Sourdough’s reign echoes La Brea Bakery’s reputation

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Sourdough’s reign echoes La Brea Bakery’s reputation

23 Dec 2025

Maddie Lambert

Maddie Lambert is a copywriter and editor from Joplin, MO. She graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English – literary studies. When she’s not poring over the magazine or lost in the pages of a new novel, you can find Maddie exploring her local bookstores, spending time with her husband, or sharing her latest literary discoveries with fellow book enthusiasts.

LOS ANGELES — She didn’t invent it, but when Taylor Swift mentioned her obsession with baking sourdough bread on the New Heights podcast, the world collectively paused to tune in and listen.

Sourdough is now popping up on social media feeds nationwide, and not just because Ms. Swift’s mention … although she certainly helped. Consumers today, in their searches for homemade sourdough recipes, are happening upon the health benefits of the tangy bread, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

In this era of GLP-1 drugs, high-protein diets and conscious eating, gut health is becoming exceedingly important.

This is where sourdough comes into play.

With its simple ingredients and fermentation process, sourdough naturally lends itself to the healthier bread category, and consumers are noticing. One company greatly benefiting from this new focus on sourdough is La Brea Bakery, a brand under the Aspire Bakeries umbrella. The brand has been baking sourdough the same way since 1989, with its staple four ingredients, including a live starter and a 24-hour fermentation process.

“Better artisan bread baked the right way has always been part of La Brea Bakery’s DNA,” said Christine Prociv, chief growth officer at La Brea Bakery. “That’s who we are. The sourdough phenomenon validated what our consumers have increasingly been seeking: transparency, ingredient simplicity and foods that make them feel good.”

It starts with formulation

So, why — and how — is sourdough different from the other breads on the shelf? Its longer fermentation process breaks down gluten and starches, yielding more prebiotic-like properties that aid the digestive system.

“Fermentation also reduces phytic acid, enabling the body to better absorb available nutrients,” said Jonathan Davis, VP of culinary innovation for La Brea Bakery. “Many people who are sensitive to gluten or may experience discomfort with conventional breads find sourdough bread to be gentler on their system and easier to digest … and true sourdough has a lower glycemic index, which can prevent blood sugar level spikes.”

“The sourdough phenomenon validated what our consumers have increasingly been seeking: transparency, ingredient simplicity and foods that make them feel good.” — Christine Prociv | chief growth officer | La Brea Bakery

While La Brea Bakery has expanded to larger-scale production and distribution, the baking company still follows its artisan techniques that bootstrapped the brand since its inception, two of which include the mother starter and slow-rise fermentation process.

“We like to say that while we now use bigger bowls and bigger ovens, nothing else has changed,” Davis said. “We’ve made absolutely no compromises.”

Amplifying sourdough’s role

To capitalize on consumer attention, La Brea Bakery is relying on its brand communication and social media platforms. The goal is not only to reinforce sourdough’s momentum with educational content centered around its starter and fermentation process but also to provide recipe inspiration and partner with social media influencers to convey its market distinction.

“Not all sourdough is created equal,” Davis said. “[La Brea Bakery] sources premium-quality, non-GMO ingredients and uses higher protein flour, all of which impact the quality and nutritional aspect of the breads.”

As the conversation surrounding gut health continues, La Brea Bakery is putting its test kitchen to work, experimenting with new flavors and incorporating various seeds and grains to meet evolving industry trends.

“Consumers are becoming more ingredient-literate and increasingly seeking brands with authenticity,” Prociv said. “La Brea Bakery is uniquely positioned here because we’ve been making sourdough the same way for more than 36 years.”

Sourdough is on the rise. With La Brea Bakery’s reputation in the artisan bread space — combined with its ability to educate consumers on said reputation — the bakery is helping to ensure sourdough stays relevant … long past the average scroll.

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