sourdough

[souuhr-doh, sou-er-]

noun

1. fermented dough retained from one baking and used as leaven, rather than fresh yeast, to start the next.

2. bread leavened with this fermented dough.

   Pick up a loaf of sourdough and a baguette, too.

3. a prospector or pioneer, especially in Alaska or Canada.

4. any longtime resident, especially in Alaska or Canada.

adjective

1. leavened with sourdough.

   sourdough bread.

sourdough

/ ˈsaʊəˌdəʊ /

adjective

1. dialect,  (of bread) made with fermented dough used as a leaven

noun

1. (in Western US, Canada, and Alaska) an old-time prospector or pioneer

Word History and Origins

Origin of sourdough¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English: literally, “leaven, leavened bread” ; sour, dough

Example Sentences

For the baker in your life, the extra-wide slots accommodate thick sourdough slices without a fuss, and the precise settings deliver a reliably even toast every time.

Read more on Salon

A fellow walked into a bike shop in Ontario, carrying a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the process, she become a San Francisco institution, as venerated as the Golden Gate Bridge and beloved as the city’s tangy sourdough bread.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"You now have slice concepts, London pizza, new haven, sourdough, Neapolitan, Detroit - it's a heavenly minefield for a pizza-loving consumer to explore."

Read more on BBC

When I say natural yeast, I mean yeast that’s found in sourdoughs.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• cake 
• crepe 
• waffle