The internet has turned sourdough starters into a wellness pet. Each one has a backstory, a nickname and a social media following. The truth is more boring and more freeing. A sourdough starter is a tube of flour and water that smells nice. If you treat it like a houseplant, watering it twice a week, it will bake bread for you forever.

When we begin a new starter at Songbird Kitchen we use 50 grams whole rye flour and 50 grams filtered water in a clean jar. Stir, lid loose, leave on the counter. The next morning, dump out half and feed the rest with 50 grams white flour and 50 grams water. Repeat for a week. Once it doubles in 6 hours it is ready to bake with.

The single most important habit is the feed before the bake. Forty eight hours of fridge starter will give you a sour, dense bread that some bakers love. A starter fed twice in the eight hours before mixing makes the lightest, sweetest crumb. Both are sourdough. There is no wrong loaf.

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