Taking care of a sourdough starter can feel like taking care of a pet. You feed it. You water it. You make sure it stays at a comfortable temperature.
And when you spend a lot of time making sourdough, you might get a little attached to your starter. You might talk to it. Compliment it. Admire its gluten structure.
So naturally, your sourdough starter needs a name.
And not just any name will do.
To help you come up with the ultimate name for your sourdough starter, I’ve rounded up a list of the most popular, creative, and clever names on the Internet.
Warning: They’re punny!
Celebrities
These celebrities saw a rise in fame. Maybe if you name your sourdough starter after them, your bread will rise in glory, too.
- Adam Levain
- Angelina Doughli
- Avril Levain
- Betty Wheat
- Bill Murrye
- Bill Rye the Sour Guy
- Bread Pitt
- Bread Sheeran
- Breadly Cooper
- Breadney Spears
- Breadward Norton
- Brie-oche Larsen
- Brigitte Bardough
- Bun Jovi
- Carrie Breadshaw
- Clint Yeastwood
- Cristiano Ronaldough
- Danny deVidough
- Dough Biden
- Dough Jackson
- Doughly Parton
- Doughnald Trump
- Doughnatella Versace
- Doughnna Summer
- Elon Crust
- Emilio Yeastevez
- Gal Gadough
- Jean-Paul DeMondough
- Jeff Buckwheat
- Kim Carbashian
- LeBran James
- Leonardough DiCaprio
- Madoughna
- Marco Pierre Wheat
- Marlin Brandough
- Monica Leavenski
- Olivia Gluten John
- Rice Withaspoon
- Robert DoughNiro
- Rye LaMontagne
- Ryen Gosling
- Ryen Ryenolds
- Ryehanna
- Robert Doughney Junior
- Russell Bran
- Sarah Doughity
- Sharon Scone
- Taylor Sift
- Toast Malone
- Will Wheat-on
- Wheatney Houston
- Wynona Ryeder
- Yeaston Blumenthal
Celebreadies. Am I right? *Cough* Moving on.
Fictional Characters
Do you fantasize about great bread? Maybe your sourdough starter needs a fantastical name to get rolling.
- Augustus Gloop
- Austin Flours
- Beauty & The Yeast
- Breadward Cullen
- Cobra Bubbles
- Count of Monte Crisdough
- Dough-ba Fett
- Frodough Baggins
- Herculyeast
- Hermione Grainger
- Humpty Dumpling
- Jane Dough
- Levain Thumps and the Ryes of the Want
- Little Bread Rising Hood
- Luke Ryewalker
- Peter Pain
- Professor Dumbledough
- Rye Breadington
- Samrise the Brave
- Sevengrain Snape
- Souron the Great
- Walter Wheat
Not doing it for you? Maybe the next batch of names will be butter.
Historical Figures
Perhaps your starter needs a name more grounded in history. Some of these names come from the upper crust of society.
- Attila the Bun
- Bread Rogers
- Doughnato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
- Dwight D. Eisensour
- Edgar Allan Dough
- Franklin D. Risevelt
- Georges Pompidough
- Friedrich Kneadtzsche
- Jacques Cousdough
- Leonardough Da Vinci
- Ludwig van Bedoughven
- Marquis de Labaguette
- Michelangelo Breadarotti
- Osama Bun Laden
- Pittagoras
- Richard the Leavenheart
- Rye Breadbury
- Salvadough Dali
- Sea Biscuit
- Sir Isaac Gluten
- St. Joan of Starch
- Thomas Breadison
- Thomas Loaferson
- Toastoyevsky
- Vincent Van Dough
- Vladmir Gluten
Of course, some of these names knead a little work. Feel free to add your own if you think these names are too stale.
Miscellaneous
Want to go against the grain? These alternative sourdough starter names might get a rise out of you.
- Bread Dead Redemption
- Breadheart
- Breaking Bread
- Breadliest Catch
- Don’t Stop Beleaven
- Do You Beleaven Life After Loaf?
- Everybody Loves Ryemond
- Fred Farter the Bread Starter
- Gone with the Wheat
- John/Jane Dough
- Monty Python’s Loaf of Brian
- Raging Boule
- Rick Roll
- Rye Hard
- Starch Wars: Revenge of the Sift
- The Yeast I Can Do
- Yeast Saint Laurent
- Weirdough
And that’s my list so far. I hope you loaf them as much as I do.
A Special Thanks
I’d like to reach out and give a special thanks to my Dad, my husband, and Martine @i_knead_you_tonight. for contributing to the list. It wouldn’t be nearly as comprehensive without their help.
Have a Few Suggestions?
These are just a few of the potential names for your sourdough starter. If you have another name for your starter, feel free to comment below! I’d love to expand my list.
Sarah Doughity
Wonderful! Thank you 🙂
Jane Dough
Excellent! Thank you 🙂