Before we wake up your Explorer, let’s make sure you have everything ready:

• Your Explorer sachet (the dried starter flakes)
• White wheat flour (bread flour or all-purpose)
• Warm water (25°C/77°F, unchlorinated)
• A small glass jar with a lid
• Digital kitchen scale (precision matters!)

Pro tip: Keep one-third of your sachet sealed as backup. The Explorer has survived countless adventures, but having a reserve never hurts.

Time to wake up those dormant microbes! They’ve been sleeping since their last adventure.

Take about one-third of your Explorer sachet (a small pinch of flakes).

Mix with:

• 5g warm water (25°C/77°F, unchlorinated)
• 1g white flour

Stir until you have a very thin, liquid slurry.

Cover with a lid and place somewhere warm (25-28°C is ideal, try inside your oven with just the light on).

It looks tiny, but you’re looking at millions of dormant microbes. Within hours, they’ll start waking up and multiplying.

Your Explorer is waking up! Right now, the dried spores are rehydrating and coming back to life.

Let the mixture sit for 24 hours in a warm place.

What’s happening inside: The water activates the dormant yeast and bacteria. They’re stretching, multiplying, and starting to feed on the flour sugars. By tomorrow, the party will be in full swing.

Your Explorer is hungry after its long sleep! Time for the first real meal.

Stir the mixture well, then take all of it (roughly 5g).

Feed with:

• 50g flour
• 30g warm water (60% hydration)

Mix thoroughly until smooth. If it feels too dry, add a splash more water.

The 10% inoculation rate (starter to flour) is the same ratio we’ll use for bread doughs. Your Explorer is already learning the rhythm.

Your Explorer is feasting! The microbes are multiplying rapidly now.

Let the mixture sit for another 24 hours.

Look for signs of life: tiny bubbles forming, a slight rise in volume, maybe a faint tangy smell developing. These are all good signs!

Take a moment to observe your Explorer:

• Smell it: Getting sour? Vinegary? Yogurty? That’s the lactic acid bacteria at work!
• Look for bubbles: Even tiny ones count
• Check the rise: Any increase in volume?

Now, take 5g of the mixture and feed with:

• 50g flour
• 30g warm water (60% hydration)

Discard the rest (this is the last time you’ll need to discard!).

Wait another 24 hours, then we’ll check if your Explorer is ready.

The moment of truth! Let’s check if your Explorer has fully awakened:

• Smell: Pleasantly sour, like yogurt or mild vinegar?
• Bubbles: Visible throughout the mixture?
• Rise: Has it grown in volume since feeding?

What do you see?

Don’t worry, your Explorer has survived far worse than this! Some starters just need a bit more time to wake up, depending on:

• How long they were dried
• Your local flour and water
• Kitchen temperature

Give it another feeding:

• Take 5g starter
• Add 50g flour
• Add 30g warm water

Wait 24 hours and check again. The Explorer never gives up!

The Explorer has survived deserts and mountains. We’ll figure this out together!

Quick checklist:

• Water temperature: Are you using warm water (25°C/77°F)?
• Chlorine: Is your tap water heavily chlorinated? Try filtered or bottled.
• Flour: Stick to white wheat flour until it’s active.
• Temperature: Is your kitchen below 20°C? Try the oven with just the light on.

Still stuck? Email me directly at [email protected]. I’ll help you troubleshoot, send a fresh sachet, or issue a full refund. The Explorer family takes care of its own.

You did it! Your Explorer has awakened from its long slumber!

Those wild yeasts and bacteria that traveled through 23 countries are now alive and thriving in your kitchen. The same microbes that fermented doughs across the world are now ready to make YOUR bread.

You’re now part of the Explorer family, a community of bakers around the world sharing this same living culture.

Let’s prepare your Explorer for its first bake!

Time to prepare your Explorer for its first loaf! We’ll build it up to baking strength.

Take 3g of your active starter and mix with:

• 30g flour
• 18g warm water (25°C/77°F)

This gives you ~51g of starter, exactly what you need for a 500g flour dough, with a tiny bit left over.

Wait until it shows the signs of readiness (bubbles, rise, tangy smell), then you’re ready to mix your dough!

What about the leftover starter?

That 1g left in your jar? That’s enough to grow a whole new batch. Even the scraps on the jar walls work. The Explorer is resilient.

Pro tip: After bulk fermentation, pinch off 50g of dough as your next starter. No more separate feedings needed!

Congratulations, Explorer!

You’ve successfully awakened a starter that has traveled the world. Every loaf you bake now carries that history, the wild yeasts from mountain bakeries, the bacteria from ancient grains.

Ready to bake your first loaf? The Sourdough Bread Journey will guide you through every step.

Welcome to the Explorer family. Happy baking!