Trend, Healthy Hobby, Or Tasty Coffee Pairing - What’s So Great About Sourdough?

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Trend, Healthy Hobby, Or Tasty Coffee Pairing - What’s So Great About Sourdough?

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Trend, Healthy Hobby, Or Tasty Coffee Pairing - What’s So Great About Sourdough?

13 min read APR 28, 2025

Over the last few years, it seems that everyone is…no, not kung fu fighting…making sourdough bread!

Sourdough was a staple throughout the 19th century, but with the rise (no pun intended) in sales of commercial yeast, this unique type of bread quickly became an afterthought - until now.

While many claim this trend has been popular since the 1980’s, we've really seen a resurgence of sourdough baking in the last 4-5 years.

And because of this, chances are you, or someone you know, regularly speaks of carefully feeding their starter, needing to set aside a day for stretch and folds, bulk fermentation, cold fermentation, lamentation, and inclusions.

Or, perhaps your sourdough baking friends speak of discard, Dutch ovens, an ideal crumb, over fermentation, under fermentation, and on and on.

Whether you’ve jumped on the sourdough trend train or not, there’s no denying this practice is captivating - which is why your baking friends just can’t stop talking about their sourdough endeavors.

But, let’s get real for a moment…

Is sourdough bread really that great?

Does making sourdough live up to all the hype?

Is sourdough healthy?

Is this popular new hobby really as therapeutic as some claim?

And, what about pairing sourdough with coffee?

We’ll be answering all of these questions and more as we explore this tasty trend!

What’s So Great About Sourdough?

As we’ve established, it’s certainly trendy right now to be in your sourdough era, but what’s so great about sourdough?

Having personally been bitten by the sourdough bug, as I’m researching the scientific or widely accepted answer to the above question, I can fully attest that each of the following points indeed play a pivotal part in what many may refer to as a baking obsession.

First, health…

Many are initially intrigued by the thought of making sourdough bread due to its purported health benefits.

Personally, this is what initially drew me to this practice.

I had been making homemade sandwich bread for my family for several years, but as others learned of this, I would commonly hear “you should try making sourdough bread, it’s been a game changer for my family in regard to tummy issues…it’s so much better for digestion.”

After hearing this same sentiment from multiple friends, I decided to do a little research of my own to see if what they were saying was true.

And, here’s what I found:

While sourdough bread is not gluten-free, this type of bread does contain significantly less gluten than regular bread.

A typical serving of regular bread contains 124,000 ppm of gluten, while a serving of sourdough bread, due to the fermentation process, contains roughly 200 ppm of gluten.

To be certified gluten-free, a product must contain less than 10 ppm of gluten, so sourdough bread is certainly not gluten free. However, for those who do not have gluten allergies but simply find regular bread a bit hard on their stomach, the significantly reduced gluten content of sourdough may prove to be a winner.

Another aid for digestion, sourdough has lower levels of FODMAPs and antinutrients compared to regular bread.

FODMAPs are fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, or short chain carbohydrates that may cause digestive issues for some people as these tend to be poorly absorbed in the small intestine.

Antinutrients such as lectin and oxalates have also proven to be troublesome in regards to digestion.

So sourdough, being low in FODMAPs and antinutrients, is commonly viewed as a more easily digestible bread option, even proven to be better for gut health.

Regular bread rises due to the addition of yeast. Sourdough bread, on the other hand, doesn’t contain traditional yeast. Instead, sourdough is made from a fermented mixture of flour and water.

The fermentation process in sourdough causes wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria to form.

In fact, “there are at least 50 strains of bacteria and 20 strains of wild yeast in a typical sourdough starter.”

And, as the wild yeast in sourdough feeds on the sugars and starches in the flour, this process prompts the release of CO2 which causes the dough to rise.
Some of the same strains of bacteria present in sourdough are also found in yogurt and sauerkraut.

The probiotic content of sourdough helps to lower the glycemic and insulin impact of this type of bread.
Sourdough bread contains digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. Combined, these may “improve the balance and diversity of the gut microbiome and the integrity of the intestinal lining.”
Compared to traditional bread, sourdough has an incredible micronutrient profile, with each serving generally containing iron, copper, manganese, folate, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, and zinc.

Even better, the fermentation process of sourdough allows your body to more easily absorb and use these nutrients.

Okay, so sourdough has some pretty incredible benefits, particularly when it comes to nutrient content, digestion, and gut health, but so do some other foods.

So, what sets this nutritious trend apart?

Another perk of sourdough involves the nature of this trend which many have described as a hobby.

Sourdough is very hands-on.

In fact, this hobby is so hands-on that many, myself included, feel very intimidated prior to jumping on this yummy bandwagon.

Once I decided upon a particular method, as I was mapping out my next steps for making my first loaf of sourdough bread, I began to think “what did I get myself into?”

I’d already been feeding my sourdough daily, discarding, and carefully monitoring how well my starter was rising.

But, those baking steps!

Mixing, resting, stretching, folding and/or coiling every 30 minutes for several hours, then more resting, fermenting for several hours, shaping, more countertop resting, then storing overnight in the refrigerator…all before baking.

I couldn't help but think, as many often do, how am I going to set aside an entire day just for sourdough…this is ridiculous…until I had a few loaves under my belt.

And, as many often do, I quickly discovered that this practice wasn’t nearly as daunting as it seemed.

Instead of stress, this process, this new hobby, with each stretch, fold, and shaping, proved to be highly therapeutic!

Honestly, I think sourdough is a lot like gardening.

Immersing your hands into the soil, spending time quietly moving the dirt, planting seeds or bulbs, tending daily or weekly to the ground, watering, weeding, enjoying the solitary moments, excitedly awaiting the fruits of your labor.

And, the same seems to be true of sourdough…

Immersing your hands into the dough, feeling the flour, water, salt, and starter combine. Carefully feeding your starter and monitoring it daily for optimal fermentation, ensuring the environment is optimal for growth and maturity, then enjoying the process, watching the dough take shape with each stretch, fold, and/or coil.

Of course, once the initial workings are completed, patience is called for as you loosely monitor the dough’s rise through further fermentation.

Then, again as in gardening, when it’s time to bake the dough, or upon seeing the final product, even with potentially failed attempts that prompt further investigation and research, you find how rewarding it is to enjoy the fruits of your invested, even therapeutic, labor.

With both gardening and sourdough baking, your senses are engaged, mindfulness becomes natural, and comfort is felt in the monotony and even the potential nostalgia that commonly accompanies these tasks.

And overall, the hopeful outcome, be it blooms or bread, serves to boost both pride and mental health at the end of each rewarding activity.

Which brings me to our last point before we move on into the kitchen and pair some sourdough creations with our morning coffee - community.

As with many activities, participation in some hobbies, even those which seem solitary, can also provide us with an opportunity to connect with others, transforming a mere craft into community.

For me, prior to beginning my sourdough journey, I messaged a friend from afar.

She’d often posted beautifully baked loaves of sourdough on her Instagram feed, so when I was ready to begin, I simply sent her a message with a few questions and thoughts.

She replied with encouragement and even sent a few suggestions for me to try as I began.

From here, I joined a beginner’s group where I’ve had many pleasant chats regarding our processes and baking outcomes.

Then, after I’d been baking for a little while I learned of a few women in my church who’d been riding the sourdough train as well, which of course has led to many lengthy discussions where we’ve been able to share tips, tricks, favorite pairings, health outcomes, and more, all while getting to know one another on a deeper level.

One hobby, many people, all from different walks of life, each connecting over something as ordinary as sourdough.

Yep, it really is that simple!

So, don’t let opportunities for connection, even over sourdough, pass you by. You never know what friendships are waiting for you behind such doors!

Sourdough Coffee Pairings

Now for the tasty part!

Sure, sourdough is trendy, healthy, fun, and can be a therapeutic source of connection, but at the end of the day, it’s also tasty…otherwise we wouldn’t be making it.

So, let’s look at a few coffee and sourdough pairings.

When it comes to baking sourdough bread, at varying stages of the fermentation process you can certainly add inclusions to your loaf, some of which can turn your bread into the perfect coffee companion.

A brown sugar and cinnamon inclusion, for instance, can give your bread a slightly sweet taste which many find to be a fitting breakfast offering.

Then personally, I’m a fan of adding a combination of fresh blueberries (lightly coated in flour), roughly a half tablespoon of lemon zest, and about 3-4 tablespoons of raw honey to my dough mixture during stretch and folds.

This can get a little sticky at times, but it yields an exceptionally tasty loaf which I prefer enjoying alongside black tea for a morning treat.

But the thing is, methods for preparing the perfect loaf, inclusions or not, tend to vary greatly.

Some strictly follow this method while others hold to another method…even to the point of argument. Ick!

So, for today, I thought we’d focus our coffee pairings on a few sourdough selections that incorporate the use of sourdough starter or discard.

Using leftover starter, or that which I’d normally be discarding, to make delicious baked goods has become a huge hit in our household, and each of these treats today are proven winners!

Personally, I love the cinnamon rolls paired with Lifeboost Light Roast Coffee and my husband absolutely loves them paired with Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee.

The blueberry crumble is great with these as well, but I’m actually a fan of this selection with cold brew, or my favorite, a tea latte made with our Empire State Sunrise Black Tea.

Be sure to give each of these sourdoughs inspired recipes a try and let us know your favorite Lifeboost coffee or tea pairing for these selections. Enjoy!

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

8 tablespoons cold butter
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sourdough starter discard
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Cinnamon-sugar filling:

¾ cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter

Cinnamon roll glaze:

1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

For the dough:

The night before you plan to bake the cinnamon rolls, using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl.
Add flour to the grated butter, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour.
Add sourdough starter/discard, buttermilk, honey, and salt to the flour/butter mixture, combining the ingredients with a spatula until well incorporated.
Once fully mixed, cover the bowl and let set for 10-12 hours (overnight). **You’ll notice that we haven’t added the baking powder or soda yet, this won’t be added until you’re ready to roll out the dough in the morning.
In the morning, prior to rolling out the dough, preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Then, prepare the cinnamon-sugar filling by combining only the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, stirring to mix, then set aside.
Now, mix the baking powder and soda together in a small bowl, then sprinkle this mixture on top of the dough prior to mixing it in with your hands.
Once the baking powder and soda mixture are fully incorporated (by hand) into the dough, generously flour your workspace (countertop, table, etc) and turn the dough out onto the surface.
Add a little bit of flour to the top of the dough, then using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 12x24 inch rectangle.
Next, take the melted butter (listed under the ingredients for the cinnamon-sugar filling) and brush this over the dough.
Once the dough is coated with melted butter, sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the surface, leaving a ½ inch bare strip along the outer edges.
Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log shape.
Cut the dough log into 12 pieces (roughly 1 ½ inch each, then arrange the cut rolls into a buttered 12 inch cast iron skillet, leaving a little room between each roll for expansion.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 35-40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze by mixing the melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl.
Once the rolls are finished baking, remove them from the oven and spread the glaze over the rolls while they are still hot.
Allow the rolls to cool slightly prior to serving with your favorite Lifeboost coffee or tea selection. Enjoy!

Sourdough Blueberry Crumble

Ingredients

Crumble topping:
¼ cup cane sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, cold

Blueberry Crumble:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup cane sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1 large egg, room temperature
½ cup sourdough discard
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

For the crumble topping:

Add all crumble ingredients to a medium sized bowl.
Crumble large pieces of butter with your fingers, then mix together with other ingredients, by hand, until the butter and flour mixture is thoroughly mixed.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Blueberry Crumble:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease the inside of a 9-inch cake pan or a 9x9 baking dish, then set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together sugar and softened butter until soft and fluffy.
Add egg to the sugar-butter mixture and mix until it’s a pale yellow color.
In another bowl, mix together sourdough discard, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Once combined, add to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Mix for one minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add dry ingredients, ½ cup at a time, to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Now, add blueberries to a bowl. Top the berries with 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Use a wooden spoon to gently toss the blueberries in the flour to make sure they’re evenly coated.
Pour half of the crumble batter into the prepared pan. Add 1 cup of blueberries on top of the crumble mixture, then evenly top with remaining batter.
Pour remaining 1 cup of blueberries on top of the batter, then sprinkle an even layer of the refrigerated crumble topping over the top layer of berries.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack until ‘just warm,’ then cut a slice to enjoy with your favorite Lifeboost coffee or tea. Enjoy!