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Do you remember the time when yeast dough ruled the bakery scene? A simpler time, when tiger bread was a fancy weekend bread, or French sticks were a solid choice. Now, sourdough is everywhere and has even become a status symbol. Some bakeries with cult followers have sales every morning (even on weekdays) and queues out the door. So, of course, supermarkets had to get in on the action and create their own.
It is believed that its history dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, sourdough is nothing new, but it is difficult to agree on what its definition is. “‘Sourdough’ is not a legally protected term, so technically any bread can currently be called sourdough,” explains Swi Xu, head baker. Palmerston Restaurant In Edinburgh, which bakes its own excellent sourdough in its ground-floor bakery.
Generally, to be considered sourdough, bread must be made with a live sourdough starter (a culture made from natural yeast, not store-bought, and bacteria) and go through a slow fermentation process. Xu recommends that you check the ingredient list of sourdough bread before purchasing it because if it lists ‘yeast’, it is not true sourdough, as yeast should not be added.
Sourdough is a leavened bread, meaning that the dough rises naturally as a result of natural yeast, creating distinct air pockets. A well-prepared dough has a nice spongy ‘crumb’ (the internal structure of the bread) with evenly sized and distributed air pockets. If fermentation or baking goes wrong, it can cause ‘tunneling’, where the holes are too large and frequent.
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To see if supermarkets can really impress with their sourdough loaves, I tasted over 20 loaves of bread. Here’s how I got on.
how i tested
First and foremost, I kept head baker Swee Ju’s advice in mind when analyzing each bread’s ingredient list. I then tasted over 20 loaves of bread, including pre-sliced and unsliced loaves from all the major supermarkets’ own ranges. I also tested some well-known branded and high-end options that are available in supermarkets. Where available, I chose a white bread, so each sample was as similar as could be. I eat it plain, in sandwiches, and on toast with butter. When taste-testing, I considered the following:
- Piece: I was looking for a good crumb (the inner part of the bread), which should be spongy, evenly sized and fairly open with well-distributed air pockets. A well-fermented dough should have a moderately open crumb with holes and a flexible texture. Overall growth was also considered.
- Crust: I looked at the outside of the bread and whether it had a nice crusty crunch. I also considered whether any of the loaves had toppings, such as seeds.
- Taste: Sourdough bread is known for its delicate sour and tangy flavor, so I assessed how noticeable it was. I also evaluated whether the flavor leaned toward traditional white sourdough or whether it had an earthy, nutty flavor like whole-wheat bread.
- shelf life: I kept track of how long each loaf remained fresh, and noted when signs of rancidity and mold appeared. Sourdough lasts about two to three days before turning rancid and may show mold after five to seven days. If it lasts longer than this, it may suggest that preservatives were used in the bake.
Why can you trust IndyBest reviews?
emma henderson He is fond of eating himself. She was also the editor of IndyEats, The Independent’’s monthly digital food magazine, and was twice shortlisted for “Best Food Magazine” at the Guild of Food Writers Awards. She’s sampled everything from the Michelin-recommended menu best olive oilSo she knows exactly what’s worth tasting. When it comes to the sour, he has tasted everything good, bad and questionably dirty in the name of journalism. Each bread in this review has been rigorously tested, from smelling and cutting to coating in butter.
The best supermarket sourdough bread for 2025 is:
- overall best – Wild Farmed White Sourdough Bread: £4, waitrose.com
- best budget option – Sainsbury’s Taste of Difference White Sour Half Bloomer: £2, sainsburys.co.uk
- best to taste – Waitrose No 1 White Sourdough Bread: £2.25, waitrose.com
- Best Gluten-Free – Good Grain Bakery Gluten-Free Seeded Sourdough: £6.20, Ocado.com
- best for toast – Co-op Irresistible Slow Cooker White Sour Bloomers: £2.50, Coop.co.uk