Sweden Has a “Dough Hotel”



There are two things to know about Swedes: they love to travel and they’re obsessed with their sourdoughs. They are, in fact, so enamored by these two things that there’s now a hotel for them to store their beloved dough starters while they go on vacation. The bakery RC Chocolat at the Arlanda Airport in Stockholm provides a 24-hour hotel for sourdoughs, and anyone can store their starter there and be sure that it will be well taken care of. Owner Charlotta Söör said she opened the bakery after one of her regulars pointed out the need. Swedes love to travel, but many were reluctant because sourdough starters can’t be left alone. Without someone to take care of them, they will die. What happens when sourdough dies? Nothing too dramatic — it just shrivels up and stops growing. Basically, you can’t bake any more bread on it and you have to throw it out. Now, vacationers can check their sourdough starter into RC Chocolat anytime 24/7. During its stay, the dough will be fed regularly with an organic flour of your choice and water, which they then blend into the dough…..call it a massage! The dough is also kept at the perfect temperature. The extra dough is disposed of in order to keep the starter the original size it was when the customer left it. The cost for the dough hotel is about $14 a week.