depending on the starter and how long the dough ferments. A cold overnight rise builds more acid and more flavor.

Cooking With Sourdough

Sourdough toasts beautifully. The dense, chewy crumb crisps at the edges and stays substantial in the middle, which is why it makes such good French toast in Peach French Toast or a Banana Stuffed French Toast that soaks up custard without falling apart.

It is the grilled cheese bread. A sturdy slice of sourdough takes the heat and the butter of an Easy Grilled Cheese Sandwich and crisps to a shatter while the cheese melts inside, and it stands up to the load in a Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms & Apple.

The tang cuts through rich and fatty fillings, which is why sourdough anchors a Dagwood Sandwiches stacked high with deli meats.

A round loaf hollowed out becomes a bread bowl for thick soup or a creamy dip. The chewy crust holds liquid long enough to eat the bowl afterward.

Day-old sourdough is too good to waste. Cube and toast it into the croutons that top an Arugula Salad with Garlic Croutons, Gruyere & Eggs, or tear it into a savory bread pudding or strata.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Sourdough pairs with sharp cheeses and cured meats, with butter and jam, and with a bowl of soup or stew. Its acidity does what a squeeze of lemon does, lifting rich food and standing up to strong flavors.

The most common mistake is slicing a hot loaf. Sourdough keeps cooking and setting its crumb as it cools, and cutting in early gives you a gummy, sticky interior. Wait at least an hour, ideally two.

The other slip is storing it wrong and killing the crust. Sealed in plastic while warm, that crackly crust goes soft and leathery within hours, so let a loaf breathe.

Substitutes

No sourdough on hand? A rustic, crusty country loaf or pain de campagne gives you the same chewy crust and sturdy crumb, just without the tang. It handles toast and sandwiches and makes fine croutons.

To get closer to that sour note, a slice of rye or a deli pumpernickel brings its own acidity and depth. For grilled cheese or a panini, ciabatta matches the chew if not the flavor.

If a recipe wants sourdough specifically for the acidity, a tiny splash of plain yogurt or a squeeze of lemon in the dish nudges the flavor in the right direction, though it will not replace the bread's structure.

Buying and Storing

A real sourdough loaf has a dark, blistered, genuinely hard crust and an open crumb. Tap the bottom and listen for a hollow sound.

Many supermarket loaves are just sourdough-flavored yeast bread, soft all over with no real chew, so read past the label.

Store a cut loaf cut-side down on a board or in a paper bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Skip the fridge, since refrigerator temperatures actually stale bread faster than the counter does.

Sourdough's natural acidity helps it resist mold longer than plain bread, so it keeps a little better.

For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze it airtight for up to 3 months, then toast slices straight from frozen. A whole stale loaf revives with a 10-minute bake at 350°F (175°C) after a light spritz of water, which crisps the crust and softens the crumb again.

Quick facts

In Chinese

发酵面包

British (UK) term

Sourdough bread

en français

pain au levain

en español

pan de masa fermentada

Recipes using sourdough bread

There are 35 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 35 recipes