Best Supermarket Sourdough Loaves to Try in Your Weekly Shop

Published: 25 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Remember a time before sourdough ruled the bakery roost? A simpler era when tiger bread was a fancy weekend treat, or a French stick would serve as a solid go-to. Now, sourdough is everywhere and has even become a status symbol. Some bakeries with cult followings sell out each morning, even on weekdays, with queues snaking out the doors. Unsurprisingly, supermarkets had to get in on the action and create their own versions.

Thought to date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, sourdough is far from new, yet defining it can be tricky. “‘Sourdough’ isn’t a legally protected term, so technically any bread can currently be called sourdough,” explains Swie Joo, head baker at The Palmerston restaurant in Edinburgh, which bakes all of its own sourdough onsite in its downstairs bakery.

Generally, to be considered true sourdough, the bread must be made with a live sourdough starter—a culture made from natural yeast and bacteria—and undergo a slow fermentation process. Joo advises checking the ingredients list of supermarket loaves carefully. If ‘yeast’ appears as an ingredient, it’s not a genuine sourdough, because no additional yeast should be added.

Sourdough is a leavened bread, meaning the dough naturally rises due to the action of natural yeast, creating its distinct air pockets. A well-made loaf has a spongy, well-structured crumb with evenly sized holes. When fermentation or baking goes wrong, it can result in ‘tunnelling,’ where the holes are too large and unevenly distributed.

For those planning the perfect dinner party, the IndyBest team has also reviewed other supermarket essentials to complement your meals. From top olive oils and wines to champagnes and whiskies, we cover every phase of your entertaining needs.

To see whether supermarkets could truly impress with their sourdough loaves, I taste-tested more than 20 options, evaluating their crust, crumb, flavour, and freshness. Here’s what I discovered, highlighting the supermarket loaves that are truly worth adding to your weekly shop and those that fell short.