Rant: a guy at the Saturday market swore you can't call it sourdough without a starter, and I'm still annoyed

Val Ramirez · 2026-09-16T22:30:03.313953+00:00

I was buying a $9 loaf at the Cedar Park farmers market last weekend when the vendor next to him said anyone using commercial yeast and calling it sourdough is lying to people. I get that a real starter is the whole point, but he said it loud enough that a woman put her loaf back on the table. Here's my take: call your bread what it is, a yeast bread with a tang, and nobody gets confused. If the word sourdough only means wild yeast to you, fine, but that's not the hill to die on in front of paying customers. Where do you all draw the line on labeling, is it ingredients or is it process?

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Rant: a guy at the Saturday market swore you can't call it sourdough without a starter, and I'm still annoyed | Bakers - Vivisector