Taylor Swift and Pamela Anderson have more in common than fame, flawless hair, and pop culture permanence. They also both bake a mean sourdough.

Last week, Swift gifted a homemade loaf to Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, complete with a candle, custom note, and pun that read “It’s a loaf story.” Swift’s note accompanied a carefully arranged basket that Blanco posted to Instagram on July 22. It was a birthday gift for Gomez, who had just turned 33 and later shared an image with Swift and others, calling the past year “the most beautiful” of her life.

Anderson also revealed in a press interview that she’d been baking sourdough bread and cookies on set for her Naked Gun co-star Liam Neeson, who called her bread “superb” and added, “That sourdough bread was something else. And I know the effort it takes.”

Ditte Isager

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Anderson said she started baking on set in Atlanta because she had a kitchen where she was staying while filming. “I bake bread at home, and I have my garden. And I just felt like that was… I had a kitchen, so why not use it?” she told People. The Baywatch star famously lives in a farmhouse on Vancouver Island where she grows her own food, and in a conversation with Martha Stewart for Elle, she explained that her “really good” sourdough owes its flavor to her starter, which she named Astrid. Neeson, who admitted he has no culinary skills himself, appreciated the effort: “I’m so not a cook, nor a baker. But I did appreciate the gesture very, very much.”

Is the bread boom back?

Sourdough’s resurgence during the early months of the pandemic spread nearly as fast as Covid. With yeast shortages and supply chain disruptions affecting access to basics like sandwich bread, home cooks turned to wild fermentation. Google searches for “sourdough” spiked by more than 400 percent in March and April 2020, and social media was flooded with images of bubbling starters and crusty loaves.

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Baking sourdough offered people a sense of agency and structure. The process—feeding a starter, watching it rise, waiting for a slow ferment—required attention and routine during a time of deep uncertainty. While sourdough bread symbolized comfort and control during the uncertainty of lockdown, it now appears to be reemerging as a symbol of care and domesticity.

The resurgence of homemade bread and baked goods aligns with a broader shift toward reducing ultra-processed foods. As more consumers scrutinize ingredient labels and prioritize whole, recognizable components, baking at home offers consumers more control over what goes into their food. It’s not just about nostalgia or craft—it’s a response to growing concerns over additives, preservatives, and industrial processing. Making bread from scratch allows people to simplify their diet without sacrificing comfort or tradition.

An authentic gesture

Swift has long expressed her love of baking, from cinnamon rolls to chai cookies. She famously made homemade Pop-Tarts for boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates last year.

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As for Blanco, who proposed to Gomez over a Taco Bell picnic in December, his food gestures lean more maximalist. For Valentine’s Day this year, he filled Gomez’s bathtub with queso cheese, spelling out “I heart you” in tortilla chips and posting the scene to Instagram. But Swift’s sourdough gesture brought a different kind of intimacy. No grand tablescape, no seven-course surprise—just a crusty, handwritten metaphor for friendship.

Anderson and Neeson’s carb-fueled camaraderie followed a similar beat. “We’re friends for life, like it or not,” Anderson joked. The two met filming The Naked Gun, where Anderson plays femme fatale Beth Davenport opposite Neeson’s bumbling detective. Behind the slapstick, there was a softer rapport. “I felt Pamela had no airs and graces or inflated ego,” Neeson said. “She seemed just sensitive and warm, open, vulnerable, beautiful.”