Maison Fare
Fast-Activating Starter Culture & Digital Companion
Join a Community of Confident New Bakers
So easy and fun to make. Bread looked and tasted amazing! I’m usually pretty bad at baking, so I’m really impressed with the result.
This ... was a fantastic gift! My friend used it to bake an adorable bunny shaped loaf for Easter. We enjoyed it for brunch. She mentioned it was significantly easier than making sourdough from scratch.
I really liked the easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. I have my sourdough starter way in the back of my fridge being neglected, so this was a nice change of pace from having to feed it over a couple days to wake it up.
I bought this ... to try making homemade bread for me and my family. It was my first time making the bread and it was a fun step-by-step baking activity to do with my kids. I really appreciate the detailed instructions that came with this ... It was easy to follow and I chose to do the loaf pan bake, which turned out great.
I was always intimidated by baking, but this ... changed everything! I'd never baked before, and everyone told me that making sourdough bread is harder than most other breads. So, I was amazed when I successfully baked a fantastic loaf on my first try!
This starter ... was great, even for someone who has never attempted to make sourdough before! The coolest thing about the instructions is that you get to choose your own adventure when it comes to timing, cooking materials, ingredients, etc., so the instructions are tailored to you! It also tasted delicious! My 3-year-old devoured two slices in less than five minutes as soon as it had cooled enough to eat.
The Science
Yes. Our culture contains the same yeast and lactic acid bacteria found in traditional starters. Once activated, your dough ferments naturally, exactly like any sourdough made at home. The only difference is that we make it convenient & predictable, so you get authentic sourdough flavor without the hassle of maintaining a starter.
Yes. The culture ferments the dough naturally, producing the same tangy flavor and chewy texture you expect from sourdough. In blind taste tests people cannot tell the difference from bread made with a traditional starter, but they notice how much easier the process is.
Most “dehydrated” starters sold online are heat-dried. Microbes can die during drying and when you try to re-activate the starter, it drifts. This means flavor and timing is inconsistent, and there’s a 4-5 day activation time - not much different from starting from scratch!
Our culture is freeze-dried and tested for a consistent cell count. That’s why it activates overnight and delivers the same flavor and timing every time.
A live starter needs regular feedings just to stay alive. And even then, you have to catch it at its peak before baking. Miss the window and your bread won’t rise the way it should. It’s a constant hassle.
Our culture is freeze-dried and shelf-stable. You just activate when you’re ready, and it’s always at the right stage to bake. You’re baking bread, not babysitting jars.
Yes, you could. But here is what most companies selling starters will not tell you: any starter that you buy online or even get from a friend will drift as you feed it, so the flavor and timing may not stay the same.
Rather than pretending we have a shortcut to making your own starter, we lean into the benefits of freeze drying: reliable results right away.