Cooking
Sourdough Starters
A sourdough starter is just flour, water, and patience, which is exactly why it is intimidating to begin alone. There is no yeast packet to blame, only a jar on your counter you have to learn to read. Over four weeks we raise ours in parallel: week one you mix the jar and we watch it come alive, and by week four you are scoring and baking a loaf. You post the daily photo of your bubbling (or stubborn) starter, ask why it smells like that, and someone who hit the same wall three days ago talks you through it. It is the group chat that turns a finicky science experiment into a loaf you actually made.
What you'll do
- Build and feed a starter from scratch, posting a daily photo of its progress.
- Troubleshoot the smells, the sinking, and the timing with the group.
- Bake your first loaf by week four and slice it open together.
Schedule
The first week is daily starter feedings and check-ins; the pace eases as we move toward baking. Four weeks from empty jar to first loaf.
Vibe
Patient and a little obsessed. We will absolutely ask to see the crumb.
Good to know
I have never baked anything. Is that ok?
Perfect. This is built for first-timers, jar and all. If you can stir flour and water, you can do week one, and we walk through the rest together.
What equipment do I need?
Less than you think. A jar, flour, water, and an oven. A dutch oven or a kitchen scale help, but we share workarounds for whatever you have.
What if my starter dies?
It happens to everyone, and it is fixable. That is half the reason to do this in a group instead of alone with a sad gray jar.
Group instructions
This club coordinates over WhatsApp. When a group fills up, you'll be invited to a private group chat along with the other members of the group and a community organizer.