The Best Sourdough Bakeries in the World

The modern sourdough movement has transformed everyday bread in bakeries across the world. A handful of bakeries set the standard for naturally leavened, long-fermented, heritage-grain loaves — and their influence now reaches almost every serious bakery city.

Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

Chad Robertson's Mission district bakery is arguably the most influential sourdough bakery of the past twenty years. The country loaf — a high-hydration, well-fermented, deeply crusted miche — has become the template that bakers worldwide now measure themselves against.

Poilâne, Paris

Apollonia Poilâne's Rue du Cherche-Midi bakery still bakes stone-ground wheat miches daily. The Poilâne loaf is a benchmark of traditional French country bread and is exported around the world.

Hart Bageri, Copenhagen

Richard Hart (formerly of Tartine) and René Redzepi founded Hart Bageri in Frederiksberg, and it has become the reference point for Danish sourdough. Long fermentation, heritage grains, and exceptional viennoiserie make it one of the defining bakeries of the decade.

E5 Bakehouse, London

Ben Mackinnon's London Fields bakery is the heart of London's sourdough scene. Organic flour, stone milling, and naturally leavened breads draw daily queues.