Sourdough starter kit

Bake sourdough like a pro.

The tools, baskets and step-by-step manual to grow your own starter and bake an open-crumb loaf at home.

Buy on Amazon See what's inside

That crumb is made,
not bought.

A lively starter, patient folds and a hot cast iron pot. The kit and manual walk you through all three.

The kit

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

Starter Jar

Mix, feed, track the rise

Hand wash, dry well

Silicone Spatula

Stirs and scrapes the jar

Rinse after use

Dough Whisk

Mixes dough, no lumps

Hand wash, dry at once

Round & Oval Baskets

Final rise, loaf shape

Brush off flour. No soap

Bread Lame

Scores the dough top

Wipe only. Cover the blade

Bread Sling

Lifts dough into the pot

Wipe clean, air dry

Bowl Scraper

Frees dough from the bowl

Rinse in warm water

Dough Scraper

Cuts and lifts dough

Hand wash, dry handle

Silicone Brush

Brushes off flour

Rinse in warm water

12-page manual

Starter, recipe and quick fixes

Illustrated, step by step

Step 1 · Your starter

Just flour, water and patience.

  1. 1Day 1

    Add 100 g wholemeal or rye flour and 100 g room temperature water to the Starter Jar. Stir with the spatula, cover loosely and rest 24 hours.

  2. 2Day 2

    Rest 24 hours more. A few tiny bubbles is normal.

  3. 3Days 3 to 7

    Keep 100 g and throw the rest away. Add 100 g plain flour and 100 g water, stir and cover. Repeat every 24 hours.

  4. 4Ready!

    Doubles in 4 to 6 hours, bubbly and sour, and a spoonful floats in water.

Day 1 of 7 21 to 24°C

Feed it, love it, bake with it

Keep it going.

50 gstarter
+
50 gflour
+
50 gwater

Stir, cover loosely and mark the level.

On the counter

Bake often. Feed once a day. Keep at 21 to 24°C.

In the fridge

Bake sometimes. Feed once a week.

Before you bake

  • Feed it the night before and wait for it to double.
  • Use it within 1 to 2 hours of its peak.
  • Clean the jar every 1 to 4 weeks.
  • Spare starter goes in the bin, not the sink.

Discard ideas

Use it in pancakes, crackers or cookies. Share it with a friend, or keep it in the fridge.

A slice of sourdough with an open, airy crumb, leaning against a stack of proofing baskets

Step 2 · Sourdough bread

Crusty outside, soft inside.

Ingredients

100 g
active starter
400 g
bread flour
55 g
rye or wholemeal flour*
345 g
lukewarm water (up to 29°C)
10 g
fine salt
rice flour for the basket

*No rye? Use 55 g more bread flour.

You also need

Kitchen scales, an oven, and a cast iron casserole or Dutch oven with a lid, safe up to 260°C (not included). No pot? Bake on a hot tray; the crust will be lighter.

  1. 1 · Get your starter ready4 to 6 h

    Stir 50 g starter, 50 g flour and 50 g water in the Starter Jar. Wait until doubled and bubbly. A spoonful should float in water.

  2. 2 · Mix the dough

    Whisk 100 g starter into 345 g lukewarm water with the Dough Whisk. Add the flours and 10 g salt and mix until no dry flour is left. It will be wet and sticky.

  3. 3 · Stretch and fold4×, 1 h apart

    Wet your hand, lift one side and fold it over. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat on all four sides. The Bowl Scraper frees sticky dough.

  4. 4 · Let it rise4 to 6 h total

    Cover the bowl at room temperature. Ready when puffy, domed and bubbly.

  5. 5 · Shape the loafRest 20 min

    Tip the dough onto a floured bench and lift it with the Dough Scraper. Fold the edges into the centre, rest, then tuck and drag to tighten.

  6. 6 · Into the basket

    Dust the basket with rice flour, brush off the extra and place the dough seam side up. Round basket, round loaf; oval for oval.

  7. 7 · Chill8 to 48 h

    Cover and chill in the fridge. It will rise a little, not double.

  8. 8 · Preheat260°C

    Put the pot, lid on, in the oven and heat for 30 to 60 minutes.

  9. 9 · Score

    Lift the cold dough onto the Bread Sling. Cut a curve with the Bread Lame at 45°, about 1 cm deep.

  10. 10 · Bake230°C

    Lower the dough into the hot pot with the sling, lid on. 20 minutes lid on, then 20 to 25 minutes lid off until deep golden.

  11. 11 · Cool

    Lift out with the sling. Cool fully on a rack before slicing.

Step 1 of 11

Look closer

Every hole is a bubble your starter made.

Wild yeast in the starter releases gas. Stretch-and-folds build the gluten walls that trap it, and the heat of a cast iron pot sets it in place. Move across the slice to see it.

Hover or drag over the photo.

In every box

A 12-page manual that actually helps.

Short steps, real weights and times, and an illustration for every tool. Written so your first loaf works.

Front and back covers of the Bakeoo manual: Bake sourdough like a pro
Manual spread: What's in your kit, with illustrated tools and care notes
Manual spread: Make your own starter, and keep it going
  1. 1The kitEvery tool, what it does and how to care for it
  2. 2Sourdough breadEleven steps from starter to cooled loaf
  3. 3Your starterMake it in a week, then keep it going
  4. 4HelpQuick fixes for the common problems

Help

Quick fixes.

Most starter worries have a simple answer.

Oh, crumbs. Something went wrong?

Bought on Amazon? Go to Your Orders › Contact seller.

Starter not doubling

Move it somewhere warmer, 21 to 24°C, and keep feeding on time.

Grey liquid on top

It is hungry. Pour it off or stir it in, then feed.

Smells like rubbing alcohol

Hungry. Discard some, then feed.

Pink, green or orange streaks, or fuzz

That is mould. Bin it all, wash the jar and start again.

Missed a feeding

No problem. Discard and feed as usual.

Dough too wet to shape

Flour your bench and hands. Next time use a little less water.

Ready to bake like a pro?

The Bakeoo Sourdough Starter Kit is available on Amazon.

Buy on Amazon