Sourdough Starter Kit
Price:
$59.95
Regular Price
-
Product Info
Sourdough Starter Kit – Organic Culture, Jar, Tools & FREE eBook
Start your sourdough journey with confidence with our Sourdough Starter Kit — including an organic dried heritage starter, a 900 ml starter jar, essential feeding and tracking tools, printed guides and a FREE 48-page Sourdough digital eBook.
This beginner-friendly set brings together the tools and guidance to help you rehydrate, feed and maintain your sourdough starter at home. Whether you’re completely new to sourdough or establishing another culture, you’ll have a dedicated setup for caring for your starter from day one.
Want the starter culture only (no jar/tools)?
FREE 48-Page Sourdough eBook Included
Every Starter Kit includes The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough digital eBook at no additional cost. This beautifully illustrated guide covers starter rehydration, feeding, ongoing care, your first loaf, troubleshooting and six recipes, with quick-reference charts to keep handy as you bake.Choosing Your Starter: French or San Franciscan?
French Sourdough Starter: Mild, fruity and lightly tangy with a soft crumb. Perfect for everyday loaves and our most popular choice for beginners and families.
San Franciscan Starter: Bold, complex and distinctly tangy — the classic Boudin bakery flavour with a chewier, rustic texture.
Not sure which to pick? You can’t go wrong with either, and many bakers eventually try both to explore the different flavours and textures they produce.
What’s Included?
- Organic Dried Sourdough Starter (15 g): A robust, heritage culture fed on chlorine-free water and organic stoneground flour for many years — designed to last a lifetime with regular care.
- Food-grade 900 ml wide-mouth jar & bamboo lid: A practical and sustainable vessel for storing and maintaining your starter.
- Unbleached organic linen cover: Eco-friendly, breathable protection for your starter jar.
- Silicone dough spatula: Ideal for mixing and scraping sticky sourdough starter and dough.
- Thermal temperature sticker: Monitor your starter’s environment to help understand its fermentation activity.
- Silicone feeding band: Easily track your starter’s rise and activity between feeds.
- Adhesive labels & pen: Keep organised with reusable labels for dates and notes.
- Full-colour, double-sided quick-start & starter information guide: An easy-reference introduction to your selected heritage sourdough starter, including its history and essential getting-started information.
- Full-colour 6-page Sourdough Baking Guide: A beautifully printed guide with detailed, step-by-step instructions covering activation, feeding, ongoing maintenance and baking your own sourdough bread at home.
- FREE The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Digital eBook: A beautifully presented 48-page guide covering rehydration, feeding ratios, starter care, mixing, folding, bulk fermentation, shaping, proofing, scoring and baking. Includes illustrated first-loaf stages, six recipes, troubleshooting and quick-reference charts. Supplied as a digital PDF alongside your printed guides.
- Ongoing Support: Personal help whenever you need it to get the best results from your starter — email, chat or phone.
Why Choose This Starter Kit?
- A simple way to get started: A heritage culture and dedicated starter-care tools brought together in one beginner-friendly kit.
- FREE 48-page Sourdough eBook: Detailed guidance from rehydrating your starter through to your first loaf, with recipes and troubleshooting for future bakes.
- Easy starter monitoring: A wide-mouth jar, temperature sticker and feeding band help you follow your culture’s progress.
- Versatile heritage culture: Ideal for sourdough bread, pizza dough, focaccia, pancakes, brioche and more.
- Printed and digital guidance: Keep your printed guides close to your starter and use the eBook when you want more detail.
- A practical gift: A thoughtful introduction to sourdough for anyone who enjoys homemade food.
Delivery Details
Starters are shipped in their dry state and are shelf-stable for at least 6 months — activate and bake whenever you’re ready.
Arrive Alive Guarantee
We stand behind the quality of our cultures. In the rare event your organic sourdough starter doesn’t activate after rehydration, we’ll send a free replacement straight away. Your success is guaranteed.
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
Is the Sourdough eBook included?
Yes. Every Sourdough Starter Kit includes The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough digital eBook FREE, at no additional cost. The 48-page guide covers starter rehydration, feeding, ongoing care, illustrated first-loaf instructions, six recipes, troubleshooting and quick-reference charts.
Is the eBook printed or digital?
The eBook is a digital PDF you can read on your phone, tablet or computer. Your kit also includes the printed quick-start and starter information guide and full-colour 6-page Sourdough Baking Guide, so you have both printed instructions and a more detailed digital reference.
Does this kit include a banneton and bread-making tools?
This kit focuses on rehydrating, feeding and maintaining your starter. It includes a starter jar, cover, spatula and tracking accessories. For a banneton, dough whisk, bench scraper and scoring lame, choose our Sourdough Baking Kit or Sourdough Master Kit. All three kits include the free Sourdough eBook.
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 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 in your kit. Most people see good activity within 3–5 days, depending on room temperature and feeding schedule. Your free eBook provides additional guidance on rehydration and recognising a ready-to-use starter.
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, although some starters take longer. 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. Follow its activity rather than the calendar alone.
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. Give it a few feeds to adapt and monitor how the change affects its rise and consistency.
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. Before baking, give it enough feeds at room temperature to restore a reliable rise. Your free eBook explains both routines in more detail.
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. The troubleshooting section in your free eBook can help you understand what you’re seeing. If it still doesn’t show signs of life after following the instructions, 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. Your free eBook includes six recipes to help you explore sourdough baking.
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 fine with normal postal timeframes — just follow the activation instructions once it arrives.
Let customers speak for us
High quality sourdough starter with easy and explicit instructions
High quality sourdough starter with easy and explicit instructions. Highly recommend for a beginner or anyone looking for quality bread. I got tons of compliments on the bread!
Genevieve Ellis
Great
Great product
Julie Lear
Great Service
Efficient and proactive - thanks
Susan Fouche
Happy Scoby
Very happy with our scoby and the service we have received. Onto our second batch. Definitely recommend this product!
Susan Fouche
Good product
It took a little while to get the amount of milk right and the timing but the grains were in tact when they reached me and took about a week to start producing nice kefir. They have grown over the time I've had them so I've just given some to a friend.
Penny
So glad I've purchased this kit! Sleek design
So glad I've purchased this kit! Sleek design, easy to put together and looks fabulous on my counter. I LOVE the calendar/clock... this is a great asset, as well as the carbon filter! Great investment 👌
Anna Speranza
Grains are going strong
I bought the kefir grains (300ml) so far everything has been great.
Jamie B
Quality stuff :)
I'd say I'm getting much more consistent quality cuts than I was with my standard bread knife. The ordering and delivery process was all straightforward, no dramas :)
Jacob Graham
Amazing product plus the customer service was even better
Amazing product plus the customer service was even better.
Makes a lot more than 600ml
My grains have tripled in size
Alessandra S
Great quality grains
Great quality grains. Arrived quickly, came with straightforward instructions, and the grains started fermenting properly within a few days. This is my second purchase from the Fermentation Station and I'd happily buy their products again.
Anonymous
A very pleasant experience
A very pleasant experience.
Anonymous
Happily producing the best kefir!
Happily producing the best kefir I’ve ever had!
Anonymous
The sourdough starter arrived and it didn’t tske too long to wake it up with the help of the
The sourdough starter arrived and it didn’t tske too long to wake it up with the help of the friendly and fast responses from your representatives. I’m now making the most delicious sourdough loaves that my friends and family are saying is the best they’ve ever had!!! It has a distinctive delicious flavour!!
Lynne Higgs
Love the kefir and its a daily habit
Love the kefir and its a daily habit now
Anonymous
Still kickin'
The GBP is exactly as described. I've made a couple of batches and rested the 'plant' in the fridge during breaks. It survives and starts again as soon as it is warmed up. Great little worker.
Anonymous
