Freshly Baked Sourdough in San Diego

Between gluten sensitivities and anti-carb diets, bread had gotten a reputation as “bad” food. In part, this is because much of the mass-produced, commercially available bread is heavily processed and nutrient-poor. But, there’s an interest in sourdough bread—and the local bakers who make it—due to its better-for-you health benefits. While homemade sourdough had its moment during the pandemic, the amount of time it takes to make has inspired more people in the community to turn to experts like cottage bakers and neighborhood shops. 

Sourdough is the oldest type of leavened bread in the world, though since sourdough starter uses wild yeast from the air around it, each region’s version of the bread is distinctive. It is rich in antioxidants and thanks to the lactic acid in the bread (that also gives sourdough its tangy taste), its nutrients, like folate, potassium, and magnesium, are more bioavailable. Sourdough is also a fermented food—like kimchi or kombucha—supplying healthy prebiotics that help keep your gut microbiome healthy. The fermentation process also helps decrease the amount of gluten in sourdough bread, making it easier to digest for people with gluten sensitivities. That may be the biggest appeal of sourdough to many in the community, along with the fact that the bacteria in sourdough changes the structure of the bread’s molecules; your body absorbs them slower, lowering the glycemic index of bread. 

Although increased awareness of the healthier benefits of sourdough has upped its popularity in the past few years, it’s not a novelty. Before dry, packaged baker’s yeast was developed during World War II, sourdough was the primary type of bread available around the world. The lengthy fermentation time did make sourdough fall out of favor with big bakeries for a time, who could make bread faster with baker’s yeast than a sourdough starter. Neighborhood bakeries across San Diego are now relishing in the slow art of sourdough, some even taking the process a step further by milling their own grains for added flavor and nutrition. 

Companion Bread, run by Sienna Walters, is one such bakery that incorporates freshly milled grains. Walters sources California-grown grains when possible, bakes out of a community kitchen in City Heights, and sells her sourdough at spots like the Home Ec store and the Poway Farmers’ Market. The freshly milled flour she grinds adds a more robust taste plus higher levels of vitamins and fiber to her sourdough. 

Walters also collaborates with Pacific Beach’s Wildwood Flour Bakery, which sells a diverse selection of bakery items at its storefront on Garnet. Wildwood also mills some of its own flour and uses sourdough starter in many items ranging from traditional breads to pastries. Once a cottage food business, the bakery is now a 1,700-square-foot grab-and-go space where they are able to support other local bakers and artisans. 

Golden Door County Store also passionately supports local bakeries at their charming San Marcos farmstand. While they feature house-baked Golden Door sourdough and focaccia from chef Greg Frey Jr. Thursday through Saturday, they partner with local bakers like Terry Ellis of Blackhat Breads to supply the store with bread on other days. Drizzle your bread with Frey’s small-batch honey (yep, he’s a beekeeper too!) from the mountaintop beehives and Golden Door olive oil pressed from the olives that grow in a lakeside grove of Manzanillo trees.

Bakers like Ellis and Sourdough Delight’s Noris Valezquez have taken their passion for fresh milled heritage wheat to the field by partnering in an experimental dry farming crop in Valley Center. As a cottage food operator, Velazquez makes his specialty loaves available for curbside pickup in Rancho Penasquitos. Weekly featured bread flavors are offered along with staple loaves like cheese-topped, plain rustic, and even parbaked sourdough pizza crusts for added convenience. 

Micro-bakery Faith Bakes in Ramona is a cottage bakery specializing in artisan sourdough bread and focused on organic and freshly milled grains. 21-year-old Faith’s breads are also made with a percentage of freshly milled whole wheat flour that she mills herself. Loaves are available for pick up on Fridays.

Other bakeries depend on different techniques to differentiate themselves. IZOLA bakery has recently reopened in a stunning spot in East Village overlooking a dog park and playground at Fault Line Park. They’ve distinguished themselves from the pack by serving everything they make, from sourdough loaves to flaky croissants, fresh and hot out of the oven. No Izola experience is complete without sitting at the “bake bar” where you can watch your order come out of the gleaming ovens imported from Spain. In addition to their classics, IZOLA has also crowdsourced new flavor ideas, like their recent sourdough special Lao Gan Ma Gruyere, which combines Swiss Gruyere cheese with Chinese chili crisp Lao Gan Ma for an incredibly flavorful and decandent loaf. 

In North Park and Oceanside (plus Orange County) is Blackmarket Bakery. Owner Rachel Klemek hosts baking classes in addition to selling loaves of bread and pastries. She began baking when she lived in rural Los Osos with a dozen chickens who would eat the failures from her early bakes. Now, her classic sourdough is built with a tried-and-true sourdough starter named HUBERT, which supplies all of their locations.

Le Parfait Paris also has a “named” starter dubbed “Bobby.” Le Parfait Paris’ sourdough uses a mix of French and American flour. While they are best known for their impeccable macaroons, their five San Diego county locations (and Anaheim) also offer delicious breads. 

Carlsbad legacy bakers Clinton and Louie Prager sell Prager Brothers sourdough and other breads and sweets at their four retail locations as well as stands at the Carlsbad, Vista, and Leucadia farmers' markets. Keep your eye on the bakery as Louie Prager is currently in grad school at WSUBreadLab breeding wheat and barley and will be bringing new ideas to Prager Brothers in the near future.