Ready? Set. Start!
Join by posting a comment below. If you pay for postage we’ll send you a starter. If you want a bit more help you can buy one of our starter kits.
Each Alpha Starters kit contains:
- An envelope containing 4 teaspoons of dry starter. You choose the Alpha Starter you’d like to try.
- A glass jar with screw ring and dome lid. Great for feeding as well as storing in your fridge when you need a break.
- Cloth “lid”. Great for keeping your starter covered while you’re feeding it. Just screw the ring on over it.
- An elastic band to help you measure how much your starter is growing. The elastic and cloth lid can also be used when you decide to bake.
Once you receive your starter it only takes a few easy steps to get it rehydrated again and read to bake:
Day 1, Revive:
- Crush two teaspoons of dried Alpha Starter flakes into your glass jar and soak it in two tablespoons of water.
- Add two tablespoons of the flour of your choice and stir well.
- Scrape down the insides of the jar so that it is clean.
- Wrap the elastic band around the jar at the level of the starter.
- Cover the jar with the cloth “lid” and screw on the ring.
- Leave it overnight.
Day 2, 3, 4… Feed, feed, feed:
- Check the height of your starter. It should have grown a little above the level of your elastic band.
- Stir the starter well. Scoop out and throw away one tablespoon of starter. Don’t throw it down the drain though! It’ll get hard like concrete.
- Add one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of flour and stir well.
- Scrape down the insides of the jar so that it is clean.
- Wrap the elastic band around the jar at the level of your starter.
- Cover the jar with the cloth “lid” and screw on the ring.
Keep on feeding your Alpha Starter in this way until you are happy that it has bounced back enough and is growing well. Since you’re reviving an Alpha Starter this should only take a few days.
If you like you can adjust this routine a little:
- You can feed more often than once a day if your starter is growing nicely. Just use your elastic band to check the height.
- You can feed it more than one tablespoon of water and flour, especially once it is revived and if you want it to grow fast. Alpha Starters can get hungry!
Once you have your starter revived and happy, you may not want to keep feeding it all the time. No problem! Just keep it small and you can use the dome lid instead of the cloth and put your jar in the fridge. The cold will slow it right down. When you’re ready to bake, it should just need one feed to be revived again.