Sourdough Starter & Kit Guide
Traditional sourdough start here
Your starter or kit has arrived. Let’s get baking.
Choose what you received, follow the right starter instructions and move on to your first loaf when your starter is active and at peak rise!
Before you begin
Your live starter is supplied in food-grade transport packaging because an actively fermenting culture cannot be safely shipped in sealed glass. Check inside the kit for the brown kraft envelope and around the flour packaging.
If you are not starting immediately, place a live starter in the fridge when it arrives. Dehydrated starter can remain sealed in a cool, dry place until you are ready to activate it.
What is in your kit?
The exact contents depend on which kit you purchased. Use the checklists below to identify each item and understand what it does.
Smaller kit
Essential Sourdough Starter Kit
- Live or dehydrated wheat starter: the heritage culture that ferments and raises your bread.
- 1 kg organic white bakers flour: used to feed the starter and make your first loaf.
- Round or oval rattan banneton with liner: supports the shaped dough during its final proof. It does not go in the oven.
- Traditional dough lame: used to score the dough immediately before baking so the loaf can expand in a controlled way.
- Flexible dough scraper: helps mix, fold and remove sticky dough from the bowl.
- Printed or QR-linked instructions: guide you from preparing the starter through to baking.
Complete kit
Organic Sourdough Bread Kit
- Your selected starter: live wheat, rye or spelt, or dehydrated wheat or rye.
- Matching organic flour: used for feeding and baking, with enough supplied for at least three large artisan loaves.
- Round or oval banneton: supports the shaped dough while it proofs and helps it hold its form.
- Dough lame: safely holds the razor used to score the loaf before baking.
- Bowl scraper: mixes, folds and lifts dough from the bowl.
- Dough cutter: divides dough, assists with shaping and helps clean dough from the bench.
- Spatula: makes starter feeding and mixing easier.
- Dough sling: lowers the loaf into a hot Dutch oven more safely and stays beneath the dough during baking.
- Printed or QR-linked guides: connect you to the correct starter and first-loaf instructions.
You will also need from home
Digital kitchen scales, a clean jar with a loosely fitted lid, water, a mixing bowl, a spoon or whisk, a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid, and a wire cooling rack. Digital scales are especially important for reliable starter feeds and dough quantities.
Start in the right place
Live starter
Your starter is already a living culture. Transfer it to a clean jar, feed it using the ratio for its grain and keep it around 24–27°C. Bake when it has reached peak rise and is well aerated.
Dehydrated starter
Begin by hydrating the full packet with an equal weight of water. Do not discard after this first hydration. Continue with the feeding instructions and bake only once the starter is rising strongly and reaches peak activity.
Feeding ratios by starter type
These ratios are based on the flour sold by Dough My God. The numbers are starter : flour : water.
| Starter | Feeding ratio | Example using 50 g starter |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 1 : 1 : 1 | 50 g starter + 50 g flour + 50 g water |
| Rye | 1 : 1 : 1.2 | 50 g starter + 50 g flour + 60 g water |
| Spelt | 1 : 1.1 : 1 | 50 g starter + 55 g flour + 50 g water |
Your first bake
- Prepare the starter: follow the live or dehydrated instructions above.
- Wait for peak rise: look for strong bubbles, a pleasant fermented aroma and a starter that has doubled or more after feeding.
- Mix the dough: use the beginner recipe and digital scales.
- Ferment by what the dough is doing: temperature affects timing, so use the dough’s rise, aeration and feel rather than relying only on the clock.
- Shape, proof and bake: use the banneton for proofing, then score immediately before the loaf goes into the hot Dutch oven.
- Cool before slicing: allow at least one hour, preferably until completely cool.
Keep enough for next time
After measuring the active starter required for your recipe, retain around 30–50 g as your mother starter. Feed it for your next bake or store it in the fridge according to the starter-care guide.
Need a hand? Email ohcrumb@doughmygod.com.au or call 1300 991 822.