Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of leavened bread known to humans.

Archaeological evidence suggests that naturally fermented bread was being made as early as 3000 BCE in ancient Egypt. For most of human history, sourdough was the only way to make bread rise.

Commercial yeast didn’t become widely available until the late 19th century. While it made bread faster and more predictable, it also replaced the slow fermentation process that had shaped bread for centuries.

Today, sourdough represents a return to traditional baking—one that values time, technique, and flavor over speed.