Premium Live Sourdough Starter Culture - German Bavarian Flavorful Style - Fresh Liquid Sour Dough in Jar - With Simple Beginner Friendly Feeding Instructions for Homemade Bread Baking

A second update as of 7:45PM on March 27, 2024 is that this starter preformed at least as well as mine in baking a sourdough boule. See the photo.The first update as of 6:30AM on March 26, 2024 was that this is a very active sourdough starter. I did a head-to head test, and this starter outperformed mine in terms of activity after feeding. I will be making levains and baking over the next several days, and plan to update this review to report the results.The history begand when I dropped / broke my starter jar and needed to bake bread promised for friends. Because I did not have time to revive my backup emergency flakes of dried starter, I ordered live starter culture from Apron Maven.Despite Apron Maven's best efforts, the postal service delayed my purchase in transit. That delay is a bigger deal than for most products, because sourdough starter includes a live colony of beneficial microbes; these can expire under bad conditions (extreme temperature changes, delay, etc.).In response to the delay, Apron Maven tracked the package, kept me updated, reassured me that the culture was strong enough to survive the delay, and gave me instructions on how to revive the starter when it arrived.So far, it looks very promising, as the culture became bubbly when I mixed in the first 40ml of lukewarm water. As an amateur who started baking sourdough in the 1980s, to me this reaction is the earliest and most telling way for me to confirm that a starter is active enough.I also noted that the packaging was branded specifically for Apron Maven, in a very professional way, and that the instructions were very clear and understandable (in addition to being presented in an artful and professional way that made me grin). This quality is completely consistent with the proactive manner in which Apron Maven responded to the postal service's delay.Before deciding to buy from Apron Maven, I looked at a number of other Amazon sellers. I generally start with the negative reviews because my experience has been that I learn a lot. In the case of Apron Maven, the 2 negative reviews were so unfair, that I concluded that the customers simply did not understand sourdough starter.One reviewer complained that the bread did not rise. Starter is not instant yeast, but quite the opposite of "instant"; starter mixed with flour and water does not magically devlope into a gorgeous loaf -- it takes work and patience. Even great store-bought yeast should "proof" -- and for sourdough the same "proof" step takes more time, patience and effort. Anyone looking for "quick and easy" would be wise to consider other methods of baking rather than sourdough.Another reviewer complained that the product was a "gooey mess" when opened. Yes, sourdough starter is in fact a "gooey mess" -- that is the nature of the thing. Anyone looking to avoid "messy" would be wise to consider other methods of baking rather than sourdough.So that's my 2 cents' worth.

The media could not be loaded. So I was trying to figure out how to make bread on my own and came across sourdough (apparently it’s a craze) I didn’t want to fail at making my own starter as I know I would have given up pretty easily had it been a failure; so I began research and came across sourdough starters on Amazon. Being that there are so many, reviews became my bestie for this part of the research … I ended up ordering this brand, and I was NOT disappointed!The first two batches of bread that I made from it were horrible, in my opinion, and I thought I would never be able to figure this out. They were super heavy and dense. My son loved them. I did not. And I don’t blame the dough on this nor the starter, it was just me… I didn’t have the patience or know how. And there is such a delicate science to this.However, after a little more research and I found some patience to help me out, I was finally able to produce a quality, beautiful sourdough.The instructions that came with the product were very clear, and while I did not utilize the Customer Service option to help me when I thought I was failing, it was there, and I have no doubt that it would’ve been Helpful as per the reviews I’ve read.The taste of the sourdough that was a success was absolutely wonderful. Soft and cloudy feeling on the inside and chewy with a crunch on the outside.While I cannot compare this to any other starters out there, I can say that this one performed to my expectations. And I would also add that I believe the price is on point for such starters.As well, I would like to add that while a starter says it’s however, many years old and has been passed down over X amount of generations, Once it gets into your home and you begin to feed it, it adapts to you and your environment and now basically becomes a new type of starter, or new type of sourdough I should say. It becomes your way of passing a part of you down through generations once you’re gone 🙌🤞🤞⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Quality, taste and performance!

Never did double in size, never did rise at all. Also, product leaked inside the bubble envelope during shipping so it was on the outside of their plastic jar & on the instructions. I messaged them and received a reply that stated that should not have happened and that they COULD offer me a partial refund. They said that the leaking would not affect the product and I could proceed to use it. The directions are not so simple as stated either, as the measurements were in grams so I had to convert measurements. And I don't have any measuring implements to measure grams of water. Thank goodness I do have a very nice kitchen food scale. Looking back at the instructions I do believe they were to be used with a dried starter and not the starter I had ordered. However it did not rise, did not double, did not bubble up or do anything. It eventually went into the garbage. As another review stated Waste of Money! Also a big waste of my time and effort.

It's a good start on the way to sourdough baking. Lot's to learn in the journey.

My first starter. Slow at first to get going, however I’m currently baking 2-4 loafs a week with this!!!! My family and friends cannot get enough! I’m a beginner enthusiast and the instructions were so easy to follow!

This did not grow after following all directions