Home Bakers: Billings Bagel Shop Offering Free Sourdough Starter

Remember when bread-making machines and flour were flying off store shelves in Montana when COVID started? It seems like everyone decided to try making bread at home, perhaps with varying levels of success. The kind folks at The Sourdough Bagel company in downtown Billings are making things easier, by giving away free sourdough starter.

A key step in making great sourdough begins with a good starter.

For those completely new to baking, a sourdough starter is a mix of yeasty goodness that is responsible for making all those delightful little air bubbles in the bread. More bubbles are good, because it makes for an airy loaf, instead of dense, heavy bread. Baking site www.theperfectloaf.com summed up what sourdough starter is.

At a high level, a sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that hosts a stable blend of beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts. This mixture is continually maintained with regular refreshments (or feedings) and is used to leaven and flavor new bread dough.

While not particularly difficult to make, many bakers treasure their sourdough starter, feeding it and treating it like a precious pet, often using what is essentially the same starter for years.

Stop by The Sourdough Bagel to get your complimentary sourdough starter.

Owner Bonny Perkins is a wonderful human with a joyous personality. Her bagels are hands-down the best in Billings, in my opinion. You need to get there early at 219 N 29th because they usually sell out by mid to late morning. They shared a Facebook post this week about how you can get their sourdough starter.

Just a PSA for those who don’t know: you can always get free sourdough starter from The Sourdough Bagel. No purchase necessary; no strings attached. We’ll give ya’ a little bit of our mother and the world is your oyster. Our favorite outside-of-the-shop things to make are Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls and Sourdough Pancakes. Thanks friends!

We might have to take her up on that offer.

Baking homemade bread on one of these cold, wintery days is a great way to help warm up your kitchen. It smells so good, and homemade sourdough bread is far better than anything you'll get at the grocery store.