We ship our live starters in a clean, air-tight zip-lock sachet to ensure they stay well-preserved during transit. Sometimes, they spend a night in the fridge before shipping, which further helps. The acidity of the starter (low pH) slows the growth of spoilage bacteria and mold, but this effect is temporary.

Upon receiving your starter kit, ideally, feed it within a few days. Simply cut a corner of the sachet, squeeze the contents into a clean container, and follow the feeding instructions. It’s easy and mess-free! Don’t worry if you can’t extract every bit from the sachet—the starter will still work.

We also offer dehydrated starter kits with a longer shelf life. These can stay in their dried, powdered form until you’re ready to bake, making them a perfect gift! To rehydrate, just mix with fresh flour and water, stir well, and set aside in a warm place. Follow our detailed instructions to use in any recipe successfully.

Our favorite is the Mason-type glass jar with a wide mouth for easy handling. These jars come with lids that have a rubber lining to help lock in freshness. We have one available for purchase. You can also use a recycled glass jar with a lid. It should be clean, and you can quickly sterilize it with boiling water or in the oven.

Pre-weigh an empty container and note its weight on the lid or bottom. Zero the scale, then transfer your starter. Add an equal amount of flour and water.

Example: If you received 50g of starter, add approximately 50g of flour and 50g of water. Stir well and place the lid on, but not too tight—this allows the gas (CO2) to escape. Store the container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.

Tip: We recommend maintaining only small amounts of the starter to minimize waste and make it easier to manage.

For detailed instructions, refer to our Starter Maintenance guide.

Use the same type of flour as your starter. If you have a rye starter, use high-quality rye flour; for a wheat starter, use your regular baker's flour (wheat). Opt for the best quality product available, ideally organic and sustainable. Each starter thrives on high-protein flour (11.5%–13.5%) to stay healthy and active.

If your starter seems runny after mixing, simply adjust the ratio at the next feeding. Use less water or more flour for a firmer texture, or more water or less flour for a more liquid starter. Both versions will work well in most recipes.

For more details, refer to our Starter Maintenance guide.

We do not currently sell flour via our online store, but we’re happy to make recommendations! Good quality baker's flour is available at most supermarkets like Coles or Woolworths. Laucke Wallaby Baker's Flour is an excellent all-rounder at an affordable price, suitable for both feeding your starter and preparing dough:

• Woolworths: Laucke Wallaby Baker's Flour
• Coles: Laucke Wallaby Baker's Flour

You can also order their certified organic baker's flour directly from their website:

• Laucke Organic Wallaby T55

If you prefer to order only 'organic' or 'sustainable' products, we recommend flours by Wholegrain Milling. These flours are of exceptional quality, with a large variety available online. We usually order from Honest to Goodness:

Wheat (great for starter feeding and as the main flour):

• Organic Premium Baker's White Flour - 5kg
• Sustainable Premium White Baker's Flour - 5kg

Rye (ideal for starter feeding and as an addition to your recipe):

• Organic Stoneground Whole Rye Flour - 5kg

Spelt (a wonderful addition to your recipe for an extra nutty flavor):

• Organic Stoneground White Spelt Flour - 5kg

Remember the 1:1:1 ratio of starter, flour, and water by weight. For example, if you have 50g of starter in the jar, discard half (25g), and then add 25g of fresh flour and 25g of water. Mix well, cover loosely with a lid, and store somewhere warm or at room temperature. After a few hours, depending on the starter's activity and surrounding conditions, you should see some activity.

It’s common practice to discard half of the starter before feeding. This is also a good time to take a spoonful of the mother starter to prepare a levain (for extra activity) or to use the discard in a sourdough recipe, like pancakes.

Example: If you had 50g of 'hungry' starter, discard or use 25g, and stir in 25g of fresh flour and 25g of room temperature water. You’ll end up with about 75g of fermenting culture, which is an easy and low volume to maintain.

If you bake regularly, it’s best to maintain a higher volume of starter so you always have enough for the 'pre-ferment' (about 20% of the recipe). Otherwise, keep a lower volume of your mother starter, and when you’re ready to bake, prepare a leaven to quickly scale up the amount of 'pre-ferment' needed.

For more detailed guidance, refer to our Starter Maintenance instructions.

When feeding your starter, it’s recommended to discard about half of it to refresh the culture. Over time, as the starter consumes flour and water, it becomes very sour, causing the pH to drop significantly. This can hinder its future growth and activity.

To keep your starter fresh and healthy, it's important to remove any unnecessary byproducts of its metabolism. Discarding half is like diluting the starter, reducing its acidity and allowing it to thrive again, ready to ferment your dough.

Warmth is key. Sourdough starter consists of live lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and wild yeast. The yeast feed on the carbohydrates in the flour through natural fermentation, and the bacteria feed on the byproducts, giving the starter its sour taste. Like most living organisms, they thrive in warm conditions. Room temperature (20-25°C) is ideal for sustainable and healthy growth.

During the winter months, you may want to store your starter somewhere warmer, such as in a cupboard, near the stove, or in the oven with the light on. Keep in mind that fermentation will take longer at lower temperatures.

For more detailed guidance, refer to our Starter Maintenance instructions.

Yes, you can refrigerate your starter! However, it's important to note that this will slow down the culture. Lower temperatures significantly slow the yeast, so fermentation will take much longer, if it happens at all. The bacteria may still remain active.

Storing the starter in the fridge is a good option for occasional bakers. If you're planning to bake, prepare a levain by taking a spoonful of the starter and feeding it with double the amount of flour and warm water in a separate container. Let it sit overnight to activate, and look for obvious signs of fermentation, like bubbling and bloating on the surface. Feed your starter as well, allow it to ferment the flour for 24-48 hours, then return it to the fridge.

If your starter has been in the fridge for a long time, you may need to feed it 1-2 times before preparing the levain. Activity decreases over time, and it will need longer to become fully active again.

For more detailed guidance, refer to our Starter Maintenance instructions.

First of all, there’s no need to worry—the solution is likely simple. It’s very unlikely that your starter is dead. It probably just needs more time. Each culture varies depending on its environment, and while your starter should generally double in volume after a few hours or overnight, a freshly received starter might take a bit longer to kick off due to the stress of transportation.

Keep it in a warm place, as even a few degrees cooler can make a big difference, especially during winter months. Be patient, as your starter may need more time to complete fermentation. Try placing it in the oven with just the light on, near the stove, or even on the coffee machine (where the cups go). This warmth will encourage increased activity.

Still no signs of life? Feed it again. Discard half of the starter and feed it with equal amounts of flour and water. Sometimes it can take a few days before you see the first signs of activity. Once you do, the next feeding should show results within hours.

Maintain a good feeding routine!

For more guidance, refer to our detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

A leaven, also spelled 'levain', is an 'offshoot' of the mother starter. It’s activated by feeding with a generous amount of flour and water (typically in a 1:2:2 ratio) and allowing it to ferment for a few hours until it reaches its peak. It is then added to the dough mix to begin bulk fermentation.

Using a leaven allows you to quickly scale up the amount of 'pre-ferment' required in a recipe. Usually, this is 20% of the total flour. For example, if the recipe calls for 700g of flour, you need to add 140g of an active starter (soon after feeding) or the leaven (0.2 x 700g = 140g).

We typically use the entire levain mix in our recipes, prepared at a 1:2:2 ratio. For a large loaf to be proofed in our bannetons, we recommend the following mix for a perfect leaven:

• 40g starter
• 80g flour (wheat or rye)
• 80g water

These amounts make up 200g and ensure you’ll have enough leaven for active fermentation! This is a 100% hydration levain (water content equals flour content). You can adjust the water content depending on your recipe.

The entire levain accounts for 20% of the total dough mix, based on the flour weight—see baker's percentages for more details.