When someone I know wants to start making sourdough at home, I give them some of my sourdough starter.
You can absolutely make your own sourdough starter from scratch, and I have a full tutorial showing you exactly how to do that too by clicking here
But when you already have an established starter, sharing some of it with someone else is such a lovely way to help them start their sourdough journey.
My starter is about 1.5 years old now, so it's well established and ready to bake with. Instead of someone spending days or weeks growing a starter from scratch and waiting for it to become strong enough to bake with, I can give them some of mine and they can get started straight away if they prefer.
And honestly, I think it's such a nice little gift.
Can you give someone some of your sourdough starter?
Absolutely.
You don't need to give someone your entire sourdough starter. You simply take a portion of your existing starter, feed it and give it to them.
They can then continue feeding and maintaining it themselves, and over time they'll have their own established starter to bake with.
This is also why I love sourdough starter as something to gift. You can keep your own starter going while giving someone else enough to get started with theirs.
How I gift my sourdough starter
This is what I do when I'm giving some of my starter to someone.
1. Take some of your starter and feed it
I take about 50g of my sourdough starter and feed it using my usual 1:1:1 feeding ratio.
That means:
50g sourdough starter
50g flour
50g water
I use 50g because I like giving them enough starter that, once it has risen, they have plenty to work with for their first loaf.
You absolutely don't have to give 50g though. You can give less if you'd prefer.
I also like feeding it before I give it to them because it means they're not immediately worrying about what to do with their new starter on the first day.
It's ready to go and they have a little breathing room to get organised.
2. Put it into a clean jar
Once I've fed the starter, I pop it into a clean jar.
I actually gift them the jar too.
There's nothing complicated about it. Just a clean jar that's suitable for holding the starter, with the lid on.
I think this little detail makes it feel much more like an actual gift rather than simply handing someone a container of sourdough starter.
3. Give them a little flour
This is completely optional, but it's something I like to do.
I put a little of the flour I use to feed my starter into a couple of small zip-lock bags and give that to them too.
That way, they have enough flour to feed their starter the next day without having to worry about whether they have the right flour in the cupboard.
They obviously don't need me to supply their flour forever. It's just a little extra to get them started.
And I think those little extras are what make a simple gift feel thoughtful.
4. Send them the instructions
I don't usually write out a whole instruction sheet.
I simply send them a message with what they need to know a simple 1:1:1 method ratio, along with the link to my sourdough bread recipe and any other information they need to get started.
You could absolutely write the instructions out if you wanted to make it into more of a gift.
But for someone you know, a message with the important information is usually more than enough.
What do you give someone with sourdough starter?
You really don't need much.
For the way I gift mine, I give:
- About 50g of established sourdough starter
- A clean jar
- A little of the flour I use for feeding
- Instructions for feeding and maintaining it
- A link to my sourdough bread recipe
That's it.
The starter itself is the main gift. Everything else is just there to make their first few days a little easier.
Why I like gifting my sourdough starter
I think one of the nicest things about sourdough is that it's something you can share.
Once you've had a starter going for a while, you can easily share some with friends or family without having to start over yourself.
And there's something quite lovely about knowing that the starter you've been feeding and baking with is now going into someone else's kitchen too.
Mine is about 1.5 years old now, and while you absolutely can make a starter from scratch, I love that I can give someone an established starter and let them skip that initial waiting period.
They can get straight into learning how to bake bread, while continuing to look after and grow their own starter.
A simple sourdough gift idea
So next time someone tells you they want to start making sourdough, instead of telling them to start growing their own starter from scratch, you could simply share some of yours.
It's a little gift, it helps them get started straight away and, hopefully, it gets them hooked on sourdough too.
And if you don't have an established starter yet, don't worry. You can absolutely make your own from scratch.
Once yours is established, you can start sharing it too.
FAQ's:
Does my starter need to be older before I gift it?
Not at all your starter could be 2 weeks old and you can gift some to them. I would finish the building process first so the first 7-10 days then I would gift it to them. The longer you have your starter the more flavour it develops but you will still have delicious bread at the start & is totally fine to give someone your starter.
How much sourdough starter should I give someone?
I give around 50g, but you can give less. I like 50g of fed starter because it gives them enough to build up for their first loaf if they wanted to make it straight away
Do I need to feed sourdough starter before gifting it?
You don't have to, but I prefer to feed mine before gifting it so it's ready for them and they don't need to worry about feeding it immediately.
Can I gift sourdough starter in a jar?
Yes. A clean jar is an easy way to package sourdough starter, and you can even make it part of the gift. I like to give it in a jar as it's inexpensive but also they can keep it in that jar to use instead of having to find one.
Do I have to give the same flour?
No not at all, they can use their own flour, of course we want a good high protein flour so I always tell them what I have been using so they can get some too. But you don't need to gift anything.
Could I make a bigger Birthday or Christmas gift out of it?
Yes this would be an amazing gift! Depending how big you wan to make it you could gift them a bag or 2 of the flour you use and the sourdough starter. Or then add on, you could add a bread proofing basket, a spatula or mixing bowl etc depending on what they already have. If its a special present and you want to spend a bit more you could also gift the Dutch Oven if you use one and have a favourite. But it can be a beautiful gift to give.