It seems like everyone is in their “Sourdough Era.” From Taylor Swift to my best friends, I can’t get away from people who are making fresh loaves. If you’re not someone with their own starter at home, don’t worry — you are not alone.
I still pick up my bread from the grocery store. But just because we aren’t proofing dough doesn’t mean we don’t deserve some delicious tasting bread. In search of the best grocery store sourdough (the bagged kind, not the fancy stuff from the bakery section!), I tried five popular loaves and ranked them from worst to best.
My Honest Review of 5 Grocery Store Sourdough Loaves
Nature’s Own is one of the most beloved options in the bread aisle. I used to only eat sandwiches with their honey wheat loaves growing up, and I’m greatly tempted to try its Butterbread. So, I was super intrigued to try out its “perfectly crafted” 22-ounce sourdough for $4.69 on Instacart in New York City.
While this loaf did have the traditional sour flavor, it mostly resembled a traditional white sandwich loaf. Plus, it had that classic squishy white bread texture. It was very light and fluffy, but the crust was lacking any crispness. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely a time and a place for that kind of bread. But when it comes to sourdough, I don’t like my slices to stick to the roof of my mouth.
When I think of Pepperidge Farms, I think of Goldfish and Milano cookies first. But the brand also offers breads that you can find in most grocery stores. The brand prides itself on slow-baking their loaves to ensure each slice tastes delicious. For $3.99, you get a 24-ounce loaf, the standard size I’ve gathered.
This loaf also resembles the look of a traditional grocery store sandwich loaf, but it was a little less soft than the Nature’s Own one and had some bigger air pockets. The crumb of the loaf wasn’t so uniform and resembled a homemade loaf, which I loved. However, there wasn’t much of a sour taste.
I was hoping to try Dave’s Killer Bread Supreme Sourdough, but it’s only available in select stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Idaho. So, I decided to swap in Lidl’s loaf to see what the bakery selection was like at the German grocery. This whole round loaf was just $2.99, too.
The round shape of this sourdough loaf was exciting to try, especially since two of the five options were sandwich loaf shapes. Even with this traditional boule shape, I was surprised to find that its texture was super similar to the previous two. It was fluffy and soft, but not as gummy, and had a slight snap and resistance to it when I tore a piece. I enjoyed the sour flavor, I just wished the crust was a little crispier.
The Rustik sourdough loaf was one I saw popping up in some other publishers’ taste tests as the favorite. So my expectations were high.
This loaf was a little fluffy and still slightly gummy, but it was also the most moist. I didn’t feel like I urgently needed a sip of water after tasting it. This slice also had great flavor. But although the crust looked pretty, the texture was lacking.
This bagged option was for a half loaf weighing 16 ounces, which might be a good thing if you have limited counter space. At my Target in New York City, it was priced at $4.68, making it more expensive for less loaf than the others.
Trader Joe’s is the grocery store I frequent most often, so this is my go-to loaf of sourdough already. When I’m grocery shopping, I prioritize cost. And this large loaf (24 ounces!) is only $3.69. Fun fact: Trader Joe’s makes their sourdough exclusively for its store, so it might taste slightly different based on where you are in the country.
I wasn’t too surprised that this sourdough loaf was my favorite. They say you prefer things you are used to, but this loaf also checks many boxes. It has large and frequent air pockets. It had a crispy crust. It had that slightly sour taste. For grocery store sourdough, this San Francisco-style bread definitely takes the cake for me. If I had to give it one criticism, it would be that it’s slightly dry alone. But who eats bread without a little butter or jam anyway?