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Cultures for Health San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture | Homemade Artisan Bread | Heirloom, non-GMO | Live Culture Bread Mix | Easy to Follow Recipe

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 8,166 ratings

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0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)

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Brand Cultures For Health
Number of Items 1
Item Weight 0.6 Ounces
Item Form Powder
Package Information Bag

About this item

  • BEGINNER FRIENDLY: Sourdough is one of the most forgiving cultures to work with, making it a great choice for beginners or breadmaking pros. Plus, this dehydrated culture gives you a chance to get familiar with feeding your starter before it's time to bake!
  • HEIRLOOM STYLE: With proper care, our sourdough starter can be reused indefinitely to leaven baked goods, making it easy for you to create delicious bread over and over again.
  • VERSATILE: Make more than just bread! Use this starter to try your hand at creating delicious pizza dough, muffins, pancakes, pasta, banana bread, cakes, and more.
  • HEALTH BENEFITS: Each starter contains a blend of bacteria and yeast that boosts the nutritional content of your bread and creates incredible flavor in every batch. Plus, finished loaves are chock full of prebiotics, which help promote good digestion.
  • SAFE: Each batch is pathogen tested by a trusted third-party laboratory so you know you are getting a high quality, healthy starter to make great baked goods at home.

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Cultures for Health San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture | Homemade Artisan Bread | Heirloom, non-GMO | Live Culture Bread Mix | Easy to Follow Recipe

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Product Description

Say "I loaf you" with fresh sourdough bread

loaf of sourdough half sliced, one slice being buttered, Cultures for Health instructions in corner

More than a food, bread is a love language all its own, and the foundation for so many of the most cherished dishes around the world. Bread is a whole sensory experience—the heavenly scent of loaves baking, the enticing crunch of crust breaking, and the comfort of soft, warm bread in your mouth.

baking san francisco sourdough, flat lay of ingredients
Why San Francisco sourdough?

That West Coast taste you love, right in your own kitchen

Sourdough starters are created from wild yeast growing in mixtures of flour and water. The foggy environment in San Francisco fosters a particularly pleasant strain, which is why the city's sourdough has been so acclaimed since all the way back to the Gold Rush.

By capturing that strain, we're able to let you replicate that famously tangy flavor, firm crust, and soft yet chewy consistency at home.

San Fran aside, sourdough stays fresh longer than regular bread, and provides more health benefits.

Why Sourdough Is Good For Your Gut

Probiotics San Francisco Sourdough

Probiotics in Sourdough Starter

As your starter ferments, the wild yeast and bacteria consume the sugar content in the flour you feed it, effectively pre-digesting it and making it easier for your body to process. Although the probiotics won't survive the baking process, they've already gotten the job done.

Prebiotics San Francisco Sourdough

Prebiotics in Sourdough Bread

While finished sourdough loaves don't contain probiotics, they are chock-full of prebiotics, a type of fiber which helps the other end of digestion. The bacteria that reside in your gut will feed on the prebiotics, releasing nutrients to your body.

How do I store the starter?

Store your starter in a mason jar with a loose-fitting lid. You can store at room temperature on your counter (starters perform best at 70-85ºF), but we do recommend storing your starter in the fridge to reduce feeding time and waste.

How do I feed my sourdough starter?

If storing on your countertop, you should feed your sourdough culture once every 24 hours using 1 part starter, 1 part water, and 2 parts flour. If you store it in the fridge, you only have to feed it once every 5-7 days.

What is the best flour and water for feeding my starter?

You may use just about any flour you like, but we recommend avoiding bleached flour, self-rising flour, or cake flour. Non-chlorinated, non-fluoridated water is best; avoid well water, distilled water, and reverse osmosis water.

What do I do with my sourdough starter discard?

You could throw it out, or put it in your compost. You can also keep it in a separate jar for up to a week at room temperature or a month in the fridge, and use it for all sorts of recipes, such as waffles, crackers, desserts, and more. (See below.)

How can I tell whether or not my starter is healthy?

The main thing to keep your eye on is making sure your starter is bubbling; if not, it's likely dead, due to using the wrong flour or water, an unsanitized jar, or screwing the lid on too lightly.

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.9 x 5.16 x 0.28 inches; 0.6 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 5100
  • UPC ‏ : ‎ 814598020001
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Cultures for Health
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00YVE3076
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 8,166 ratings

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Cultures for Health San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture | Homemade Artisan Bread | Heirloom, non-GMO | Live Culture Bread Mix | Easy to Follow Recipe
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Price$13.99$12.98$16.99$15.00$9.99$8.99
Price Per Unit$73.63 / Ounce$12.98 / Ounce$16.99 / Count$15.00 / Ounce$0.57 / Ounce$1.12 / Ounce
Delivery
Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
Get it Mar 29 - Apr 1
Get it Apr 1 - 2
Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
Customer Ratings
Easy to use
3.0
4.3
3.5
4.4
3.8
Value for money
2.9
4.1
4.1
4.1
3.6
Flavor
2.9
4.5
4.1
4.3
3.8
Sold By
Cultures for Health
KneadAce LLC
Bread, Wood Design, and More
Sourdoughs International
Quality Pantry
Scratch Food Brand
weight
0.6 ounces
1 ounces
17.64 ounces
8 ounces
ingredients
Cultures for Health San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture | Homemade Artisan Bread | Heirloom, non-GMO | Live Culture Bread Mix | Easy to Follow Recipe
Unbleached Hard Red Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Filtered Water.
Natural Yeast
Natural Yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae), sorbitan monostrearate, ascorbic acid

Important information

Ingredients

Cultures for Health San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture | Homemade Artisan Bread | Heirloom, non-GMO | Live Culture Bread Mix | Easy to Follow Recipe

Legal Disclaimer

Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
8,166 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the ease of use and taste of the leavening agent. However, some customers have reported issues with activeness and activation. They mention that it takes too many days to make an active starter, and that the yeast didn't activate in the starter. Customers also report that the product doesn't bubble. Opinions are mixed on smell and quality.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

345 customers mention300 positive45 negative

Customers like the taste of the leavening agent. They say it has an excellent flavor, produces a fairly mild flavoured bread, and is easy and fast to use. Some customers also say that the bread looks and tastes good, and produces amazing pizza crust. Overall, most are satisfied with the taste and recommend the product.

"...Makes a great, puffy, crunchy, mild flavored bread...." Read more

"This starter was easy to get going and developed a really lovely flavor very quickly...." Read more

"...We have made great bread and amazing pizza crust and we will continue to create amazing things with this thriving starter...." Read more

"...We made our 1st loaf has it nice tangy taste" Read more

269 customers mention211 positive58 negative

Customers find the leavening agent easy to use, with good instructions. They mention that it's simple to make, feed, and use. They also appreciate the videos and tips provided by the company. Customers also mention that the website is easy to navigate and has a lot of tips and suggestions. They say that the product stores well in the refrigerator and has good gluten free instructions.

"...Pretty much stopped buying bread, because it's so easy to toss a sourdough loaf together now." Read more

"...Rehydration instructions are simple to understand and follow...." Read more

"The instructions were very thorough. It was easy to activate my starter and I made several loaves of sour dough bread when it was ready...." Read more

"...It contains less than a teabag. And it has instructions difficult to follow...." Read more

595 customers mention283 positive312 negative

Customers are mixed about the quality of the leavening agent. Some mention it's an excellent product that works well and makes a great loaf of bread, while others say that it didn't come to life and did not work as expected.

"...Talked with the company and we think we figured out why it didn’t work. They are sending me a replacement. Great customer service!!" Read more

"...Makes a great, puffy, crunchy, mild flavored bread...." Read more

"Not a bubble, dead on arrival. Gave it every chance but no signs of life at all...." Read more

"...I believe this is an excellent starter and creates incredible results...." Read more

78 customers mention33 positive45 negative

Customers are mixed about the smell of the leavening agent. Some mention that it smells delicious, while others say that it had an off smell.

"...Regardless of that it smells tangy and once I stopped following the instructions on the packet and did it my way it started rising and falling...." Read more

"...doubling in size with a 1:2:2 feeding regimen, and has a very healthy look and smell...." Read more

"...This starter smells very sweet. I'm hoping it's still young and will become more sour over time. I'm also researching ways to manipulate it...." Read more

"...Wonderful smell, consistency, and taste." Read more

252 customers mention21 positive231 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the value of the leavening agent. They mention that it's a complete waste of money, not worth it to pay for a culture when using a simple homemade starter, and that the starter is terrible and not savable. Some say that the product is absurdly overpriced.

"...It is a total rip off. Will not buy it again." Read more

"...Once you have a starter it’s easy to keep alive but it takes a lot of flour. I was using a cup of flour in the am and pm to keep it going...." Read more

"Great product just kind of pricey" Read more

"...afternoon, it was smelling much better and there was definitely some sourness to the starter...." Read more

170 customers mention29 positive141 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the bubbles produced by the leavening agent. They mention that it never bubbles or action forms when it's fermenting.

"...Started with the 1s:1f:1w ratio and after "maturity" (5 days) significant bubbles (no rise yet) changed to 1s:2f:1w and rise started...." Read more

"...love this starter but 2 weeks of feedings and it grows, but isn’t exactly bubbling or looking like it’s activating like the photo examples have shown..." Read more

"Not a bubble, dead on arrival. Gave it every chance but no signs of life at all...." Read more

"...This 1/1 ratio resulted in a soupy mess that WOULD bubble but then not rise because (1) there wasn't enough flour to "feed" the culture and..." Read more

119 customers mention26 positive93 negative

Customers have negative opinions about the activeness of the leavening agent. They mention that it takes too many days to make an active starter, it's slow to get going, and it doesn't save time.

"...I wouldn't buy it again because it was so slow to get going...." Read more

"...So far I've had trouble getting activity and crumb like I want, but that is probably user error. Sourdough is a bit of an experiment isn't it...." Read more

"This is a good starter culture. But it seems to move slow...." Read more

"Work quickly, very active." Read more

86 customers mention14 positive72 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the activation of the leavening agent. They mention that it didn't activate for bread making, it never brew, bubbled or produced hooch, and that it did not bloom. Customers also say that they could not get this yeast to work and that there were no signs of fermentation or activity.

"Would not activate. Follow directions and did not work.Vendor followed up and sent another...." Read more

"...I followed their instructions to the T and this starter never brew, bubbled or produced hooch like my others do. Eventually, it began to mold...." Read more

"It is probably me, but I could not get this yeast to work. The best I could do was get the yeast to bubble a little bit after a week...." Read more

"...from the packet and their website to a T, and no luck, the starter never fermented." Read more

Easy to follow great result
5 Stars
Easy to follow great result
This is my first time in a long time I tried sour dough. I started on a Sunday. Followed instructions to a tee. It was bubbling day 2.By Wednesday I started with 1:1:1 and my starter exploded! I made the bagel dough Thursday night and baked it Friday! Yes I need to work on my forming skills.I didn’t buy any fancy containers just used a plastic 32once take out container. Put the lid on top and didn’t close it. Left it on the counter close to the stove. I use bread flour from Sam’s.Also what seems to help is using a scale instead of just going by cup.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
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5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!!! Zero experience and nailed it!
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
First- I’ve NEVER made sourdough before. I have ZERO experience yet after seeing all of these people baking it and putting in allllll this effort, I still wanted to try. I tried twice to make my own starter from scratch- both molded.
I also like MILD sourdough, so I found this in my research. I followed the directions until day 4 where I measured out a 1/2 cup of my starter, then weighed it on my scale, then added equal WEIGHT measurements of water & flour. This made my starter explode and on day 7 I baked these. A few things... I didn’t discard starter when directions said to start. I instead made other jars and experimented with different flours, measurements etc. What worked best was feeding every 12 hours (even if it didn’t look like it needed it), using King Arthur UNbleached flour (bread flour results were meh), and because I’m in Maine and my house is 70*, I kept it under a small lamp that we leave on all the time as a sort of night light anyway. Again, I’m new, no experience, was scared to death, failed twice at making my own starter, and this stuff was money. Makes a great, puffy, crunchy, mild flavored bread. I also followed IG account lizasfarmhouse for directions to the easiest sourdough recipe/method ever, and baked them on a pizza stone with a metal pan of water in the bottom of my electric oven. Happy baking!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
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21 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
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5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE STARTER!!! Get your sourdough game going!
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
I bought this before the reviews started going under 4 stars. I believe this is an excellent starter and creates incredible results. We have made great bread and amazing pizza crust and we will continue to create amazing things with this thriving starter. If you have been wanting to do sourdough, get this starter!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
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5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to follow great result
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
This is my first time in a long time I tried sour dough. I started on a Sunday. Followed instructions to a tee. It was bubbling day 2.
By Wednesday I started with 1:1:1 and my starter exploded! I made the bagel dough Thursday night and baked it Friday! Yes I need to work on my forming skills.
I didn’t buy any fancy containers just used a plastic 32once take out container. Put the lid on top and didn’t close it. Left it on the counter close to the stove. I use bread flour from Sam’s.
Also what seems to help is using a scale instead of just going by cup.
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Customer image
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
5 people found this helpful
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Omar Garza
2.0 out of 5 stars Precio excesivamente alto comparativamente con lo que se consigue en EEUU
Reviewed in Mexico on April 4, 2023
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
One person found this helpful
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Works very well! Instructions are just wrong
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2022
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Works very well! Instructions are just wrong
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2022
UPDATE: seriously…. This starter is amazing. Have a look at my latest!

About a 2 years ago I started my own starter, researched it to death and became very good. Accidentally threw all of it away (thought I had one in fridge). Oh well.

So I ordered this San Francisco sourdough starter as I figured it would get me going again much faster than starting one from scratch. Well it arrived exactly 7 days ago.

I followed the strange instructions included in the package (trust me….they are not typical). After the 5th day of their instructions, I decided to abandon their method …as all I had was a soupy starter that did not grow even a smidge. I also noticed something else….during day 3-5, every time I went to feed it, it had hooch on the top!

Now, for those experienced bakers, you know this means it’s HUNGRY. (Hooch, for those who don’t know, is a pale/yellowy liquid that forms when your starter isn’t getting enough to eat. Just stir it in and follow the next set of instructions)

The manufacturers instructions were 1 part water and 1 part flour by volume (eg 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup flour). The hooch made it clear it wanted more flour to eat.

So I pulled out my scale. Dumped out all but about 1/4 cup of the starter. WEIGHED out 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Stirred it in and BOOM. She took off. :)

24 hours later, I dumped a bunch out leaving about 40 grams in the jar and fed it 50g/50g again. The picture you see above is my started 6 hours after I fed it. (The line is where it was after I fed it)

You see the typical instructions for feeding and maintaining a starter calls for 1:1:1 ratio by WEIGHT. Their instructions meant it wasn’t getting enough flour.

Anyway, don’t worry…This starter is clearly very active and worked fast. If you are new to sourdough, do the research so you understand the science and you’ll be fine.

Note: if you don’t have a filtered water pitcher, pour water into a jar and let it sit in the counter overnight to get rid of the chlorine AND so the water comes up to room temp. Also important to use UNbleached flour.

Good luck! I will update after my first bake. :)

UPDATE: Did a bake with the starter and attached results
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Steeler Fan 58
1.0 out of 5 stars New to Sourdough World - the Sourdough Starter dis not work !
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2024
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
Lana Brenneis
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sourdough Starter
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2023
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
bigbenchrob
4.0 out of 5 stars A little slow to get going — needs some tricks!
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2023
Size: 0.19 Ounce (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase
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bigbenchrob
4.0 out of 5 stars A little slow to get going — needs some tricks!
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2023
I struggled a bit at first, following the package instructions, until an experienced friend gave me some advice that led me to do the following:

I feed it once a day as follows: disperse 50 g of the existing starter in 85 g Brita-filtered water that has been left out on the counter in a big covered jar. Stir in 100 g flour with a chopstick (easier to stir and clean up — thanks Alton Brown!). This gives a drier mixture than I would have expected — it’s really a dryish paste — but that has worked much better for me than a wetter mix. Until the starter really gets going use half rye flour (which the yeast seems to really like) and half unbleached white flour, then switch to all unbleached white flour.

It’s best to find a warm place. I actually bought a heating pad, then realized putting the starter on top of my Wifi modem was perfect, keeping it at 30 degrees C (between 24 and 28 degrees is ideal, as far as my research tells me).

I started out storing the starter in a glass jar but switched to deli containers (inspiration Claire Saffitz!)

This starter now is full of bubbles 6 hours after feeding. First try at a loaf tomorrow!
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