A stiff sourdough starter (often called lievito madre or sweet starter in Italian baking or Levain Mére in French) is simply a sourdough starter maintained at a lower hydration than the standard 100% hydration liquid starter. We do expedition with this form of sourdougg starter as it is far safer to do this than send a more hydrated 1 . 1 . 1 product. A small bag of flour will be included in order to refresh it on arrival.

Instead of equal parts flour and water by weight, a stiff starter typically uses a ratio of roughly 2 parts flour to 1 part water (around 50% to 60% hydration).

Here is what it looks like, how it behaves, and why some bakers love it:

Physical Characteristics: What It Looks Like

Because it lacks excess water, a stiff starter doesn't look like a bubbly batter. Instead, it looks and feels like a tight, firm piece of bread dough.

• Texture: Dense, pliable, and smooth. It can be kneaded like bread dough, shaped into a ball, and even rolled up or laminated.
• Volume Change: Instead of bubbles rising to the surface and popping, gas gets trapped inside the tight gluten matrix. When it rises, it expands dramatically—often tripling or quadrupling in volume—resembling a smooth, inflated balloon or a highly aerated, spongy dough block when sliced open.
• Scent: It smells deeply fruity, alcoholic, and mildly tangy, but without the sharp, vinegary punch or acetone smell that a neglected liquid starter can get.

The Science: Acidity and Flavour Profile

The main reason bakers convert a liquid starter to a stiff one is to manipulate the flavour of their bread by altering the balance of acids produced by the wild yeast and bacteria. As for Peber we do it as it travels better and reach you next day at its peak, ready to refresh it.

• Lower Total Acidity: Stiff starters favour wild yeast activity over lactic acid bacteria. The wild yeast thrives in the dense environment, while the bacteria produce less total acid.
• Mild, Sweet Flavour: The acids that are produced lean toward a milder flavour profile. It reduces the sharp, sour twang, making it perfect for enriched breads where you want the sourdough leavening power but not the aggressive sour flavour (like croissants, brioche, or panettone).
• Stronger Gluten Structure: Less acid means less enzymatic breakdown of gluten. This gives the final bread dough better structural integrity, a higher rise, and a more open crumb.

Maintenance and Feeding

Feeding a stiff starter requires a little more muscle since you can't just stir it with a spoon.

Attribute

• Liquid Starter (100% Hydration)
• Stiff Starter (50% Hydration)
• Typical Feeding Ratio
• 1:1:1 (Starter : Water : Flour)
• 1:0.5:1 (Starter : Water : Flour)

Mixing Method

• Stirred easily with a spatula
• Kneaded by hand or mixed in a stand mixer

Storage

• Jars, bowls, or plastic containers
• Jars (often with a cross cut into the top) or bound tightly in canvas/rope (legato method)

Feeding Frequency

• Needs frequent feeding; degrades quickly at room temp
• Ferments slower; can go longer between feeds safely
• Because it ferments more slowly, a stiff starter has a wider "peak" window, meaning you have a larger timeframe to bake with it before it collapses and turns overly acidic.

A few notes

• The old stiff starter contributes some flour and water already, so the overall hydration of the mixture won't be exactly 100% immediately.
• After one or two 1:1:1 feedings, the starter will behave like a typical liquid starter and the hydration difference from the original stiff starter becomes negligible.
• If the stiff starter has been refrigerated or inactive, allow it to rise and peak before feeding again.