Sourdough by the Sea
Welcome to your Sourdough Journey
Your four-step guide
Everything you need to begin
Work through each step in order. Open one section at a time and take it at your own pace.
Wake up your starter when it arrivesChoose the instructions for your wet or dried starter and complete the first feeds.
Your starter may be quiet after travelling. Give it a clean jar, regular food and a comfortable place to rest. Most starters begin showing reliable activity after several daily feeds.
I have a dried starter
- Tip the entire pouch of dried flakes into a clean, tall jar.
- Add 40g room-temperature water. Stir and leave briefly to soften.
- Add 40g strong bread flour and mix into a loose paste.
I have a wet starter
- Transfer the entire starter into a clean, tall jar.
- Add 40g room-temperature water.
- Add 40g strong bread flour and mix thoroughly.
Feed it each day
- Keep the jar at room temperature, ideally around 20–22°C.
- Every 24 hours, add another 40g water and 40g strong bread flour.
- Stir thoroughly after each feed.
- Continue for approximately 3-4 days, or until the starter rises reliably after feeding.
- Use a jar with enough empty space for the starter to double or triple.
Look for signs of life: bubbles throughout the starter, a gentle rise and a clean sweet-and-sour aroma. It may take several feeds before much happens, so give it time.
Your starter is ready for its first loaf when it becomes visibly bubbly and rises predictably after feeding. It does not have to pass a float test.
Make your first loafYour ingredients, timings and complete step-by-step baking method.
Makes: one large loaf · Bulk fermentation: approximately 4–8 hours · Cold proof: 8–16 hours
Ingredients
- 420g strong bread flour
- 80g active starter
- 300g water
- 10g fine sea salt
You can use all white bread flour or combine 330g white flour with 90g wholemeal, rye or spelt flour.
Day 1: Mix and ferment
- Mix the dough. Stir the water and starter together. Add the flour and salt, then mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Strengthen it. With damp hands, lift and fold all four sides of the dough. Cover and repeat three or four times at 30–60 minute intervals.
- Bulk-ferment. Leave the covered dough at room temperature. It is ready when it looks aerated, wobbles gently and has increased noticeably in volume.
- Shape. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the edges towards the centre, turn it seam-side down and gently create tension across the surface.
- Cold-proof. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a well-floured banneton. Cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours.
Watch the dough, not just the clock. A warm kitchen speeds fermentation and a cool kitchen slows it down. If the dough still looks dense, give it longer.
Day 2: Score and bake
- Prepare the loaf. Turn the cold dough onto baking parchment. Score approximately 1cm deep with a bread lame or very sharp knife.
- Bake with the lid on. Lower the dough into a Dutch oven, fit the lid and place it in a cold oven. Set the oven to 220°C or 200°C fan and bake for 40–45 minutes.
- Finish the crust. Remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 205°C or 185°C fan and bake for another 20–30 minutes, until deeply golden.
- Cool. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and wait for at least one hour before slicing.
Your loaf is baked when: the crust is deeply golden, the base sounds hollow when tapped and the centre reaches approximately 96–98°C.
Store your starter after bakingKeep your starter healthy and quiet until you are ready to bake again.
Once you have taken the starter needed for your loaf, feed what remains and return it to the fridge. The cold keeps it alive but slows its activity.
- Keep a manageable amount. Around 50–100g of starter is enough for most home bakers.
- Replace what you used. If you removed 80g for your loaf, add 40g water and 40g flour.
- Mix thoroughly. Scrape down the sides of the jar and cover it.
- Let it begin working. Leave the fed starter at room temperature for 1–2 hours.
- Refrigerate it. Place the jar in the fridge until your next baking session.
You do not need to keep a huge jar. Maintaining a smaller starter creates less waste. Build a larger amount only when you plan to bake more than one loaf.
How long can it stay in the fridge?
An established starter can often remain refrigerated for a week or longer between feeds. If it has been left for several weeks, give it two or three room-temperature feeds before baking.
A grey liquid or strong alcoholic smell usually means the starter is hungry. Feed it and watch for renewed activity. Throw it away if you see fuzzy mould or pink, red or orange discolouration.
Wake your starter before bakingTake it from the fridge, feed it and recognise when it is ready to use.
Take your starter out of the fridge the day before you plan to mix your dough. Feeding it at room temperature gives the natural yeasts and bacteria fresh food and allows activity to build again.
- Take it from the fridge. Let the jar lose some of its chill while you prepare the feed.
- Feed equal weights. Add 40g room-temperature water and 40g strong bread flour.
- Mix and mark the level. Use an elastic band or washable pen so the rise is easy to see.
- Keep it comfortable. Leave the jar somewhere around 20–24°C.
- Use it near its peak. Your starter is ready when it is bubbly, has risen noticeably and smells clean and pleasantly fermented.
If it stays quiet: move it somewhere slightly warmer and give it another feed. A starter that has been refrigerated for a long time may need several feeds before it rises reliably.
After taking starter for your recipe
Feed the starter remaining in the jar with equal weights of flour and water. Let it begin fermenting at room temperature, then return it to the fridge as described in step three.
Need a little help?
We’re here if your starter needs some extra care.