Store-bought Vs. Traditional Sourdough

“I can just get sourdough at the store for $4”

“But what is at the store isn’t sourdough!”

Did you know there is no legally protected or enforced definition for sourdough in the USA?

Traditionally, sourdough is four ingredients: flour, water, sourdough starter, salt. Typically, sourdough starter is not even included because it is just flour and water itself!

My label: Unenriched unbleached wheat flour, water, sourdough starter (wild yeast culture), salt.

The sourdough you can get at a chain supermarket has 6 ingredients (not counting the enrichments in the flour which would be 12).

Their label: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, salt, wheat gluten, fermented wheat flour (preservative), yeast.

This post won't cover the different flour and enrichments, I will make one later on that. By my own preference, I use unenriched and unbleached bread flour to avoid the extra chemicals and processing. However, everyone has their own preferences and limits for what they desire in their flour. The most affordable flours are typically bleached and enriched.

Those last three ingredients are where supermarket ‘sourdough’ varies drastically from traditional sourdough.

1.     Wheat Gluten

All wheat flour has gluten though the amounts vary by wheat type. However, this is an additive. It is a super concentrated powder that has about 75% wheat flour protein. Just like the protein in our muscles, this protein helps hold the bread together and makes the dough stronger and more elastic. This is an additive to improve the consistency of the loaves since protein content can depend per batch of flour. It is not an inherently bad additive but is not used traditionally in sourdough.

In my own baking, I use a flour that has 12.7% protein content. This protein is found naturally in the wheat. I do not add any extra into my dough.

The process of mixing and folding is what creates the gluten strength in sourdough. This is put into store bought bread to reduce hands-on time.

2.     Fermented Wheat Flour

This is where they get the faux sourdough taste. It is made by fermenting wheat flour with a bacterium, in this case likely Propionibacterium freudenreichii. This is also a well-known bypass to appear to have a “cleaner” label then using artificial preservatives. Traditional sourdough starters also have bacterium, but it is a lactic acid variety. The types of bacteria specifically can vary by region, age of starter, environment and more, the most common being Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. One important difference: the bacterium in traditional sourdough works together with the yeast in the fermentation process, they are not working separately as in commercial bread.

3.     Yeast

Well, duh! Most breads need yeast to rise.

Just like with the bacteria, there are some major differences in the type used in traditional versus commercial bread. The yeast listed in the commercial bread is something called baker’s yeast, you likely have a version of it in your pantry. It is a single-celled cultivated fungus, typically Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast has been cultivated to be extremely efficient at metabolizing sugars and starches into carbon dioxide. It is also typically fed and maintained using sugar and nitrogen nutrients.

Traditional sourdough starters are wild yeast cultures. Just as mentioned above regarding bacteria, the types of yeast found in sourdough starters can vary by many factors. The more common types of yeast are Saccharomyces cerevisiae(baker’s yeast), Kazachstania humilis, and Kazachstania exigua. In starters, there is typically 1-3 dominant yeast species. Studies have found over 30 different types across the world.

Sourdough starters vary drastically throughout many cultures! Some use fermented juices to kickstart the process even others use sugar to create a sweet starter. The most prevalent type right now is just flour and water, which is what my starter is composed of. Ideally, a starter is fed once or twice a day at a specific seed starter, water, and flour ratio. There are no sugar or nitrogen compounds added to speed up the process, just time and nature’s wonder.

In sourdough, the bacteria and yeast work symbiotically to ferment flour and water, creating a leavening agent that makes bread rise while providing a tangy flavor and a stable, acidic environment that prevents spoilage. The yeast produces carbon dioxide for leavening (airiness).

The yeast in commercial bread has been cultivated to be potent and efficient; it’s meant for consistent results. Which is fine! I use yeast all the time for my own personal baking. It makes very fluffy bread and quickly ferments dough for a fast sandwich loaf. I’m not here to bash yeast, it’s great in its own place!

My issue is marketing this as sourdough when it is not.

Final difference: baking process!

Commercial bread is baked at 400-450F for 15-25 minutes. The yeast used in this bread is extremely efficient at making cardon dioxide. More air in the bread means a faster bake and this is why it is usually softer and bakes faster

Sourdough is baked at high-heat (450-500F+) with high moisture, typically added steam. Typically baked for 30-45 minutes until the internal temperature is around 200F+ (this varies by altitude). Additionally, the longer fermentation time alters starch structures which makes them easier to bake, becoming crispier.

Fundamentally, sourdough and yeast bread are different! Different gluten, bacteria, yeast, fermentation times, and baking times.

Yeast bread is soft, fluffy, and comes in together very fast with little hands-on time. Just mix, let proof in a bowl for an hour or two, and bake. Using commercial yeast is consistent and beginner friendly. Most of the baking process for commercial bread is done by machines in an extremely controlled environment. If this is what you prefer, that is great!

Sourdough is slightly chewy, crunchier, tangier, and takes roughly 12-24 hours to come together. It requires a good amount of hands-on time, though that varies by baker and recipe. I spend about an hour with my hands on dough from mixing to stretch and folds to shaping and baking. with a few hours between of warm and cold fermentation time. It also takes years to master and is an ever-changing process given environmental and dough temperatures, humidity, and so many other factors. Every loaf will be a little different than before and that is the beauty of it.

So no, you are not getting sourdough at the store for $4. You are getting a poor imitation.

Taste Test

I bought it to see for myself! The storebought sourdough was virtually tasteless and had a dry texture. There were a lot of small holes and a consistent crumb texture. It was very soft and tall and left an indentation when I pressed with my finger.

My sourdough, baked fresh the same day, was slightly chewy and had a slight tang to it. It was a bit stiffer and flatter. There is more variation in hole sizes in the crumb, but overall, even. It popped right back when pressed.

I completely understand that artisan goods aren’t affordable for everyone, that is why I’m so open to teaching others. Learning to bake bread, yeast or sourdough, for yourself is a complete game changer. Whatever you bake will taste much better than storebought!

Momma Mae’s Sourdough Goods, 2026

This work was researched and written by an individual without use of AI. I do not allow this work to be used for model training.