375 Year Old French Sourdough Starter- acquired in Rosheim, France - Heirloom Sourdough’s private collection

375 Year Old French Sourdough Starter- acquired in Rosheim, France.

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Please note that any orders placed between December 24th and December 26th will be processed and shipped on Monday, December 29th, due to the holiday schedule.

We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we wish you a happy and safe holiday season. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.
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Sourdough has been a passion of mine for my entire life. Each starter I collect feels like a connection to a place and time. My most recent journey took me to Rosheim, France, a town I’ve long admired for both its history and its bread.

Rosheim was first mentioned in the year 778 and became an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire by the 14th century. It was also one of the original members of the Decapolis alliance in 1354. Later annexed by France after the Peace of Westphalia, the town has preserved its medieval charm through centuries.

Wandering through Rosheim’s old churches, ancient gates, and cobbled streets felt like walking through a living museum. The blend of architecture and atmosphere had me completely spellbound.

While exploring the town, I stumbled upon a centuries-old bakery and received something truly special—a sourdough starter that’s been in continuous use for more than 375 years. I named her “Rosy.” She now sits next to my longtime family starter, “Sofia,” continuing a tradition of bread making that connects past and present.


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———DRY STARTER Activation Instruction————--
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THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR THE DRY STARTER.


The best way to start and maintain your sourdough starter is to measure starter, flour, and water by weight, rather than volume. I would recommend buying a scale that can accurately measure grams. I’ve included both volume and weight in the instructions.

Directions for 12 grams sourdough Starter pack

Day 1

1. Grab a clean 16oz jar with a non airtight lid
2 . Add 28 grams ( 2 tbs) luke warm filtered water to the jar. Pour 1 bag (14 grams) of the starter and stir to partially dissolve the starter in the water. Let it rest for about 20 minutes to help the starter dissolve.
3. Add 14 grams (2 tbs ) unbleached all purpose + 3 grams (1/2 tbs) whole wheat flour ( whole wheat will speed up the process but it is not necessary)( I prefer King Arthur ). You can use any unbleached all purpose flour.
4. Stir all the contents together thoroughly.
5. Place a non airtight lid on the jar and let it sit at room temp ( 70- 74 degrees Fahrenheit)

DAY 2

If your starter is already doubling at this point skip to day 4. If not than continue following instructions below.
* Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g ( 1 heaping TBS ) of flour and 10 g (2 TSP) of filtered water.

DAY 3
If your starter is already doubling at this point skip to day 4. If not than continue following instructions below.
You may begin to see signs of activity at this point such as small bubbles and a slightly sour aroma. 
* Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g ( 1 heaping TBS ) of flour and 10 g (2 TSP) of filtered water.

DAY 4
You should see clear signs of activity at this point. The starter will have risen since the last feeding and you will see bubbles.  

* Discard all but 25 g (1 TBS) of the starter.
* To the 25 g (1 TBS) of starter add 50g (3.5 TBS) of water and 50 g (6.5 TBS) of flour.

DAY 5
Your starter should be very active at this point. It will have doubled in size, be very bubbly, and smell sweet with just a hint of sourness. By Day 5 or less your starter will be very active. The time it takes to peak will have shortened from the previous days.

IN THE AM
* Discard all but 25 g ( 1 TBS) of the starter.
* To the 25 g (1 TBS ) of starter, add 60g ( 4 TBS) of filtered Luke warm water and 60g (8 TBS ) of flour.

IN THE PM
* Check your starter around the 7-hour mark. If it has close to tripled in size, then repeat the same feeding as you did in the AM. If it has not yet peaked, let it go another hour or two before checking again.
* At this point, your starter should be active enough to bake with.

DAY 6
The starter should be fully active at this point.


From here you can either keep you starter on the kitchen counter and feed it once or twice daily or you can stick it in the fridge and feed it once a week.

If your baking sourdough more than once a week I would recommend keeping it on the counter. If you bake only once a week or less than I recommend putting your starter in the fridge and feeding it once per week.

You can use the same feeding regimen above for the re-feeding. Discarding all but 30 grams of the starter. Adding 80 grams of filtered water. Then adding 80 grams of all purpose flour or 60 all purpose and 20 whole wheat. Let it double before putting it back into the fridge.