Our favourites are the wide mouth containers, like Weck or Mason style jars. Their lids come with a rubber lining that helps lock in freshness. We have one of these jars available on offer.

You may also use a recycled glass jar with a lid. It should be clean, and you may sterilise it quickly with boiled water.

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

*EXAMPLE* If you received  50g of starter, add 50g of flour and 50g of water.

Stir well and put the lid on, but no too tight to allow the gas (CO2) to escapte the container. Put the container away somewhere in the kitchen in room temperature. Do not put in direct sunlight.

*TIP* We recommend maintaining only small amounts of the starter to limit any unnecessary waste. It is also much easier to maintain going forward.

Refer to our detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance.   

Keep in mind 1-1-1 ratio of starter, flour and water, by weight. This means if there is 50g of starter in the jar, you need to discard half (25g) and add 25g of fresh flour and 25g of water. Mix well, cover with lid, and put somewhere warm or simply in a room temperature. After a few hours, depending on starter activity and the conditions around, you should see some activity.

It is common to discard half of the starter volume first, and only then continue to feed. This can be the moment when you take a spoonful of the mother starter to prepare the levain/leaven (for extra activity), or incorporate this discard into a sourdough recipe (like pancakes).

So, if you had 50g of the 'hungry' starter in the jar, discard or use the 25g, and stir in 25g of fresh flour and 25g of water at room temp. You will end up with about 75g of a fermenting culture, which is an easy (and low) volume to maintain.

If you bake regularly, it's best to maintain higher volume so that you always have an active starter to be used as the 'pre-ferment' (about 20% in the recipe). Otherwise, keep low volumes of your mother starter, and when you want to bake, prepare a leaven (as it will allow you to quickly scale up the amount of the required 'pre-ferment'.

Refer to our detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance.

Warm. Sourdough starter is made of cultures of live lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and wild yeast. The yeast feed on the carbohydrate nutrients in the flour (natural fermentation process), and bacteria feed on the products of this fermentation (hence the sour taste). As most living organisms, they require warm conditions. Room temperature is best for a sustainable and healthy growth (20-25C). 

During winter months, you may want to store it somewhere warmer, like in a cupboard, near the cooking stove, or in the oven under the light. Keep in mind it will always take longer to observe any signs of fermentation in lower temperatures. 

Refer to our detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance.

Yes, you can! You need to understand though it will slow down your starter culture. Lower temperatures will definitely slow down the yeast so the fermentation will take much longer (if at all). The bacteria may still work. 

Storing the starter in the fridge is a better option for seldom bakers. If you're planning to bake, simply prepare a levain - get a spoonful of the starter, and feed with double the amount of flour and warm water. Do this in a separate container, and leave at least overnight so it becomes activated. Look for obviouys signs of fermentation like bloating and bubbles on the surface. Feed your starter too, let it ferment the flour for 24-48 hours, and put it back to the fridge.

You may need to first feed your mother starter 1-2 times, and only then prepare the leaven, especially after longer periods of storing it in the fridge. Activity drops over time and it needs longer to thrive again.

Refer to our detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance.

First of all, there is nothing to worry about as the solution will be simple. It is very unlikely your starter is dead.

There is a good chance it simply needs more time. Each culture will vary depending on the conditions they are in. Generally, your starter should double in volume after few hours or overnight. With the freshly received one, though, it may take a little longer for the fermentation to kick off, as it had to endure the stress of transportation.

Keep it in a warm place. Even a few degrees cooler makes a huge difference. This especially applies during winter months. Be patient with your starter as it may take longer to complete the fermentation. Try keeping it in the oven right under the light, or closer to your cooking stove. Our trick is to put it on the coffee machine (where the cups are). It will thank you with an increased activity.

Still nothing happens? Feed again. Discard half and feed with equal amounts of flour and water. It does take a few days sometimes before the first signs of activity are evident.  Once they are, the next feeding should show activity within hours.

Keep a good feeding routine!

Refer to detailed instructions on Starter Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

Once you have placed your order, we will send you a confirmation email to track the status of your order. Once your order is shipped, you will receive another email to confirm the expected delivery date as well as the link to track your order. Additionally, you can track the status of your order from your "order history" section on your account page on the website.  

We can only change orders that have not been processed for shipping yet. Once your order has shipped, we are unable to accept any edits to your order, because it is already on the way. To make changes to your order, please reach out as soon as you can using the contact form, or call us.  

Once you've placed your order, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours to process it for delivery. We ship products from Monday to Thursday. Standard shipping time for Australia is 2-8 business days, depending on the delivery address. It may take longer for remote or rural areas. We also offer Express Deliveries with Australia Post (1-3 days to most locations) - just choose this option in your cart.

We do accept returns in respect to the following conditions:

- The item must have been purchased via our online store

 - The item must not have been used in any way

 - The return or exchange request is made within 28 days of delivery

 - The return is made within 14 days of the return or exchange request

To ask for a return, please contact our support through the contact form.  

We do accept exchanges and they follow the same conditions as returns.  In order to ask for an exchange, please mention that you would like your item to be exchanged with another item when preparing your return.

Returns are the responsibility of the buyer. However, if your product arrived damaged, we would dispatch a replacement to you on our cost. Feel free to contact our support through the contact form for more details.