BUY MY STARTER
BUY NOW FOR $19.99
About Mabel:
Mabel was my first love, and her creation was the start of my online sourdough journey! An incredibly active and well-fed sourdough starter, I bake with Mabel daily and use her in most of my recipes.
Making starter from scratch can be frustrating! It takes time to develop ideal activity and, sometimes, a jumpstart is desirable. Which is why I am now offering Mabel to you, to love and to cherish in your own home, and to jumpstart your sourdough bread journey.
From my kitchen to yours, Mabel is my incredibly active sourdough starter who has been dehydrated and shipped straight to your door. In her sleeping state, she will stay good on the shelf until you are ready to activate and use her. Activation time takes approximately five to seven days, and she’ll be ready for bread as soon as she’s active!
Details about your order:
When you place an order, you’ll receive the following:
- ONE 3.5″ by 5.1″ brown, heat-sealed zipper bag containing Mabel
- 10 g dehydrated sourdough starter (Mabel)
- Detailed instructions on how to care for and feed your new starter
- Recipe card for your first discard recipe
- Recipe card for your first loaf of sourdough
- One business card containing the QR code to a detailed video explaining how to reactivate Mabel
Worried that you won’t be able to meet Mabel’s needs? Worry not. I will provide you with all the information and support you need to make sure she stays happy and healthy.
Returns and exchanges not accepted on this product. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Order ships from the United States via USPS to USA residents only. Thank you for your understanding.
$19.99
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Need help reactivating Mabel? Watch the video:
Materials you will need:
- One to three 16 oz glass jars (two to rotate between daily for cleaning, one for storing sourdough discard in the fridge)
- Something to cover the jar (lid, plastic cling wrap, beeswax wrap, damp cloth or paper towel with rubber band)
- A kitchen scale, which should measure in grams
- A spoon
- Flour of choice
- Filtered water
- A rubber band
Troubleshooting potential problems with Mabel:
Q: My starter isn’t showing any bubbles and it’s been more than one day. Is she dead?
A: She is not dead! This means she needs some extra warmth to jumpstart her. Put her in a warm place (75-80 F) until bubbles are prominent on the surface. Then, continue with days two and beyond at room temperature.
Q: My starter is dry on top. What can I do?
A: This means that she is drying out between feedings, due to the covering on her jar. Try changing it out with a different option from above. The covering should allow for ventilation, but also hold in moisture.
Q: My starter is runny between feedings with lots of little bubbles. Is this okay?
A: This means your starter is too warm. If you are keeping her at room temperature and this is happening consistently, her feedings will need to be adjusted so that she does not go too far past peak in 12 hours. There are a couple ways to proceed from here:
- Feed Mabel with more flour than you have starter in the jar. What I am doing in the video is called a 1:1:1 ratio (equal parts starter, flour, water). You will need to do a 1:2:2, 1:3:3, 1:4:4, or even 1:6:6 ratio, depending on how she is performing in your home. This means less starter, but still feeding with equal parts flour and water. Start with 1:2:2 (example: 10 g starter + 20 g flour + 20 g water in the morning; add 100 g flour + 100 g water in the evening) and continue increasing the amount of flour + water in relation to starter if she is still runny in 12 hours.
- Feed Mabel at her highest point, which will likely be sooner than 12 hours. When she is consistently reaching the top of the jar (2-3 times in a row), transfer her to the refrigerator for maintenance.
Q: My house is cold and I’m seeing very slow progression. How can I help her?
A: She will need warmth to jumpstart her (75-80 F). After she is showing bubbles prominently, don’t keep her in the warmth (she will work too quickly for this method of rehydration). You can repeat day two for 2-3 days at room temperature (meaning only feed her once a day for a few more days) so that the Mabel can multiply to her maximum potential before another feeding. After this, she should be strong enough for twice a day feedings until she is ready for bread. You can always keep her near the oven while it’s running, inside an oven (that is not on) with the light on, in a microwave with the door shut, in a proofing box, or on top of or surrounded by a seedling mat for extra warmth.
Q: Is it possible to kill my starter?
A: It is not! The only thing that will require you to completely dispose of her and start over would be if mold appears. Because we are rehydrating established starter, this is extremely rare, but in some cases can be caused by contaminations in the flour, water, or jar you are using.
Tips:
- Name your starter! You don’t have to keep Mabel as her name.
- You can use 5 oz of Mabel instead of the full 10 oz if you feel you will need more than one reactivation attempt. Her bubbles might appear more slowly at first, but she will be just fine.
- Once Mabel is ready for bread, you can continue twice daily feedings or transfer her to the refrigerator for maintenance (feed once a week).
- Mabel’s feedings can be adjusted to suit your needs, as long as the amount of starter is less than or equal to the amount of flour added to the jar.
- Mabel will be best for leavening bread at her highest point, and even after she has fallen slightly. Using her in the morning for bread will be perfect, no matter where she is at in the process (unless she hasn’t doubled in size yet). This will ensure she is a nice, strong leaven.
Did I miss something? Reach out to me if you have any additional questions or concerns pertaining to your particular situation.