In addition to my book, I am selling dried samples of the sourdough starters featured in the book so you can make bread like the one pictured here. Feel free to read about the starters, and learn about my sourdough mapping project.
Russian Rye (1960)
Andrew Whitley, baker, author, and founder of Bread Matters and cofounder of the UK Real Bread Campaign brought this starter back from an old Soviet bread factory. This rye starter is sweet, pungent, fast acting, and delicious. Its backstory can be found here.
Price: $12.50
Cripple Creek (1893)
Since 1988 I’ve fed this starter only whole wheat (but usually add white bread flour and other flours when mixing up dough.) It makes a very sour bread with a lot of acidic, vinegary flavors. For its full history, you’ll need to read the book, Sourdough Culture.
Price: $12.50
Meadville Starter (1990)
My wife Susan made this starter from wild grapes growing in a small thicket of forest near our house. I have always fed this starter with white bread flour. It provides exceptional leavening power and gives its breads outstanding taste. It is not very sour; rather, it makes bread with creamier flavors and excellent, open crumb.
Price: $12.50
Tips & Tricks
How to Revive Your Dried Sample of Sourdough Starter. If you have purchased a dried starter, here are the directions for turning it into an active starter once it comes in the mail.
Care and Feeding of Your Starter. So you have a new sourdough starter (or an old one that someone has recently given you.) How do you keep it alive and flourishing? Here are some wonderful directions prepared by my daughter, Leah.