Sourdough Starter - 130+ Year Old San Franciscan Origin
Price:
$19.95
Regular Price
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Product Info
Tartine Bakery San Francisco Sourdough Starter – 130+ Year Old Culture | Bake Authentic Artisan Bread at Home
We are excited to offer our Tartine Bakery 130+ year old San Franciscan Sourdough Starter, a true culinary treasure that we acquired on a trip to the world-renowned Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. This living culture of wild yeast and lactobacilli has been carefully cultivated and nurtured by expert bakers for over a century, resulting in a starter with a unique and complex flavour profile that is unmatched by any other.
Using our Tartine Bakery 130+ year old San Franciscan Sourdough Starter is easy and will yield amazing results. Simply mix it with flour and water to create a dough, and let it rise and ferment slowly to develop its distinctive tangy flavour and chewy texture. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a complete beginner, this starter will help you create extraordinary artisan loaves at home.
The unique flavour and texture of this culture is a testament to generations of bakers who have tended it with care.
San Francisco vs French – Which Starter Should You Choose?
Both of our heritage starters bake incredible artisan loaves, but each brings something different to the table:
San Francisco Starter (this one):
Bold, complex and tangy — the classic San Fran sourdough flavour with a chewier, more rustic crumb. Ideal for bakers who enjoy a stronger sour profile or want to recreate Tartine-style breads.French Starter:
Mild, fruity and lightly tangy with a soft, versatile crumb. It’s our most popular starter and perfect for everyday loaves the whole family will enjoy.Many bakers choose both. One gives you a gentle, approachable loaf (French) and the other delivers a deeper, bolder sour (San Francisco) — making them great companions for different styles and experiments.
You Will Receive
- Organic Dried Sourdough Starter (15g): Fed and maintained by you, this living culture will last a lifetime (or more).
- High-quality double-sided full-colour instruction sheet: simple, step-by-step guidance, designed to look great as part of a gift.
- Ongoing support: personal help whenever you need it to get the best results from your starter — email, chat or phone.
- Pure heritage culture: The mother starter is fed exclusively on filtered chlorine-free water and wholegrain organic stoneground flour for many years.
Delivery Details
Starters are shipped via Australia Post Priority and in their dry state are shelf stable for at least 6 months – they are ready when you are.
Arrive Alive Guarantee
We stand behind the quality of our cultures. In the rare event your sourdough starter doesn’t activate and come alive after rehydration, we’ll send you a free replacement straight away. Your success in baking with our heritage culture is guaranteed.
Baking at home allows you to produce loaves of better quality than the best you can buy for a fraction of the cost. The starter can also be used to make naturally leavened pizza, pancakes, brioche, challah, focaccia, and baguettes.
Why Choose The Fermentation Station?
With over 20 years of experience and thousands of happy customers, we guarantee fresh, active cultures, fast shipping, and full support every step of your fermentation journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sourdough starter do I get, and how long will it last?
You’ll receive 15 g of dried heritage sourdough starter. Once activated and fed regularly, this becomes a living culture that can be maintained indefinitely. With simple care, your starter can literally last a lifetime and be shared, split, or built up for larger bakes.
How do I activate the dried starter?
Activation is simple: you’ll mix the dried starter with water and flour and feed it over several days, following the step-by-step instructions included. Most people see good activity within 3–5 days, depending on room temperature and feeding schedule.
How long until I can bake my first loaf?
On average, you’ll be ready to bake your first loaf in about 4–6 days. You’ll know your starter is ready when it reliably rises and falls between feeds, smells pleasantly yeasty or slightly fruity, and can at least double in size after a feeding.
What flour should I use to feed the starter?
We recommend feeding with a good quality bread flour or plain (all-purpose) wheat flour. You can also use a mix of white and wholemeal. Our mother culture is maintained on organic stoneground flour, so any similar unbleached wheat flour will keep it happy and strong.
Can I change flours later (e.g. to rye or wholemeal)?
Yes. You can gradually shift your starter to rye, spelt or wholemeal by feeding a little more of the new flour at each feed. Just avoid sudden changes and give it a few feeds to fully adapt.
How do I store my starter between bakes?
If you bake often, you can keep your starter at room temperature and feed it daily. If you bake less frequently, store it in the fridge and feed it about once a week. Simply take it out, give it one or two feeds at room temperature, and it will be ready to bake again.
Is this starter gluten-free?
No. This is a wheat-based sourdough culture and contains gluten. While you can use the active starter to help leaven some alternative-flour recipes, it’s not suitable for people who need to avoid gluten entirely.
What if my starter isn’t bubbling or rising properly?
Don’t worry — there’s often a “quiet” phase during activation. Make sure you’re feeding at the right ratio, keeping it warm (around 20–25 °C), and using chlorine-free water. If it still doesn’t show signs of life after following the instructions, just get in touch — our Arrive Alive Guarantee means we’ll help troubleshoot or send a replacement if needed.
Can I use this starter for more than just bread?
Yes! Your sourdough starter is incredibly versatile. You can use it to make pizza dough, focaccia, pancakes, waffles, brioche, cinnamon scrolls, and more.
Is it safe for the starter to be shipped dry in the post?
Yes. In its dried form, the starter is very stable and shelf-stable for at least 6 months. We ship via Australia Post Priority, and the culture is absolutely fine with normal postal timeframes — just follow the activation instructions once it arrives.
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I’ve been wanting to make Kombucha for an embarrassingly long time. But the results of my efforts with the Jun scoby have been worth the wait. It has made the most delicious and refreshing drink to sip on these hot days of late. Absolutely recommend the scoby and The Fermentation Station’s customer service.
Anonymous
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milk kefir grains
My milk kefir grains are working great and have grown in size. Thankyou
LYNNE SUMMERS
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Kefir
I am pleased with the grains.
Seems grains mutilply.can you then triple quantities for the same amount of time
Margaret Rayner
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Great product great support
This is such a great product to purchase. I had questions during the process and Sandy was amazing with her support. What a great company.
Anonymous
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i am very pleased with Jared at the fermentation station
i am very pleased with Jared at the fermentation station, he has answered all my questions regarding making QUARK and i am very happy with the results i get, on the odd day i even make kefir milk, i am so happy that i found the Fermentation Station.
Thank You Jared
Anonymous
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I had great success with this sourdough starter on my first go
I had great success with this sourdough starter on my first go. The instructions were easy and clear. I’m still learning to master the baking process but enjoying learning! Thanks
Therese Jackson
Sourdough Starter - 106+ Year Old French Origin
San Fran is great
Followed directions and within 24 hours the starter was hydrated and ready to feed! Makes beautiful bread, light and tasty
Anonymous
Sourdough Starter - 130+ Year Old San Franciscan Origin
Top notch starter culture
The sourdough starter culture I received turned out to be the best culture so far which made awesome sourdough bread with perfect taste, flavour & bounce. Love it! I now enjoying baking my own sourdough at home. Thanks!
TM
Sourdough Starter - 106+ Year Old French Origin
My grains arrived with clear instructions and we
My grains arrived with clear instructions and we are enjoying our kefir immensely
Tommy
Water Kefir Grains
Strongly recommend
Awesome customer service & assisting me to replace the ordered that I have placed the wrong item seamlessly & promptly & refunded the differences amount. Super fast delivery. Received the lively kefir in good hygiene sealed package. I made the kefir immediately after receiving it, 24 hours later it is almost ready. Kefir milk smell lovely & taste good. The grain is very healthy & it multiply each time I filtered it. It is like a pet for me. Glad that I found your company.
Shin Hui Ling
Milk Kefir Grains