Happy New Year! What better way to start it off than with the yeasty, tangy aroma of baking sourdough? Since 2017, I’ve dedicated January to the joys of keeping and baking with a sourdough starter. This year, in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I’ll share some of my favorite doughs that use different types of flour to make flavorful flatbread, loaves, and other baked goods.

My sourdough starter has been going strong since 2014. Through feedings after my own baking and sharing the starter with others—hundreds of new bakers around the world over the years—it has developed into a robust and lively wild culture. I explain in this week’s column how I’ve made sourdough baking fit my lifestyle without being overwhelmed by copious volumes of starter and endless loaves of bread, as well as how easily my starter wakes up when I leave it in the fridge for weeks at a time as I travel. I also share ways to get free sourdough starter so that you can make the recipes I’ll be providing this month.

Learn more about requesting free sourdough starter and baking with it in my column.

If you don’t yet have a sourdough starter, you can still join in this month’s fun. I’ve teamed up with other fermenters to share sourdough starter, scoby, kefir grains, and more through the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group. Join us in sharing the love of fermentation by becoming a member of the group and offering or requesting starters.

Wild yeast is unbelievably resilient. If an ugly, neglected starter is lurking at the back of your fridge, it might still be full of life. Before you request a new starter or build one from scratch, check out this post and photos of a sourdough starter I woke up after 2 years of dormancy.

If you’re not a Facebook user, you can request sourdough starter directly from me. You can also make sourdough starter from scratch. Once you start baking, be sure to share your creations.

Make it, share it.
Tag @twiceastastyblog and #twiceastastyblog

Twice as Tasty

I have created a series of PDF guides that help you share and care for sourdough starter. You can find them under the Files tab within the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group or in this blog post. Feel free to download or print these guides for your own use and as you share your own starter.

The sourdough recipes that will be in my Flathead Beacon column this month use flours like chickpea and rye to create low-gluten flatbread and dense bagels and bread loaves. But you don’t have to wait until next week to start baking. Here are some recipes from past years that I bake regularly; you can find even more sourdough recipes on the blog.

• Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
• Sourdough Pizza Dough
• Pillowy Sourdough Pita
• Stovetop Sourdough English Muffins
• Herb-and-Salt Sourdough Focaccia
• Sourdough Brioche Dough and Rolls
• Sourdough Cabin Bread

You can also find my answers to some common questions from new sourdough bakers in this blog post.

Need starter? Join the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group to request sourdough starter, scoby, kefir grains, and more, any time of year. If you are not a Facebook user, request some of my personal sourdough starter using this form by January 31, 2026, or schedule an in-person sourdough workshop.