On the trail of sourdough: Where can you find sourdough in Sopron?

The owner Zoltán Erhardt opened his restaurant in Sopron almost two decades ago, with a traditional wine cellar on the lower level, where you can enjoy lunch or dinner in the cosy garden from spring. (They even have a pension on the edge of the historic city centre.) In 2019, they started making their sourdough pastries, initially only available twice a week, made to order, and then opened their bakery next door to the restaurant. Zoltán was up at 3 a.m. and in the bakery by 3.30 a.m. to perfect the bread, start the restaurant, and coordinate the expansion of the guesthouse. So excellent bread became not only his passion but a favourite of the people of Sopron.

He was introduced to the world of sourdough bread in 2018, during a bread-making course organised by the Stylish Rural Restaurant Society (SVÉT). This was the first time he really felt that he would have to deal with this. When he was a child , he baked sourdough bread for the first time with his grandmother in Rábapaty, and then he was fascinated by the smell and taste of the hot oven and the huge, crunchy crusts of bread that came out of it. French-style country bread, rye bread with walnuts and plum, baguettes, ciabatta, the edge of the bread - yes, the ones we love so much, as individual pieces - pretzels with cheese, brioche, cakes, croissants, cocoa or walnut and cinnamon swirls are waiting for us every day at the counter. You can also try them as sandwiches, the breaded meat is a perennial favourite!

Another of our favourite places is the “Kovászüzem” (Sourdough Factory) near the city centre, next to the market.  The name is revealing. Once inside, you can see how the bakers work in an open space: you can see the dough being kneaded and stretched, the pastries being made before your eyes, watch them being filled with sweet or savoury fillings and placed in the ovens. They work with traditional technology, make their products with sourdough, use organic ingredients, and give preference to products from Hungarian farmers. You can buy bread, cakes, cocoa swirls, cottage cheese bundles, filled croissants and all kinds of sweets in the bakery. You can also eat them as sandwiches on the spot, there's always something new to try. The bakery's products are also available in Alsólövérek.