Greek sourdough bread?

[axariotisxy]

I’m Greek and absolutely love our breads, like lagana, village bread, koulouri, all of it, but I realized recently that I’ve never actually come across Greek sourdough bread. Is that even a thing? I know sourdough is huge in other cultures, and of course we have plenty of naturally leavened breads in our tradition, but is there a specifically Greek version of sourdough?

I’ve seen some folks mention traditional “xoriatiko psomi” (village bread) being made with a starter, but I’ve mostly seen yeast used when baking at home. Was sourdough used more in the past and just faded out with modern baking? Or are there certain regions in Greece where sourdough is still the norm?

 

[k_tsoukalas]

Greek sourdough definitely exists, though you’re right—it doesn’t always get the spotlight. Traditional xoriatiko psomi(village bread) was often made with a sourdough starter, especially before commercial yeast became widely available. In many rural areas, families passed down their prozymi (starter) from generation to generation, often feeding it with flour from local wheat. It was common practice, especially in mountainous or remote regions, where people baked in outdoor wood ovens.

Today, a lot of home bakers opt for dry yeast for convenience, but there’s definitely a resurgence of interest in traditional sourdough techniques. Some bakeries in places like Crete, the Peloponnese, and Epirus still use starters, and a few even label their bread as psomi me prozymi. The texture is a bit denser than a typical French or San Francisco sourdough, but it has that same depth of flavor. Worth exploring if you’re into baking!