The Reality Check Is Here
Remember when everyone was obsessing over their sourdough starters during the pandemic? When social media feeds were flooded with perfect, crusty loaves and people talked about their starters like beloved pets? Well, it turns out not everyone stuck with it. Our national fascination with sourdough starter appears to have stopped. Or at least slowed down a bit. But here’s the thing that might surprise you – while the mainstream hype has definitely cooled off, searches for ‘sourdough’ have seen a steady increase since the pandemic – with a 3X resurgence already happening in 2024.
The numbers tell a fascinating story about our collective attention span. The price of baking flour fell last month along with the price of eggs, suggesting that the baking craze that gripped hungry and housebound consumers in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic has cooled. Yet somehow, some of us just can’t quit this ancient bread-making technique.
Why My Alarm Goes Off Before Sunrise
There’s something almost meditative about starting your day with dough. At six in the morning, the world is quiet, and it’s just me, my starter, and the promise of fresh bread. Recently, there seems to be a renewed interest in sourdough bread, with hundreds of people developing their own starters and practicing home-made recipes. Though making sourdough bread has become a popular activity, the bread has been around for thousands of years. It’s this connection to history that draws me in every morning.
Early morning baking isn’t just about convenience – it’s about rhythm. Sourdough takes time, attention to detail and patience. Bakers certainly had time on their hands. The pre-dawn hours offer exactly that kind of unhurried space. Plus, there’s nothing quite like the smell of fresh sourdough wafting through your house as everyone else wakes up.
The Health Benefits Keep Me Coming Back
Let’s be honest – part of my morning routine is driven by the genuine health advantages. Sourdough bread is particularly rich in nutrients that the body can easily absorb. This is due to the way that the lactic acid bacteria in the bread interacts with these nutrients. These bacteria destroy certain types of acid commonly found in other types of bread, which increases the availability of nutrients like folate, potassium, and magnesium. It’s like getting a nutritional upgrade with every slice.
The fermentation process creates benefits you just can’t get from regular bread. Eating sourdough bread may help you keep your blood sugar levels more stable than if you were to eat white bread. The bacteria that helps form sourdough also have a unique effect on the starch in the bread. It changes the structure of the bread molecules — making your body absorb them slower, which lowers the bread’s glycemic index. This means that your insulin levels will not spike as high after eating a slice of sourdough bread as they would after eating white bread.
The Market Is Still Growing Despite the Hype Fade
Here’s where things get really interesting. While casual home bakers might have moved on to other trends, the sourdough market itself is thriving. Sourdough Market was valued at US$ 2.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 3.8 billion in 2029, to surge a CAGR of 9.2% during 2024 to 2029. The global Sourdough Market is on a trajectory of prominent growth, with an estimated value projected to reach USD 3.8 billion by 2029 from the 2024 valuation of USD 2.5 billion, displaying a promising Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.2%.
Traditional sourdough remains the top choice in the global bread market, holding a significant 40% market share in 2025. This dominance is driven by consumers’ growing interest in authentic, naturally leavened bread. So while your neighbor might have abandoned their starter, the bread industry is doubling down on sourdough innovation.
Beyond Basic Bread
The evolution of sourdough has been remarkable to watch. Baking fresh sourdough bread at home went mainstream during the pandemic, but now the natural fermentation byproduct that contains wild yeasts and healthy bacteria has become a key ingredient in things like crackers, baking mixes and pastas. From a nutrition standpoint, Sassos said that “sourdough contains lactic acid that can help your body absorb more nutrients.” This expansion into new product categories shows that sourdough’s benefits are being recognized beyond traditional loaves.
Companies are getting creative with applications. Some of the most popular products among customers are also hybrid sourdough types which can be found in products like sourdough-inspired viennoiserie, high-protein functional breads, and gut-health-focused sourdough formulations. For example, Puratos has a sourdough starter, O-tentic Durum, mainly targeted at bakers looking for a mild, sweet-tangy profile. It’s fascinating to see how this ancient technique is being adapted for modern nutritional needs.
The Science Speaks for Itself
Recent research continues to validate what early morning bakers like me have been experiencing firsthand. Traditional sourdough bread made with wild yeast and bacteria has several benefits over bread made with commercial baker’s yeast. Because of the organic acids produced by the Lactobacillus bacteria, sourdough has a lower pH than standard bread. This not only gives it a desirable “sour” flavor and longer shelf-life, but also makes the bread kinder to your gut.
The low pH of sourdough bread, combined with its long fermentation time, allows nutrients, like carbohydrates and proteins with a more complex structure, to get a “head start” on digestion by partially breaking down into smaller units. For these reasons, sourdough has been shown to be more digestible than standard bread fermented with baker’s yeast. This explains why I feel more satisfied and energized after my morning sourdough compared to regular toast.
The Persistent Bakers
While the mainstream trend may have cooled, there’s a dedicated community that never stopped. Baking coach Hoffman says that while some people are eager to ditch their pandemic cookbooks, others have developed new tastes and talents that will last long after the lockdowns are over. “I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re very surprised how much joy they’re finding in bread baking,” she says. “So, yeah, I do think there are a lot of people that have found a new love for it and are going to stick around.”
Some sources indicate that pandemic baking turned into a long-term higher interest in home baking. According to Freedonia Group, “home baking activity remains more popular [in 2023] compared to 2019”. According to Supermarket News, in the US there was “a lingering interest in the activity, which…is helping buoy retail sales of baking ingredients”. We’re the ones keeping the dream alive at dawn.
The Ritual Matters More Than the Trend
What I’ve learned from my early morning baking sessions is that some activities transcend trends. So it’s kind of a magical thing to be able to do something like make bread. I’ve been a cook for a really long time, and there hasn’t been anything as satisfying to me as making a loaf of bread. The process itself – the feeding of the starter, the patient waiting, the transformation of simple ingredients – offers something that quick fixes can’t match.
There’s also something deeply satisfying about mastering a craft that has sustained humans for millennia. Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation. Experts believe it originated in ancient Egypt around 1500 B.C. and remained the main method of leavening bread until baker’s yeast replaced it a few hundred years ago. When I’m shaping dough at 6 AM, I’m participating in a tradition that spans thousands of years.
The Real Commitment
Let’s not sugarcoat it – sourdough baking is work. Sourdough baking is a complex and nuanced process that demands a certain level of skill and understanding. Mastering the art of sourdough requires proficiency in managing a sourdough starter, which involves regular feeding and maintenance. Understanding fermentation dynamics is crucial, as temperature and starter activity influence dough development and fermentation rates. This complexity is exactly why so many people gave up when the novelty wore off.
Beginners often struggle with dough handling and shaping. Additionally, the time and patience required for sourdough baking may deter beginners. Therefore, the complexity of the process may look daunting, deter individuals from undertaking the baking process, and hamper the market’s growth. But for those of us who stick with it, these challenges become part of the appeal.
The Social Media Reality
The truth is, most of those Instagram-perfect sourdough posts have disappeared from our feeds. Oh god, just shag your sourdough starter why don’t you,” columnist Dolly Alderton tweeted last week, capturing the mood of those who haven’t yet joined the cult . The backlash was real, and it was swift. Social media moved on to other food trends, leaving dedicated bakers to continue their craft without the pressure of perfect photography.
The “Sourdough Savvy Collection” on our website is a great place to browse for essential sourdough tools. We also see the influence of social media, with spaces like Reddit (r/breddit), Pinterest, Instagram and even King Arthur’s own site and social channels featuring amazing imagery of fantastic sourdough boulles, further fueling the excitement and inspiring more bread baking. The communities are smaller now, but they’re more focused and passionate than ever.
My 6 AM Confession
So why do I still set my alarm for 6 AM to bake sourdough? Because some things are worth doing even when the trend fades. Many people picked up baking skills a few years ago and are now using them as a way to unplug from the chaos of everyday life. Bread baking is not only a stress reliever, but it also gives bakers control over the ingredients they use. In a world of constant change and uncertainty, there’s profound comfort in the predictable magic of fermentation.
The hype may be fading, but the bread keeps rising. And honestly, that’s exactly how I like it – less noise, more focus, and the quiet satisfaction of starting each day with something I created with my own hands. The early birds may have the worms, but we early bakers have the best bread in town.
