sourdough

American  

[sauuhr-doh, sau-er-] / ˈsaʊərˌdoʊ, ˈsaʊ ər- /

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.

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adjective

1. leavened with sourdough.

   sourdough bread.

sourdough British  

/ ˈsaʊəˌdəʊ /

adjective

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

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noun

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

Etymology

Origin of sourdough

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

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Explanation

Sourdough is bread that's made with a fermented mixture of flour and water instead of yeast. If you have some sourdough starter, you can easily bake your own sourdough loaf. Before it came to mean "fermented dough" in the 19th century, sourdough simply meant "leavened bread." Sourdough tastes a tiny bit sour, thanks to the fermentation that helps the bread rise. The practice of saving a piece of dough from a previous loaf and using it to bake another one became especially popular during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon territories. It was so common, in fact, that sourdough was a well-known nickname for experienced prospectors.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sourdough

I love tossing it with cubetti pasta, peas and canned white beans for a quick pasta salad, but it’s also fantastic smeared on sourdough toast and piled with olive oil-marinated vegetables.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

They used to have my favorite breakfast in the world: sourdough, soft scramble, prosciutto and Parmesan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

That has been a welcome turn of events for Ashley Richoux, 33, a sourdough baker who posts caviar reviews on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

A new twist on the cottage-core looks that emerged post-pandemic, instead of gingham, wicker bags and sourdough starters, it's all about looking like you're fresh from planting seeds or operating a lawnmower.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The Bay Area has a reputation for its sourdough bread, so I figured the air outside my house would be an excellent hunting ground for wild yeast.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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Related Words

• cake
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