Sourdough Bread Market By Product Type (Traditional Sourdough Bread, Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, Multigrain Sourdough Bread, Rye Sourdough Bread, Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread, Others), By Form (Fresh Sourdough Bread, Frozen Sourdough Bread, Others), By Application (Breads & Buns, Cookies, Cakes, Pizza, Others), By Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), and By End-user (Household, Foodservice, Hospitality, Retailers), Global Market Size, Segmental analysis, Regional Overview, Company share analysis, Leading Company Profiles And Market Forecast, 2025 – 2035

Industry Outlook

The Sourdough Bread market accounted for USD 3.87 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 8.53 Billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of around 7.45% between 2025 and 2035. The Sourdough Bread Market aims at the world demand or supply of and people's consumption of sourdough bread, which is bread prepared through wild yeast and bacteria without the use of yeast. It has grown due to increasing consumer demand for health-conscious, quality, and natural bread products.

Sourdough bread is preferred because of its flavors, textures, and nutrients, such as easy digestibility and low glycemic index. Stimuli that prompt the market are dietary changes, the extinction of natural products, and the spirit of gourmet small-scale bakery products.

Report Scope:

Market Dynamics

Health-conscious Consumers Propel Sourdough Bread Popularity and Demand

Modern consumers are more conscious of the food they eat, and so they prefer sourdough bread because of the perceived health effects it has. Sourdough is created through a different process of fermentation, and it makes the glutenin content in flour much less daunting on the stomach as compared to normal bread. Further, the length of time the dough is left to ferment results in baking a loaf with a lower glycemic index that is good for anyone worrying about their blood sugar levels.

Many consumers are also pulled to sourdough’s short list of ingredients, which include flour, water, salt, and natural starter culture. As a basic recipe that does not involve even cooking and uses just almonds, it also corresponds to the current tendencies in healthy eating. With consumers in search of a healthier form of bread, than the ones churned out by factories, sourdough continues to enjoy a strategic market position among customers who consider health essential for their bodies.

Increased Preference for Natural, Artisanal Breads Boosts Market

With people moving largely towards natural and artisan bread, the sourdough bread market has received a major fillip. The public is shifting to natural bread produced in large volumes with additives and preservatives in the continued advances toward healthier food products. Authentic sourdough breads made by hand using extended time, natural, wild, native, indigenous, or captured yeast cultures have become a mark of handmade. This shift to natural bread produced in large volumes with additives and preservatives in value and continued advances towards healthier food products. 

Such preference is associated with differentiated taste, quality, and enriched nutritional value for consumers, and advocacy for local and craftsmanship bakeries. Sourdough is another example of handcrafted bread that is gaining increasing demand among consumers and, accordingly, the corresponding product line is still steadily developing, especially in regions where consumers care about local food cultures. This trend is developing smaller bakeries and is making it easier to find more upgraded types of sourdough bread in grocery stores and various shops.

High Production Costs Limit Sourdough Bread Market Expansion

The sourdough bread market has given many barriers to growth due to the high cost of production linked with the original, slow processes of production. True sourdough bread needs a very long fermentation period, which can be between 24 and 48 hours, which causes an increase in labor and energy production compared to factory bread.

Having come to learn that consumers are increasingly selecting food items that contain fewer chemicals, artificial flavors, and preservatives, making sourdough can be expensive because of the cost of the raw organic ingredients and natural fermentation which makes sourdough less affordable in sensitive markets. Although many rely on purchasing healthier products made by artisans, the elaboration costs in the case of using high-quality ingredients and manual work are considerably higher, which makes the product not very suitable for markets with less keen on product price/quality ratio.

This remains a barrier to the realization of mass users in emerging markets where the costs of technologies are closely examined. Also, the shortage of experienced bakers who would be able to handle the fermentation process contributes to the cost factors and hence the constraint on the growth of production capacities.

Consequently, there is doubt that the bakeries and producers could cover the increasing demand while at the same time not increasing the price beyond the reach of target consumers. To enable producers to better deal with these barriers there are some approaches to making production faster or using semi-industrial technologies which are both qualitative and cheap.

Growing Interest in Organic Ingredients Enhances Sourdough Bread Sales

Organic ingredients are the main trend on the world market, thus the excess demand for organic sourdough bread. The public is becoming more concerned with their health and the environment, therefore, the products made from organic flour and natural yeast with the least number of preservatives are most preferred.

As a result, combining relatively clean-label inspirational ingredients and environmentally friendly packaging makes perfect sense as of today's trends. Sourdough also aligns with this trend as it has a minimalistic ingredient deck positioned to appeal to the environmentally conscious consumer. This change towards organic foods is reflected in areas like North America and Europe where the consumer is ready to bear extra costs for organic naturally fermented products.

With the recent emphasis on organic farming, a greater desire toward organics, and owing to the alerted consciousness of synthetic chemicals and preservatives, there is a growing inclination toward artisanal bread such as sourdough bread. With the increasing knowledge of consumers on issues to do with food sourcing and quality, the need for organic sourdough is expected to increase even more in the future.

Also, this trend has influenced many of the bakeries and producers for a chance to buy their produce from organic farms. Although sustainability is currently the most popular topic, many producers of sourdoughs are also turning organic, as well as their packaging and production materials, into environmentally friendly ones. This shift is proving to help market expansion as well as promote the development of new organic and more sustainable options in bread.

Expansion of Sourdough Bread in Health-Conscious and Vegan Markets

Sourdough bread has gained popularity within the vegan and healthy consumer group since more people across the world adopted health-conscious and vegan diets. Sourdough does not contain dairy or eggs, and therefore it fits perfectly into the vegan diet; being fermented, the bread has even more health benefits such as easier digestion, and a lower glycemic index.

Another customer segment is concerned about the health benefits to their guts, and sourdough comes in handy with the little probiotics. This increasing inclination towards naturally fermented and whole grain bread has benefited sourdough in absorbing the rising vegan market customer base, who look for nutritious, natural, plant-based products.

Sourcing gluten-free and organic bread increases, and so does the market for sourdough, be it in niche bakery stores or mass supermarkets associated with a healthy diet. Gluten-free sourdough breads have also come to the market, this increases the group of people willing to and able to consume the bread at an exponential rate.

New versions of the traditional bread are being introduced to the market by most of the established sourdough brands including multigrain and spelt through marketing them as healthy. Also, due to advancements in technology and the influence of e-commerce, buyers can now get specialty sourdough products that meet their health and other needs.

Industry Experts Opinion

 “Unique for its fermentation process, sourdough offers a tangy taste and is less intensive on gluten sensitivity. Fermentation helps improve nutrient absorption due to the presence of lactic acid.”

• Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, fitness and nutrition advisor at Fortune Recommends Health

“Sprouted grain bread is dense in nutrients such as b-vitamins and trace minerals, while the refined grains found in most regular types of bread are devoid of many naturally occurring nutrients. These types of bread are also higher in fiber and lead to a lower spike in blood sugar after consumption.

• Sarah Herrington MS, CNC, CPT nutritionist for Brio-Medical

Segment Analysis

Based on product type, the Sourdough Bread Market is classified into Traditional Sourdough Bread, Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, Multigrain Sourdough Bread, Rye Sourdough Bread, Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread, and Others. Traditional Sourdough is the most popular because of the memorable sour taste and dense texture flavored with sourdough fermentation. Whole Wheat Sourdough serves as a more nutritionally dense and textured option in comparison to Whole Wheat Sourdough and Multigrain

Sourdough targets active and more experienced palates that do not ignore additional vitamins and improved taste. Rye Sourdough is more popular, not nearly as good as wheat, due to its density and earthy flavor, and Gluten-Free Sourdough has gained popularity because more and more people are conscious of whatever they are putting into their bodies.

Based on applications, the Sourdough Bread is classified into Breads & Buns, Cookies, Cakes, Pizza, and Others. The Breads & Buns segment is in the leadership position of the market, as its value proposition of a tangy taste and a relatively short shelf life suits the creation of artisanal bread loaves and buns. It is also used in Cookies and Cakes; the sour arrival of the tangy starter gives more flavor to baked products.

The pizza segment's new trend of having sourdough pizza crusts was noted to give a nice flavorful, chewy base to toppings. The Others category contains any products based on sourdough beyond pastries and crackers, as well as the ever-growing list of uses of the dough in traditional and new recipes alike, such as in sauces and soups.

Regional Analysis

North America is the largest market for sourdough bread, although the United States and Canada markets have been constantly growing their markets due to increasing consumer consciousness on healthy foods and locally baked artisan products. In these markets, sourdough bread is on the rise on account of rising interest in naturally fermented, clean-label products triggered by the growing demand for gut health and probiotics. The requirement for organic ingredients and specialty breads also relates to the new market of health-conscious consumers, and as such North America is the biggest market for sourdough bread in the world. Now that consumers are more focused on the quality of the product, they are consuming, sourdough has been embraced in both specialty bakeries and supermarkets.

The Asia-Pacific region is currently experiencing a much higher growth rate for sourdough bread than other parts of the world especially China, India, and Japan among others. Increased population density, per capita income, and changing dietary preferences towards Healthier and more diversified breads such as Sourdough breads tip the demand in the more developed countries.

New knowledge about the health effects of fermented food, as well as shifts in taste towards craft and gluten-free bread, is driving up sales of sourdough in this area. New concepts are adopted from one nation to the other, and hence, one of the latest ones, sourdough bread, is emerging to be popular, and thus, the Asia-Pacific region is becoming the biggest market for sourdough bread in the world.  

Competitive Landscape

King Arthur Baking Company and Panera Bread are both benefiting from the increased market for healthy sourdough bread due to changes in consumer perception of unhealthy bread. King Arthur is also on an upward trajectory by investing in new simple, organic, and gluten-free sourdough starters, amidst more people learning to bake at home, and a trend toward more authentic ingredients.

Sustainability is also a major concern for the company with the use of regenerative agriculture and the smallest carbon footprint. In contrast, Panera Bread is diversifying sourdough performing artisan sourdough sandwiches in the niche area of premium, freshly baked, and healthy options. A few of the company execution strategies are an increased penetration of plant-based offerings and an improvement of customers’ experience by expanding mobile ordering and delivery services options. The two businesses consider sustainable solutions and clean labels, to address the new-age consumer demands for healthy and sustainable food.

Sourdough Bread Market, Company Shares Analysis, 2024

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Recent Developments:

• In March 2024, Dave’s Killer Bread products launched Organic Rock 'N' Rolls. This new product is Dave's Killer Bread's first roll to be sold nationwide and satisfies consumer demand for a wider variety of bread options.
• In September 2023, King Arthur Baking Co. unveiled the new gluten-free bread flour at Natural Products Expo West 2023. The item is the most recent addition to King Arthur's collection of over two dozen gluten-free flours and mixes.

Report Coverage:

By Type

• Traditional Sourdough Bread
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
• Multigrain Sourdough Bread
• Rye Sourdough Bread
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
• Others

By Form

• Fresh Sourdough Bread
• Frozen Sourdough Bread
• Others

By Application

• Breads & Buns
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Pizza
• Others

By Distribution Channels

• Online
• Offline

 By End User

• Household
• Foodservice
• Hospitality
• Retailers

By Region

North America

• The U.S.
• Canada

Europe

• U.K.
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• Australia
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

• GCC Countries
• South Africa
• Rest of the Middle East & Africa

List of Companies:

• King Arthur Baking Company
• La Brea Bakery
• Dave's Killer Bread
• Sally’s Sourdough
• Ezekiel Bread
• Panera Bread
• The Rustik Oven
• Acme Bread Company
• Bread Alone Bakery
• Wild Grain Bakery
• Boudin Bakery
• Schär
• Rudi’s Organic Bakery
• Ciriello's Bakery
• Tartine Bakery
• Country Life Natural Foods
• Oroweat

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)