San Francisco Sourdough Starter Culture- 100+ Year Old Dehydrated Heirloom Style Sourdough Starter Kit for Sourdough Bread, Pizza, Buns, Pancakes, Muffins | Easy to follow instructions. By Captain Sourpants

Absolutely love! Shipping was fast but also the starter is amazing itself! I tried doing a homemade starter but grew impatient. The directions are so easy and basically fool proof. I’m on day 5 and since day 3 it has been rising and falling how it should be, doubling if not more! Tonight I’m trying to make bread for the first time and we’ll see how it goes! Smell is perfect, sour but fresh and so bubbly and active ! I know I may be jumping the gun trying out the bread this early, but based on all my research it’s promising hence the activity and rising time in the starter!

I’m new to sourdough, and this was the easiest way to kick-start a starter. Yes, you can absolutely make one from scratch with just flour and water—the wild yeast in the air will eventually do its thing—but this little packet lets you skip the waiting and start with an established, mature strain. Older strains tend to produce better bread with more complex flavor, and this one delivers. It took about seven days for the starter to develop that classic, wonderful sourdough aroma, and it’s been strong and active ever since. I’m baking nearly every day now, typically using about 150 g of starter with 450 g of flour, 320 g of water, and 10 g of salt for a great loaf. Well worth the effort. Do yourself a favor and pair it with proper sourdough starter jars—it makes the whole process much easier. https://a.co/d/fgKolmV

This starter is exactly as advertised. I needed to use three different starters though, and let me tell you why so you don’t make the same mistakes I made. The first batch of starter barely grew and developed a slight acetone smell after a week of trying. I contacted the seller and they were amazing. They explained that my problem was probably environmental and they were right. It had been on my kitchen counter and the temperature fluctuated too much, so they asked me to try again, and I did. The second batch was done in the oven with the oven light on. This was the perfect temperature and after four days it was ready to use, but my housemate accidentally turned on the oven destroying my batch. So the next idea was to cover the stove controls with post it notes, The third batch was amazing! The post it notes helped in a household where multi people use appliances and prevents any oopsies. On the fourth day, I made focaccia because my dough was too soft, had it sit in the refrigerator for three days and allowed it to proof before I baked it. It had a wonderful flavor and texture, I used an inverted cookie sheet with a pan of water on top to seal in the steam, and it stuck to the bottom, so next time I will use a sheet of parchment paper Then I made an actual round loaf in my very inexpensive dutch oven. I used a small kitchen bowl lined with flour and cheesecloth, covered it to make the right size loaf, nothing fancy, nothing expensive, and let it cure in the refrigerator for three days, I put parchment paper in a warm Dutch oven and baked it to a golden brown. It made great grilled cheese sandwiches. Nice flavor, mildly tangy. Now my third batch is jumbo cupcake size sour dough rounds for Christmas dinner. Those are prepared in a 9*13 pan with giant cupcake papers. It will also cure for three days, proof and then bake it to a golden brown brown. The starter that I have stored in my fridge activates almost immediately and is ready to use the same day I feed it. Fantastic starter

I just started it so I will update the outcome at a later date. I am new to Sour Dough Starters and baking my own bread. The directions are step by step and very easy to follow. I needed to add a tiny bit more water to make it like pancake consistency but that’s to be expected b/c I used a measuring spoon instead of weighing which I read is best. It looks like I expected from the directions so I think I did it right. I also did some research on line about what to do in colder climates and I chose to put it in the oven with the light on just to be safe because my house isn’t super warm as it is winter time. It took all of a couple minutes to from start to finish. This is something anyone could fit into a busy schedule and a healthier option than store bought. It will be a few days until I see any results and maybe longer until I can make the cinnamon rolls that sent me on this adventure. I plan to bake bread as well. I’ll post a pic as soon as I am able.

I rehydrated this Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and was pleasantly surprised by how reliably it came back to life. I’m in Southern California, and it took about 3 days of consistent feeding to become clearly active, which felt very reasonable for a gluten-free starter. Once established, it showed good fermentation: visible rise, lots of fine bubbles, and that pleasantly tangy, yogurt-like aroma you want in a healthy starter. As expected with gluten-free starters, it doesn’t behave exactly like a wheat starter (it collapses more quickly and doesn’t hold structure in the same way), but it’s clearly strong and active when fed appropriately. Overall, this is a perfect option if you want a dependable gluten-free sourdough starter without having to build one from scratch. With patience and proper feeding ratios, it becomes a very usable and consistent starter for gluten-free sourdough baking.

I was interested in trying sourdough, but I didn't want to spend weeks nurturing a starter from scratch with so-so odds of success. Instead I bought a packet of Captain Sourpants starter culture, and that was a SMART MOVE. The instructions are so simple to follow. I could see visible bubbling about three days in, and it seemed like the activity ramped up steadily from that point on. By day 7 it was doubling so nicely in a matter of hours that I decided to give it a try, and I got a beautiful bake from it. I have my second batch of dough bulk fermenting as we speak. This is a fantastic product if you want to get into sourdough but feel intimidated by the starter process.

As a beginner, take a deep breath, and the results are worth the wait for homemade sourdough bread.

This sourdough starter did not disappoint. It was doubling and bubbling within 36 hours and ready for baking on day 3! I have to give a shoutout to the customer service agent who was quick to answer my questions and assure me that I was doing all the right things. I would definitely recommend this starter to anyone who wants to try baking sourdough bread.

Perfect!

First-time sourdough guy here. I wasn’t expecting to write a glowing review of dried microbes... and yet, here we are. This starter worked brilliantly. All it needed was a jar, an appropriate cover, and some flour and water. It revived quickly, smelled alive and tangy by Day 2, and led to a proper, honest-to-goodness sourdough loaf I was proud to slice into. But what really impressed me was the customer support. On Day 1, I sent a quick message to the seller with a photo and a “Not sure I’m doing this right?” question. Fifteen minutes later, I received a kind, detailed reply from someone named Heli, who clearly knew their stuff and genuinely wanted to help. Different flours and absorption rates are a thing, apparently. Their guidance helped get my starter on track, and the follow-up made it clear this wasn't a one-off. That kind of support gave me real confidence going into my first bake. What I liked: - Fast, consistent fermentation once it got going - Clear and usable instructions - Thoughtful, responsive customer service (not a bot!) - Clean, organic ingredients (brown rice flour, AP flour, wild yeast) - Arrived well packaged What to know: - It’s not the cheapest starter out there, but the quality and support easily justify the price - Like all sourdough, it still needs a bit of love—don’t expect set-it-and-forget-it results (but if you’re here, you probably already know that) Bottom line: If you’re new to sourdough and want to skip the mess of building a starter from scratch, this is a reliable, beginner-friendly option that still feels authentic. My dough rose beautifully and baked like a dream. For seasoned bakers, this could be a great backup or a way to try a different regional flavour. Either way, I highly recommend it. Solid 5 stars.

I have been trying to make my own but am unable. Lol. I ordered this and started it today. Tomorrow I will know more. But instructions are very clear, easy to understand. Packing is beautiful. Well update on starter. Absolutely perfect, it's working great and looking forward to baking with it soon!!

The Capt Sourpants starter worked perfectly the first time (I had previously tried to make my own starter from scratch several times and failed). The instructions were clear and the tips are great. My first attempt at making the sourdough bread from the recipe on their website worked great as well. This product is highly recommended.