New Yorkers are lining up in Soho for Austrian rye sourdough bread. What does one loaf cost?
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$60
One loaf at RYE by Martin Auer costs $60. It is 3.3 pounds of 100% rye sourdough, just Austrian rye flour, water and salt, raised on a starter the Auer family has kept alive for 57 years. After baking, it rests at least eight hours before anyone is allowed to cut it. Bloomberg's tasters were unmoved: the crust is not very crusty and the crumb a bit gummy.
The 57 years are heritage rather than chemistry. A starter that gets fed keeps no trace of its original flour. A study of 500 of them found the microbes inside are set by flour type and feeding schedule, not by age or country.
New York's $60 rye loaf uses a 57-year-old Austrian sourdough starter. Bloomberg's tasters found the crust not very crusty.
Source: RYE by Martin Auer via Bloomberg (review, Sep 22, 2026) and Fox News; King Arthur Baking; Landis et al., eLife 2021 · checked Sep 2026