Fresh Sourdough Today from Wasatch Willy's Great Salt Lake Sourdough Starter

I made a fresh batch of sourdough bread today using my exclusive Wasatch Willy's Great Salt Lake Sourdough Starter.

Normally I make boules but the last two times I made bread I have been too lazy so instead I used my nice long Norpro pans my daughter bought me. Came out fantastic.

I have mentioned the recipe several times before in this blog but I'll repeat it for those who would rather just see it now and not have to search for it.

Ingredients:

1 batch fresh Starter (at least 8 hours after feeding)
3 cups water
8-10 Cups Unbleached White Flour. DO NOT USE BREAD FLOUR.
1 Tablespoon salt

When I say one batch I mean dump it all into your mixer bowl. Do not scrape the jar. After dumping most of it out go ahead and feed it. You do not have to save half like most Traditionalists will tell you.

Mix the starter, water and salt together until blended. Start adding flour one cup at a time. Until AFTER the dough comes away from the bowl. Knead for ten minutes.

Place the dough in a greased large plastic bowl and lightly cover and let it sit for twelve to sixteen hours in a cool place. I like to use our basement because it is always cool enough down there all year long. You can place it in the fridge but be prepared to let it sit for at least 24 hours or more until the dough hits the top of the bowl. I use one of those large Tupperware bowls. We have the older and the newer Tupperware bowls. The older bowl is wider and not as deep and the dough always hits the lid. The newer large bowl is deeper and the dough never hits the lid.

When the dough is ready to divide into loaves I like to turn on the oven at 350 for a minute and turn on the light. This prepares the oven for the loaves to sit and rise until ready to bake.

I usually divide the dough in thirds. On my scale that's about 850 grams per loaf. Divide the dough and place in loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for a couple hours.

If you used the oven to let your bread rise take it out and move your oven racks to the bottom two slots and heat your oven to 450 F. Place a small pan on the bottom rack. You are going to pour two cups boiling water into this pan after the oven is heated up and after you put the bread in the oven,

Be sure and use a Lame to score the tops of your bread before placing them in the oven. This is really easy if you make boules. If you use bread pans like I did it's more of a challenge unless you use more dough per pan.

Boil two cups of water.

Place your bread in the hot oven.

Wearing oven mittens, pour the boiling water into the pan and close the oven door.

Reduce the heat to 400 F and set your timer to 55 minutes. It takes a a lot longer to n=bake a loaf of sourdough.

When done, remove from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes, The bread will continue to bake in the middle of the loaf.

Enjoy!

To order one of my sourdough starter packages click here for more info.

My Sourdough Starters Make a Terrific Gift

My Order Page is HERE

I have sold a lot of sourdough starters over the last two years and have not yet had an unhappy customer. Admittedly, sourdough may not seem like it is for everyone. For example, if you live in a hot climate like a couple of my customers in Costa Rica, it is almost impossible to work with due to the heat. Other areas of the US it works best in winter, especially for those of you down south. This may be why over fifty percent of my sales are to folks in Canada.

Currently I have ten starters in all with one of them being a non-sour starter meant for basic bread baking. All of the starters are professionally packaged and come with two sets of instructions (On the back label of the packet and included with the recipes).

There are many different ways to use sourdough as the recipes on my blog and those included with the instructions can attest to. There are also many recipes available by simply doing a Google search. One of those recipes, HERE , was recently recommended by customer John Combs.

Try just one starter for only $4 ($4.70 for Canadians - postage costs more). You cannot go wrong. If you need help making up your mind try my very own Wasatch Willy's Sourdough Starter and then go from there. You will not be sorry or sad you did. I guarantee it. My Order Page is HERE

Anyway, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bill Karoly
aka Wasatch Willy

My Sourdough Method is Different - It's Not A Wet Process

My style of making sourdough is different than what some might think of when they envision a loaf of sourdough. I would love to make sourdough the wet method way but it requires space in the fridge and frankly that is something we just do not have right now so instead I do it the dense loaf method. For me it works.

If you want the large holes throughout your loaves then you will need to go that route. My starters will work just fine for either method because many of my customers are doing just that. 

Wasatch Willy's Sourdough - A Fresh Loaf

The only thing missing is the most wonderful sourdough smell. But for that you can order your own starter and try it for yourself. I suggest ordering my Wasatch Willy's Great Salt Lake Sourdough Starter and Best Darn Old Alaskan Sourdough Starter. It is only $5 for the two in the USA or $5.70 in Canada. When you order you get recipes and activation instructions. 

When making bread with my sourdough starters do not use bread flour. Use unbleached all purpose white flour only. You can also use wheat flour as well. Keep in mind wheat flour intensifies the sourness of the bread and you may want to shorten the fermentation period of the dough. White flour fermentation is normally about 12 hours between 65-70 degrees F.

Sourdough Carrot Cake Sublime with Cream Cheese Frosting

There was a time I would never have imagined making a cake with sourdough starter and now, after making this Carrot Cake and the Sourdough Chocolate Cake, I don't think I will ever do it any other way. This cake is delicious! I encourage you to try it and to do it with my Wasatch Willys Sourdough Starter which is an Original Great Salt Lake product.

This is an easy cake to make. I suggest preparing your cake pans in advance and pre-heating your oven to 350°F.

The Cake - Part One 1-1/2 Cups Vegetable Oil 2 Cups Granulated Sugar 1 Cup Wasatch Willy Sourdough Starter Unfed from the Fridge 2 Large Farm Fresh Eggs 1 Cup Crushed Pineapple - Drained 2 Cups Grated Carrots 1/3 Cup Pecans - Chopped 1/3 Cup Shredded Coconut 1/3 Cup Craisins or Raisins 2 teaspoons Real Vanilla The Cake - Part Two 2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour 2 teaspoons Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Baking Soda Cream Cheese Frosting 1, 8-ounce Package Cream Cheese - Room Temp 1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup) 1 teaspoon real Vanilla 3-5 Cups Powdered Sugar 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice Scant Buttermilk if needed

Part One: In your mixer bowl, combine the oil and sugar and the un-fed Wasatch Willy starter you pulled from the fridge and mix until just blended. Mix in the farm fresh eggs, one at a time (beat well after adding each egg). Add in the pineapple, carrots, pecans, coconut, dried cranberries/raisins and vanilla and mix until blended. Part Two: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda, Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl until just combined. Spoon the batter into two greased and floured 9” round pans. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Toothpick method: poke the center of the cake and if it comes out clean it is done.  Five minutes after removing from the oven, remove from the pans and allow the cake to completely cool on a rack before frosting. Frosting: Combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar gradually until all is added and blended well. Add some buttermilk until the frosting is the desired consistency.

To frost the cake I leveled the top of one of the layers and placed it on the cake holder. Then I put a layer of frosting in the middle and placed on the top layer. I will admit I am not very good at frosting a cake so I asked my wife, Annette, if she would please finish frosting it for me. I owe her big time! I love my wife, she's the best and we've been happily married since 1979. She's as beautiful today as the day I married her.

How to Order One of My Sourdough Starters: For a description of all seven of my starters please go to my ORDER page by clicking HERE. There you can order all 7 starters for one low price or order one single starter which now includes a second FREE starter of your choice. My contact info is there as well if you have any questions.

How to Order My Wasatch Willy Sourdough Starter

Orders are not live yet. I'm having PayPal order button issues. 

Cost is $10 for my Wasatch Willy Sourdough Starter with instructions and recipes. Please use the buttons below to order. Thank you.

In the meantime you can send $10 per order via PayPal to Bill Karoly / email is billkaroly AT gmailDOTcom

Be sure and email me with your address info.

Thanks

Wasatch Willy's
The Original Great Salt Lake Sourdough Starter

Simply the best sourdough starter I have
ever used. Made it myself from local wild yeasts.
Absolutely delicious. Just sour enough. Tastes very
similar to a good San Francisco Sourdough but it comes
from the Great Salt Lake region of Utah. It is a good and
lively natural Sourdough Yeast.

UPDATE: Wasatch Willy's Great Salt Lake Sourdough Starter

There is nothing quite like sourdough bread and I would like to introduce you to my latest sourdough starter, Wasatch Willy's Sourdough Starter. The flavor is somewhere between Valentina's and Alaska Sam's.

Update 7/22/2014 - When activating Wasatch Willy's Sourdough starter it smells exactly like Babo's San Francisco Starter. I have not tested Willy's under a microscope but the flavor is nearly identical. I can't call it a San Francisco Sourdough Starter because it's not from San Francisco such as Babo's or Valentina's. It was created from grapes grown in Syracuse, Utah which is on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

Wasatch Willy's Sourdough Bread

1 Cup Wasatch Willy's Starter
3 Cups Room Temp Bottled Water
2 Teaspoons Salt
6-8 Cups Bread Flour

Mix the starter and water together for a minute, add the salt and then start adding the flour until the dough comes clean from the side of the mixing bowl. Let the mixer run for 5 minutes.

Place the dough into a large greased bowl and place in a cool spot for 12-24 hours. 

Lightly spray a baking sheet with oil and sprinkle with corn meal.

Form the dough into balls pulling from the sides and pinching at the bottom until the sides of the ball start to tear apart and place onto the baking sheet. Makes two medium or 4 small bowls. Let rise two hours.

Place your oven racks on the bottom two settings. Place a cast iron frying pan on the bottom rack. Pre-heat the oven to 450 F (230 C).  Boil 2 cups water and pour into the frying pan just before placing the bread in the oven. Place the bread in the oven and set your timer for 55 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400 F (205 C). Check the bread at the 45 minute mark. It should be just starting to turn brown. 

Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack and wait at least 15 minutes before serving. The bread is still cooking internally.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  My Sourdough Starters

In early 2013 I started selling a San Francisco Sourdough Starter, Valentina's, which I obtained while in the US Army stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1978. Since then I have extended my starters to an old family starter from San Francisco which I have named after my Grandmother whom I affectionately called, Babo. I also created a non-sourdough starter (Tara) for use in normal bread recipes and it works fantastically. I have two Alaskan Starters as well, Alaska Sam's and Best Damn Alaskan Sourdough Starter, both of which are good and sour. 

A friend gave me an old Mormon Pioneer Sourdough Starter which came across the plains in the 1800's which I call, Parley's. 

My favorite starter is named after me, Wasatch Willy. It's made from locally obtained wild yeasts and is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone who has tried it really likes it.

All orders include:

• Two packets of dried starter. The one you order and one other at my discretion. Usually Alaska Sams or the other Alaskan starter. Limit one free starter per customer and does not include the Super 7 bundles.
• Activation Instructions with recipes
• Jar Label

New Packaging Front Label

New Packaging Reverse w/Instructions

Shipping Rates

All Prices include shipping. The US Post Office recently raised rates and so I have had to modify my prices slightly. I ship First Class mail. Orders are shipped in a #10 envelope. 

Where Do I ship to:

I will ship to anywhere in the United States or Canada. 

Questions: Call us at 801-784-8090 Monday - Friday 10am to 4pm Mountain Time.

To Order:

So as to simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you.

San Francisco Sourdough Starter

A true San Francisco Sourdough Starter is unique because it contains two organisms that contribute to the unique flavor associated with San Francisco Sourdough. One organism thrives at a lower temperature and the other at a higher temp which means it requires a long fermentation at around 60-65 degrees F and then a rise at 80-85 degrees F for about two hours.

If you are feeling bold and daring you can try Babo's San Francisco Sourdough Starter otherwise any of my other starters will produce excellent results as well. My other two favorites are Wasatch Willy's and Best Damn Alaskan Sourdough starters. 

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I have seven starters in all at this time. You can try any two for $5 if you live in the US or $5.70 if you live in Canada. Or you can order all seven as so many do. 

A Comment From A Recent Customer

Hi Bill,

I just got started with your sourdough starter in June 2014.  I received two, and have only used one so far, the "Best Damn Alaskan" starter.  I'm having a lot of fun with it!  It took a few attempts of not so pretty loaves to get the knack of it (I think I was overproofing it so it wasn't getting much oven rise) but now I am getting taller loaves.  The toast is awesome--beautiful sourdough flavour!  I have this starter going in two jars, so I have a backup in case of a problem.  I also made sourdough pizza dough with it, which was delicious!

Attached please find some pics.  (The last picture is my best loaf yet, lol!) I have a batch going right now, will be baking bread tonight!  Can't wait... (7/14/2014)

Sincerely,

Laurel Harrington

Brechin, ON  Canada

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Click to see the book that Laurel is using. This is the updated version.

My Sourdough Starters Are Super Easy To Activate

There is a link at the bottom of the page for more info regarding my seven different starters and how to order them. I offer a Super 7 bundle pack at a nice discount and also a single order starter pack that includes any two starters of your choosing. You can also click here for more info as well.

March 5, 2015 - Activating one of my Sourdough Starters can be done one of several ways. There is this method (below) that works or the method that is now included when you order a starter package. Either one is ok.

All of the starters offered here are very robust and are super easy to activate. When you order one of my Sourdough starters you get a packet of dried starter granules, a jar label and instructions with recipes. Six of the seven starters are actual sourdough starters and one is a natural yeast starter that is not sour and is meant for making bread and rolls.

What You Will Need

• When activating a Sourdough Starter you need a large wide-mouth jar such as a quart Mason jar or I like to use a re-purposed 40 ounce peanut butter jar because the lid is wider.
• You also need something to stir the starter with and I like to use the blunt end of a chopstick. 
• Bottled Water

Step One:

In the morning, place half a cup of lukewarm bottled water into your quart sized jar. Pour the packet of Mister Sourdough Starter into the jar. Swirl the starter around in the water and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Step Two:

Pour half a cup of flour into the jar and stir. Later that evening, before you go to bed, add another ½ cup flour and water and stir. Place a lid on the jar but do not tighten because it is best to allow the starter to breathe. Place in a warm location. In the oven with the light on and the door closed will work as long as you do not forget it is there. A counter in the kitchen will work just as well as long long as the temperature is not colder than 72F. 75-80F is ideal.

Step Three:

The next morning, dump out half of your starter and add a cup of flour and  3/4 cup water, stir. Loosely cover the jar and place back in a warm spot. Repeat this step on a daily basis until the natural yeasts in the starter are thriving. This can take 1-3 days. For a normal feeding once the starter is doubling I usually leave half a cup of starter in the jar and add 160 grams water and 160 grams flour and stir.

Scroll down for a description of each starter with PayPal buttons for ordering.

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New Packaging Example - Front

New Packaging - Reverse w/Instructions

To Order:

So as to simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you.

All Hail The Mighty Kale! Sourdough Style!

There is a link at the bottom of the page for more info regarding my seven different starters and how to order them. I offer a Super 7 bundle pack at a nice discount and also a single order starter pack that includes any two starters of your choosing. You can also click here for more info as well. 

These are easy to make pancakes and they are healthy and good for you too. 

Sometimes when I feed my starter of the moment I dump it down the drain and other times I make pancakes. This morning I thought I would add a banana and then after adding it I and placing it in my nice high speed blender my thoughts wandered to the kale in the garden.

The Kale survived the winter which totally surprised me. So I ventured out in my bare feet and plucked some green and went back to the kitchen where I dropped the greens into the blender until a minute or so later I had a green batter. I also added one large egg. 

Here are the approximate ingredients:

• Wasatch Willy Sourdough Starter, about 2 cups
• 1 Large Egg
• 3 Tablespoons Fat free Sour Cream
• 1 Banana
• Kale, 1 Cup, give or take
• ½ teaspoon Salt (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar or Honey
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 Tablespoons EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

I will admit in the above ingredients I omitted the oil because I simply forgot and it still turned out ok. I was going to add strawberries too but some rascal ate them. 

Cook on a hot cast iron griddle because it is not ok to cook sourdough on a non-stick surface. That would be so crass. It would be like wearing a tuxedo to a rodeo. 

Pictures are at the bottom of the page.

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My Sourdough Starters

In early 2013 I started selling a San Francisco Sourdough Starter, Valentina's, which I obtained while stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1978. Since then I have extended my starters to an old family starter from San Francisco which I have named after my Grandmother whom I affectionately called, Babo. I also created a non-sourdough starter (Tara) for use in normal bread recipes and it works fantastically. I have two Alaskan Starters as well, Alaska Sam's and Best Damn Alaskan Sourdough Starter, both of which are good and sour. 

A friend gave me an old Mormon Pioneer Sourdough Starter which came across the plains in the 1800's which I call, Parley's. 

My favorite starter is named after me, Wasatch Willy. It's made from locally obtained wild yeasts and is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone who has tried it really likes it.

All orders include:

• A packet(s) of dried starter
• Activation Instructions
• Jar Label

Shipping Rates
All Prices include shipping. The US Post Office recently raised rates and so I have had to modify my prices slightly. I ship First Class mail. Single orders are shipped in a #10 envelope. Super 7 Bundles are shipped in a package.

Where Do I ship to:
I ship to anywhere in the United States, Canada, Australia, UK and Europe. If I have a problem shipping to your country I will let you know and refund your order in full if there is a problem. If you live in a country where mail delivery is not reliable please order at your own risk.

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To Order:

So as to simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you. 

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Kale Banana Sourdough Pancake Images

The Unlucky Dole Banana

The Easy to Make Sourdough Pancake Batter

Kale Growing In My Garden

Sourdough Pancake On A Cast Iron Griddle

The Best Tasting Ever Sourdough Pancake On A Cast Iron Griddle

Activating A Sourdough Starter from Dried Granules or Powder, The Easy Way

Right now the only "active" starter on the counter in use is at our home is Wasatch Willy's (that's me) and my daughter really likes Alaska Sam's for its extra sour potential so I thought I would activate some and document the process. It is an easy process and anyone can do it.

Activating any sourdough starter once dried takes 3-5 days because the microorganisms in sourdough encapsulate themselves as a way to preserve themselves. It's like a bear going into hibernation for the really really long haul so to speak. They cover themselves in an impenetrable shell which dissolves when it comes in contact moisture. It is said that the stuff is so tough it was used by the pioneers to chink their log cabins and it dried hard as a rock. People have been known to take pieces of chink and actually restart a sourdough starter. I have also read that viable starter has been found in Egyptian tombs.

Here we go. If you want to do this you will need:

• Wide Mouth Quart Mason Jar*
• Bottled Water
• A Package of our Sourdough Starter (Order below)
• One cup Measure
• Stir stick such as a chop stick

Day One - Wakey Wakey Little Critters!

I started this at 5pm. Add one cup room temp bottled water to the Mason jar. * Notice I use large empty peanut butter jars because they are way better in my opinion because they hold more and the lids are larger, plus they never seal tight. Our starters tend to bubble over in a Mason jar.

Now add a packet of our sourdough starter granules to the Mason jar and stir.

The water is now milky looking. Add one cup of flour and stir. Clean off the stick against the lip of the jar. I like to rest the stick on the lid. but to each their own.

Loosely cover and let sit for 24 hours.

Day Two - They Are Weak and Need Food


You will find Alaska Sam's to be quite active. 

The next morning around 9am I found the starter had a thick layer of liquid on top and was begging to be fed so I stirred it up and dumped out all but 1/2 a cup. I then added 1 cup flour and about one cup water and stirred with my trusty chopstick. At this point it still smells like wet flour.

At 5pm it was smelling like a smooth sour milk and had a thick layer of liquid on top. I stirred it up and left it alone but later fed it again at 9pm.

Day Three - It Smells Oh So Good!

Today is day three and this morning I went out into the kitchen and there was a thick layer of wild yeast on top with a thick cleat layer and another layer of starter underneath that. You could see live starter dripping from the top layer to the bottom layer. 

I stirred it up and poured all but half a cup into a bowl and made some of the most delicious homemade sourdough pancakes ever! I then fed the starter. Tomorrow morning I'll wait to feed it again because it's not quite bread-ready. Yet. But it's nearly there.

Day Four

On the 4th day the starter was ready to go. It was the morning of Day Four and since it started late afternoon of Day One, technically, it was about three actual days that it took to activate. 

Since activating, I have made a batch of bread and several batches of pancakes. My grandkids love the pancakes!

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So as to simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you.

Less Flour Equals a Wetter Dough Equals Better Results

Lately I have been experimenting with making the dough by hand and I have been very please with the results. Here is the recipe:

1 batch starter (Wasatch Willy in this case) (about a cup)
3 Cups water
1 Tablespoon Salt
6 Cups Flour

I use an IKEA cup that holds just over a cup when filled to the lip. 

In a large bowl combine the starter, water and salt. Stir. Feed the starter and continue.

Now add the flour a cup at a time. The flour will be very lumpy and sticky. Be sure and wipe the sides and bottom of the bowl to get all of the flour mixed into the dough.

Cover the bowl and let it sit for 12-16 hours in a cool location. My basement has been around 60-65 degrees F and is perfect for this.

Turn on the oven light and get the oven warmed up to  around 80-90 F.

On a large clean work surface spray water and then dump the dough onto the surface. Keeping your hands wet form the loaf.

Take a baking sheet and lightly spray with oil and sprinkle corn flour or dry creamy wheat cereal. Place the loaf on the baking sheet.

Place the racks in the oven on the bottom two shelves. Place a cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack. Pre-heat the oven to 475 F.

Boil two cups of water and pour into the skillet when the oven is at temperature. Place the baking sheet with the loaf in the oven and set the timer to 45-60 minutes and lower the temperature to 400 F. If the loaf is not too dark go ahead and bake it for the full 60 minutes. 

You can also apply a wash to the dough at the 45 minute mark and bake for another 10 minutes. Prepare the wash before you bake the bread. For the wash boil two cups of water and a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch until it starts to thicken. Then set it aside and cool.

You should get a nice oven bounce. Place the finished loaf on a cooling rack and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

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To simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you.

Merry Christmas from Mister Sourdough

There is a link at the bottom of the page for more info regarding my seven different starters and how to order them. I offer a Super 7 bundle pack at a nice discount and also a single order starter pack that includes any two starters of your choosing. You can also click here for more info as well. 

I have been thinking about what to say for my latest blog entry and seeing as how it is Christmas time once again I want to give thanks to all who have ordered the various starters. Sourdough is fun and I think appropriate for the upcoming Christmas Dinner and what better sourdough starter than our very own Wasatch Willy Sourdough Starter. Order now and your starter will arrive in plenty of time for the Christmas holiday. Canadian orders take about two weeks to arrive and US orders are delivered within a few days. All orders are mailed promptly via First Class mail. It takes about three days to fully activate a starter from dry granules so keep that in mind when you order.

I have recently made several loaves of bread and rolls from Wasatch Willy and I love the flavor it provides. This is my favorite starter and tt's made from wild yeast found in the Greater Salt Lake Valley near Ogden, Utah and I am certain it will become your favorite as well.

Wasatch Willy's Sourdough Starter

When you order Wasatch Willy's Sourdough Starter you will get a packet of starter granules, instructions on how to start it up with three recipes and a jar lid label. When activating always use bottled water* and use a quart canning jar or something similar such as a clean large peanut butter jar. I use a chopstick to stir my starter. When using our starter you do not need to save half when feeding. I typically dump out the entire jar with the sides and bottom covered and then feed by adding a cup of flour and a cup of bottled water*.

* A thought on bottled water. It really depends on your local water supply. If your water is heavily treated then please only use bottled water. When activating your starter for the very first time please use bottled water only which is at room temperature or slightly warmer. After your starter is activated you can experiment with your city water on another jar and see how it reacts. Where I live our city water is ok to use but other cities may vary.

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My Sourdough Starters

In early 2013 I started selling a San Francisco Sourdough Starter, Valentina's, which I obtained while in the US Army stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1978. Since then I have extended my starters to an old family starter from San Francisco which I have named after my Grandmother whom I affectionately called, Babo. I also created a non-sourdough starter (Tara) for use in normal bread recipes and it works fantastically. I have two Alaskan Starters as well, Alaska Sam's and Best Damn Alaskan Sourdough Starter, both of which are good and sour. 

A friend gave me an old Mormon Pioneer Sourdough Starter which came across the plains in the 1800's which I call, Parley's. 

My favorite starter is named after me, Wasatch Willy. It's made from locally obtained wild yeasts and is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone who has tried it really likes it.

All orders include:

• Two packets of dried starter. The one you order and one other at my discretion. Usually Alaska Sams or the other Alaskan starter. Limit one free starter per customer and does not include the Super 7 bundles.
• Activation Instructions with recipes
• Jar Label

Shipping Rates
All Prices include shipping. The US Post Office recently raised rates and so I have had to modify my prices slightly. I ship First Class mail. Orders are shipped in a #10 envelope. 

Where Do I ship to:
I will ship to anywhere in the United States or Canada. 


Questions: Call us at 801-784-8090 Monday - Friday 10am to 4pm Mountain Time.

To Order:

So as to simplify the updating process of my blog entries I have created a single ORDER page you can go to by clicking here. As the blog slowly grows in size (a few posts each month) it becomes an arduous labor updating each and every one of them so hopefully this will make the pages easier to peruse and more enjoyable. Thank you.