See How to Make a Sourdough Starter

How do I start a sourdough? Then how do I not kill it? Do I need to use a certain kind of flour? Should I keep it at room temperature or in the fridge? Should I name it? And what if I have to go out of town? These were just a few of the questions that our team threw at Sarah Owens, who guest stars on this week’s Dear Test Kitchen. Sarah is a baker and author who won a James Beard Foundation Award for her cookbook Sourdough in 2015. Which is to say: She has all the answers and then some.

Watch the video above for how to, ahem, start your own starter—then tune in next week for how to put it to good use. P.S. If you don’t have a friend who has some starter to spare, swing by a nearby bakery and ask, pretty-pretty please, if you can snag some of theirs.

Do you keep a sourdough starter? Does it have a name? Tell us in the comments!