Living Dough - 233 Year Old San Francisco Sourdough Starter Culture - Active & Live Organic Sourdough Starter for Baking - For Artisan Bread, Pizza Dough, Waffles & More

I don’t usually write reviews but I feel very strongly about this product and company! First of all the starter is FANTASTIC and works perfectly. I had tried starter on my own and was going to give up. Instead I bought this! It is a small amount but does exactly what starter is supposed to do and it multiples each time you feed it I now have so much active starter I’m making pizza dough and pretzels out of it, in addition to delicious sourdough bread! More importantly, Joe, the owner, responded to an email question I had ON A SUNDAY!! Now that’s customer service! I truly appreciate that he would take time in a Sunday to respond because it was incredibly helpful to get that information that day! Thank you Joe!!

Strong starter! Perked up within hours of feeding it and started making sourdough bread the next day. I had struggled to get a good starter going, fussing with it too much, probably, so this was a good way to get a starter I could actually use while getting through the learning curve. It's not fussy at all. I save a couple of tablespoons from each batch and put it into the fridge, pull it out when I want to use it, feed it the amount of flour and water I need for the recipe and a few hours later, it's ready. It's not as sour as I'd like, but it's reliable and delicious.

I am new to baking sourdough bread. I spent a good amount of time reading reviews in my search for a source to purchase sourdough starter. Living Dough had the most positive reviews and I am so happy that I purchased their 233 year old San Francisco starter! The starter arrived sooner than expected and the seller included a very helpful instruction sheet which definitely helped me know what to do once the starter arrived at our home! In addition, a recipe is included on their website and this is the only recipe that I've used so far...with amazing results! I have used a variety of three organic flours (bread, all-purpose and whole wheat) and also added some soaked raisins and sprinkled cinnamon on the buttered toast slices...the starter is happy and active and I've enjoyed using the refrigerated unfed starter to make crackers and pancakes. The texture of the bread is perfect and tangy with a chewy on the inside with a crispy crust. The loaf of bread is a good size and sturdy enough to easily slice after fully cooling from the baking process. You can succeed with the right tools and this sourdough starter has made all the difference in my new baking adventure!

I just received this starter a week ago. I have other Living Dough starters and am building a collection. This particular starter, just like the others, took off like a jack rabbit once it's fed. Within 24 hours I had a fully built starter with enough to bake that day and put the rest in the fridge for later use. The bread this starter makes is truly excellent. It lets you know its sourdough but doesn't scream sourdough either. If I had to use one word....... quintessential... would be it. This starter makes the the quintessential sourdough bread. Don't look any further for your starter needs. Living Dough provides you the best of the best. By the way, you receive about 52 grams of starter. I was able to build 300 grams in 24 hours. Baked with 200, rebuilt the remaining 100 back into 300 for storage. Excellent Value - Highly Recommended.

This starter is a workhorse! I have forgotten to feed it and left it in my refrigerator for weeks. I reactivated it using the supplied instructions and pow. It's even frothier than before! Great product, great customer support. I always get the most pleasant email replies to my newbie questions. Love dealing with this company 100%. The owner even helped me pick out the correct sourdough starter for my pallet. San Fransisco is the winner for me. Now that I know I just can't kill the starter... I think it's time to name it.

I recently started using this 233-year-old living sourdough starter, and it’s been such a different and interesting experience. Once I committed to feeding it daily with unbleached flour and spring water, it became active and puffy. It can feel a little intimidating at first—especially knowing its long history—but it’s also exciting and to work with something that’s been alive for generations, I suppose. I’m hopeful and nervous but also can’t wait to see how our first bake turns out. We’re planning to either grill or pan-fry the bread and will update with more details once we do!

I was nervous to make sourdough for the first time, but wanted to start making my own bread for both health and cost reasons. Why pay someone else when I can do it myself right? Well this starter helped a ton. It was probably fine to bake with after the first feed but I did two to make sure and has it ever gone crazy. Even the discard in my fridge still rises! I found a solid recipe and did my best to judge the dough, as I’ve never make any before and holy moley. This loaf is beautiful and tastes great. I highly recommend this starter to anyone who is just looking to get started but is nervous about making their own from scratch.

As an avid baker, I was incredibly excited to try this starter, especially given the claim of it being a 233-year-old San Francisco culture—that history is just fascinating! Right out of the jar, this starter is active and vigorous. Following the activation instructions was very simple, and within a few feedings, it was doubling reliably and producing that classic, tangy sourdough aroma. The fact that it's an organic, live culture is a huge plus, giving me confidence in the quality of what I'm adding to my bread. The flavor profile is the true test, and this one delivers: it has a wonderful, pronounced, but not overwhelming San Francisco tang. My loaves have consistently come out with fantastic oven spring, an open crumb structure, and a beautiful crust. Ease of use is excellent; it's easy to maintain, feeds well on a standard 1:1:1 ratio, and bounces back quickly even after being refrigerated. For the price, you are getting an incredible, reliable, and historically durable culture that immediately elevates your home baking. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced baker, this is a premium starter worth investing in.