Meet your starter
French Style
A mild, buttery levain — the most forgiving jar on the shelf.
Hydration
100% (equal parts flour & water)
Peak time
3–4 hours at 76°F on a 1:1:1 feed
Temperament
Steady and predictable — the one to hand a beginner.
Origin
Built from a classic French levain culture and shifted to organic bread flour during its first year. Balanced, dependable, quietly cheerful.
Flavor notes
- Mild, buttery, gently sweet
- Faint yogurt note when fresh-fed
- Never harsh, never flat
Best for
- Sandwich loaves and enriched doughs
- Focaccia and pizza
- Pancakes, muffins, and discard bakes
The story of this jar
If San Francisco is the loud one at the table, French Style is the friend who quietly holds the room together. It's the starter we reach for on a Tuesday, when we want bread on the counter by Wednesday morning without babysitting a jar.
It handles enriched doughs — milk, eggs, butter — without losing steam, which is why every one of our sandwich, brioche, and cinnamon-roll recipes leans on it.
Take one home
Ship a jar of French Style.
Recipes that love this starter
Bread · Intermediate
The Classic Country Loaf
A high-hydration boule with an open crumb and a deeply caramelized crust. Our workhorse loaf — the one we bake every week.
Read recipeBread · Beginner
Weekday Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
A soft, square-topped pan loaf enriched with a little butter and milk. Slices clean, toasts beautifully, and fits inside a lunchbox.
Read recipeFlatbread · Beginner
Overnight Sourdough Focaccia
Pillowy, dimpled, glossy with olive oil. A forgiving bake that turns leftover starter into a dinner-party centerpiece.
Read recipePizza · Intermediate
Weeknight Sourdough Pizza Dough
Mix Sunday night, bake pizzas Monday through Wednesday. A cold-ferment dough that only gets better with time.
Read recipeDiscard · Beginner
Sunday Discard Pancakes
The recipe that made us stop feeling guilty about throwing starter away. Tangy, tender, ready in 15 minutes.
Read recipe