- Starter Lab: Create profiles for each starter, log feedings, and print a paper log if you’re elbow-deep in dough.
- Planner: Start with flour (your recipe base), set hydration/levain/salt in baker’s %, and let the app suggest a timeline with hover tips for each step.
- Bakes: Log each bake with fermentation, bake details, and your scoring.
- Learn & Journal: Save “aha” moments, troubleshoot flops, and stash notes you’ll actually find again.
Sourdough isn’t just a recipe — it’s a relationship. Every starter has a personality, every kitchen has its own microclimate, and every baker develops instincts over time. And every loaf? It comes out a little different from the last.
This app isn’t meant to hand you “one perfect formula.” Instead, it explains the why behind the fermentation science, helps you track what you’re doing batch by batch, and guides you toward building your own personal style.
Many bakers don’t hit their dream loaf until their 10th, 20th, or even 50th bake. And some ultra-perfectionists? They never stop tweaking. (We still love them.)
But if you follow the science, stay curious, and start recognizing the “cause and effect” behind hydration, timing, temperature, and fermentation strength, you’ll be on your way to becoming the best sourdough baker you can be.
This now saves into your browser as a reusable starter profile. You can add as many as you like.
Each feeding you save is stored under the chosen starter. Later we can visualize activity over time.
After you feed, wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria wake up and start chewing through sugars. The ratio of flour, water, temperature, and time all affect which microbes “win” and how sour or mild your starter becomes.
- Warmer temps favor faster activity but can push things more sour.
- Cooler temps slow everything down but can build complexity.
- Higher feed ratios (like 1:5:5) give a longer, slower rise.
Beginner note: “Starter” and “levain” are basically the same thing — active, bubbly starter added to your dough. Here, this % is recipe-style: levain grams = flour grams × %. If you’re not sure, 15–25% is a great range. Expert Mode will show the nerd breakdown (levain flour/water split, effective hydration, prefermented flour %).
These inputs drive a mock formula and schedule now. Later we can tie them to your real bake history.
- Flat loaf: Under-fermented, over-proofed, weak shaping, or too low an oven temp are the usual suspects.
- Gummy crumb: Often under-baked, or cut too soon. Let it cool fully before slicing.
- Too sour: Long, warm ferments or very old starter. Shorten bulk or use cooler temps.
- Not sour enough: Increase cold proof time or use a more mature starter.
- Autolyse: A rest with just flour and water to start gluten formation with little effort.
- Bulk ferment: The first rise after mixing everything together.
- Proof: The final rise after shaping, right before baking.
Beginner mode uses plain language and guidance. Expert mode uses baker terminology and advanced detail.
Most sourdough bakers (even in the US) use grams for accuracy. Ounces are available if preferred.
Choose whichever matches your oven and thermometer. Many US ovens are °F even when recipes are °C.
For liquids in recipes (water, milk, etc.). Note: mg is mass; mL is liquid volume.
These are just quick tools so you don’t have to leave the page when a recipe is in the “wrong” units.
Sour D’oh! – Starter Log
Starter name: ____________________________
Use this sheet at the counter, then transfer the info back into the app when your hands aren’t covered in flour.
Starter profile
| Hydration (%) | |
|---|---|
| Flour blend | |
| Usual room temp (°C/°F) | |
| Typical feeding ratio | |
| Notes |
Feeding log
| Date | Time | Feed ratio (starter : flour : water) |
Room temp (°C or °F) |
Time to peak (hours) |
Notes (bubbles, smell, hooch, etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
