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A clamp-lid glass jar of dormant sourdough starter resting on a wire fridge shelf, condensation on the glass and a rubber band marking the level, a milk carton and a jar behind it Guide

Storing Sourdough Starter in the Fridge

You need not feed a starter daily unless you bake daily. Feed it, let it wake an hour, then chill it in the fridge. How long it keeps and how to revive it.

7 min read A jar of sourdough starter on a kitchen scale next to a bowl of wholemeal flour and a glass of water, ready for a feeding measured by weight Guide

How to Feed a Sourdough Starter: 1:1:1, 1:2:2 and 1:5:5

Feeding is not about giving your starter more food, it is about setting a timer. How the ratio and the room temperature decide when your jar peaks, by weight.

10 min read A sourdough loaf cut in half on a wooden board, its open cream-colored crumb and glossy golden crust lit by soft window light, with a dusting of flour and a small sieve to the side Guide

How to Make Sourdough Less Sour (and More, on Purpose)

How to make sourdough less sour: steer the balance of two acids with temperature, hydration and feeding. A milder loaf is the schedule, not an abused jar.

7 min read A young sourdough starter in a straight-sided jar, bubbles rising through the flour and water mixture, with a rubber band marking the level it started at Guide

How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch in 7 Days

A day-by-day schedule to build a sourdough starter with flour and water. What each day should look like, why day 4 goes quiet, and how to fix a stall.

7 min read A jar of starter well past its peak, the surface sunken in the centre with a layer of dark liquid on top Guide

Sourdough Discard Recipes: The Rule That Replaces the List

Discard is half flour, half water, and acidic. Learn those three things and you can put it into almost any recipe you already own, without guessing.

7 min read A jar of sourdough starter risen well above the rubber band, the surface domed and covered in small even bubbles Guide

Active Sourdough Starter: How to Know It Is at Peak

Peak is the moment the rise stops and the dome flattens, not the moment it doubles. How to read the jar, and how to find your own starter's peak time.

8 min read A kitchen scale holding a jar beside a bowl of flour and a glass of water, mid way through building a preferment by weight Guide

Levain vs Sourdough Starter: The Difference That Matters

A levain is the portion you build for one bake and use up entirely. Why that distinction changes how you read recipes, and how to build one properly.

7 min read Thin brittle flakes of dried sourdough starter broken into irregular pieces on a sheet of parchment Guide

Dehydrated Sourdough Starter: How to Dry It and Revive It

How to dry a starter into flakes that keep for years, the weight test that tells you it is actually dry, and the realistic timeline to bring one back.

7 min read Three bowls side by side holding wholegrain rye, wholemeal wheat and white bread flour, showing the difference in colour and grain Guide

Best Flour for a Sourdough Starter: Rye, Wholemeal or White

Which flour to use to build a starter and which to feed it afterwards. Why rye gets a new jar moving faster, and how to read flour labels in any country.

8 min read