Captain Sourpants San Francisco Sourdough Starter

Brand: Captain Sourpants

A dehydrated culture sold as a San Francisco heirloom lineage, shipped as dried flakes with a short instruction sheet. Dried starters travel well and keep for a long time in a cupboard, which is their main advantage over live cultures: nothing spoils if the parcel sits an extra day. Reactivation takes a few days of feeding, and the seller is known for replying to questions when the process stalls, which matters more than any claim on the label.

A calm option for a first attempt, a spare in the pantry, or a gift that can wait. The romance of a century old lineage should be taken lightly, since a culture adapts to local flour and water within weeks and tastes accordingly. Nothing else is included, so a jar, a scale and a basket have to come from elsewhere.