Journal

Starter Care

Everything you need to know about this topic — from the basics to the deep end.

6 articles
How to Tell When Your Starter is Ready to Use
Beginner GuidesStarter Care

How to Tell When Your Starter is Ready to Use

Five reliable signs a sourdough starter is ready to bake with — including the float test, the rise window, and the discard-jar trick most recipe books don't mention.

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Your First 30 Days with a Sourdough Starter: A Complete Guide
Beginner GuidesFeatured

Your First 30 Days with a Sourdough Starter: A Complete Guide

What to expect, day by day, in the first 30 days of life with a new sourdough starter — the smells, the rises, the wobbles, and what it means at each stage.

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Grey Liquid on My Starter: What Is It and What Should I Do?
Starter CareTroubleshooting

Grey Liquid on My Starter: What Is It and What Should I Do?

What the grey or brown liquid on top of your sourdough starter actually is, why it appears, whether it's safe — and exactly what to do when you find it. (Spoiler: don't bin the starter.)

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When Is My Sourdough Starter Ready? 5 Signs of an Active Culture
Beginner GuidesStarter Care

When Is My Sourdough Starter Ready? 5 Signs of an Active Culture

Five clear signs your sourdough starter is ready to bake with — plus a foolproof float test, what to do if it isn't ready yet, and how to tell whether your starter is sluggish or actually...

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Sourdough Starter Not Rising? 7 Fixes That Actually Work (UK Guide)
Starter CareTroubleshooting

Sourdough Starter Not Rising? 7 Fixes That Actually Work (UK Guide)

If your sourdough starter has stopped rising — or never started — it's almost certainly one of seven things, ranked here by likelihood. UK kitchen temperatures, British flour swaps, hard-water rescue, hooch handling, complete 48-hour rescue...

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How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch (UK Edition)
Beginner GuidesFeatured

How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch (UK Edition)

A 7–14 day UK-first guide to building a sourdough starter from scratch — British flour brands ranked, UK water hardness map, kitchen-temperature reality, day-by-day schedule with photos, troubleshooting decision tree, four-sign readiness checklist, and what to...

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