People in Toronto obsessing over new bakery that only sells sourdough

Bread might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sourdough, but one Toronto bakery is proving to the city that a little starter is capable of a whole lot more.

It's a tale as old as time: 2020 hits, and, for reasons I'm sure I don't need to explain, you find yourself with a lot of extra time on your hands. What better time, you, like many others, may have thought, to finally learn how to bake your very own sourdough loaves?

Where plenty of folks, once confronted with the care, attention and, frankly, science required to produce actually edible sourdough creations, dropped the hobby for something more noncommittal, Kirsty Leith, founder of Etobicoke's Sourdough Garden, stuck with it.

"I’ve always been drawn to creative, hands-on work like baking, painting, knitting, and gardening," Kirsty, who worked as a teacher prior to starting her baking business, tells blogTO.

It was a curiosity about the baking process and a "love for real, traditional food" that first enticed her to start experimenting with sourdough baking as a hobby, she says, but as her passion for baking grew, so too did the time she devoted to perfecting her craft.

"After moving from High Park to Etobicoke, I noticed a real gap in access to high-quality, authentic sourdough made with simple ingredients," she tells blogTO, so "I started baking very small batches, just two to four loaves, for family and friends."

While working and completing her Master's in Teaching, she also began selling her loaves at the Etobicoke Farmer's Market, invested in an industrial bread oven that allowed her to bake upwards of 100 loaves a week, all of which would sell out within one to two hours at the market.

Kirsty Leith. Photo courtesy of Sourdough Garden.

"Through the farmer's market and constant community feedback, it became clear there was genuine demand, and that's when I realized this could grow into more than a passion project," Kirsty says.

So, about a year ago, Kirsty decided it was time for Sourdough Garden to become a brick-and-mortar venture, and set out looking for the perfect space to plant her roots. The process, she confesses, wasn't easy.

"There were limited options locally, and I seriously considered renting a space further downtown," Kirsty tells blogTO, "however, community is one of the most important parts of this business, and even though I could have opened a location much earlier elsewhere, I chose to wait for the right spot locally."

Sticking with her gut proved the right decision in the end, when she finally found the perfect commercial space on Brown's Line and got to work preparing it to become the new, permanent home of Sourdough Garden.

The bakery officially opened its doors on Nov. 15, 2025, and, Kirsty tells blogTO, the community's response has already been "incredibly overwhelming, in the best way."

"From repeat customers to kind messages and word-of-mouth recommendations, the response week after week continues to affirm why I started. People still line up every weekend, often half an hour before opening, even as the weather gets colder, which still feels surreal to me," she says.

The warm reception from the neighbourhood hasn't been the only rewarding aspect of opening the business, though. For Kirsty, the process of making the sourdough is, in a way, a reward in itself.

"In a world that prioritizes speed and convenience, sourdough has taught me to slow down," Kirsty explains.

It takes at least 48 hours for each loaf to be ready to bake, ensuring the fermentation process has thoroughly broken down the gluten and phytic acid that can be hard on the stomach.

"It is a reminder that the best things take patience, care, and intention," she says.

You won't only find loaves at Sourdough Garden, though. Bread is really just the beginning. Kirsty whips up a whole slew of sourdough-based goodies, including cookies, cinnamon buns, bagels and even jars of sourdough starter that you can take home for your own sourdough experiments.

If it doesn't work out, at least you know there's a near-perfect loaf waiting for you on Brown's Line.

Sourdough Garden is located at 202 Brown's Line in Etobicoke.