Azorean Sourdough Starter Recipe – A Taste of Portuguese Tradition from Oak Bluffs to New Bedford

🍞 The 154-Year-Old Azorean Sourdough Starter

Our 154-year-old sourdough starter has been lovingly maintained through generations, preserving the original culture brought from São Miguel. This heirloom starter delivers a distinctive depth of flavor—rich, tangy, and deeply aromatic—true to its Azorean roots.

No added yeast, no added sugar - Crafted through natural fermentation.

👉 Grab your Azorean starter HERE

Each order includes:

• 15 grams of active Azorean sourdough starter

With proper feeding, your starter will be ready to bake within 4 days.

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🕰️ Directions on How to Revive and Feed Your Azorean Sourdough Starter

Day 1 Morning

In a clean glass jar or bowl, mix:

• 1 packet of our sourdough starter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons room-temperature bottled spring water

Stir well and store in a warm spot (around 75°F). Cover loosely to allow gases to escape.

Day 1 Evening (After 12 Hours)

Add:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup water

Mix well and cover lightly.

Day 2 Morning

Add:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup spring water

Mix thoroughly and lightly cover.

Day 3 Morning

Stir the starter and mix well. Discard half the starter and feed with:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup spring water

Day 4 Morning

Stir the starter and mix well. Discard half again and feed with:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup rye flour
• ¼ cup spring water (not the usual ½ cup of water as prior)
  
• Stir and mix well

After feeding and mixing, monitor your starter. Within 4–5 hours, it should double in size and when the top of the starter starts to flatten—that’s a sign that it’s ready to use starter to bake. Store unused starter in fridge. Good for up to 4 days. Then re-feed.

Get Ready for the Magic when starter is Ready!

 

Same Day Sourdough Bread Recipe

420 grams of bread flour
294 grams of spring water
84 grams active sourdough starter
8 grams of salt

Prepare Dough: In a large mixing bowl, place 84g of active sourdough starter. Add 294g of warm spring water. Mix until the starter is dissolved. Add 420g of flour and 8g of salt. Mix until the dough is the same consistency and there are no pockets of dry flour remaining.

Stretch and Folds: Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then perform stretches and folds every 30 minutes for four rounds.

Bulk Fermentation: (After Final Fold) After the fourth round, cover the dough and let it bulk ferment at 75 degrees. You need 50% rise before shaping. Bulk ferment for 2 hours. So your total bulk from initial mix to end so far is 4 hours.

Signs bulk is finished:
Dough looks aerated
Edges domed
Jiggle when bowl is shaken
Bubbles visible along sides

Preshape + Bench Rest Preshape and Rest 20 minutes uncovered.
Dough should relax and round nice.

Final Shape & Final Proof
Shape and put in bowl or benetton. Final proof: 2 hours. Cover and proof at room temp. Keep the dough out on the counter. Then it will be ready to bake.

You can also do this Final Proof in the fridge overnight if you don't want to bake same day.

*Poke Test: This helps you determine if your bulk fermentation is ready. With a floured finger, poke the dough. If it bounces back fast, it's not ready. If the hole stays there, it is overproofed. If the hole pulls back slowly, it's ready!

After Final Proof  Preheat the oven early. When you have a 1/2 hour left into your 2 hour final proof set your oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes to ensure even heat.

Prepare for baking Take your dough, flip over and gently put it on a flat surface. Dust with flour. Score the top (a single deep slash or decorative scoring — whatever you like).

Bake Carefully transfer the dough into your Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 20–25 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20–25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Cool completely: Remove from the Dutch oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour (ideally 2) before slicing. Cutting too early can make the crumb gummy inside.

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💡 Pro Tip: Don’t Waste Your Discards!

Each time you discard your starter, save it in your refrigerator! Use it for:

Sourdough Portuguese Sweet Rolls or Sweet Bread: Recipes for adapting the classic Portuguese sweet bread (massa sovada) to include sourdough discard can be found online. The discard adds extra moisture and a mild tangy depth to the rich, buttery dough. TikTok users have shared specific techniques for making "Sourdough Discard Portuguese Sweet Rolls," including a version ready in an hour.

Malasadas: This is a type of Portuguese doughnut made from fermented dough. Bakers have shared recipes and tips for adapting traditional malasadas to use sourdough discard, which gives them a soft, tangy flavor. 

Sourdough Portuguese Buns (Papo Secos): Several bakers have adapted the recipe for these crusty, individual dinner rolls to use sourdough discard. The starter adds a complex flavor profile while producing a softer final product.

Sausage Bread (Pão com Chouriço): Portuguese sausage bread is traditionally baked with chourico. Some home bakers and enthusiasts have experimented with incorporating sourdough discard into the recipe to add flavor and a different texture to the dough. 

Bolo do caco: This traditional flatbread from the Portuguese island of Madeira is typically cooked on a tile or griddle. A modern adaptation incorporates sourdough discard, alongside mashed sweet potato, to create a soft, fluffy dough with a crispy exterior. It is commonly served with garlic butter or used for sandwiches.

Broa de milho (corn bread): Leavened with yeast, a sourdough discard can be added to broa for a tangier, more complex flavor. The discard adds character to this hearty bread, made from a mixture of cornmeal and rye or wheat flour. 

General uses in cooking:
Beyond specific Portuguese recipes, sourdough discard can be used in a variety of other culinary applications that align with cooking techniques found in Portuguese homes: 
Thickening sauces: Sourdough discard can be used as a thickener in sauces and gravies, much like flour or cornstarch. This adds a subtle tang and reduces food waste.
Fish or chicken batter: Adding sourdough discard to a batter for frying or pan-frying fish or chicken is a great way to add flavor and use up excess starter.
Baked goods: Discard can be used to make a variety of sweet and savory recipes, including muffins, crackers, brownies, and cookies. 

Or, with the discard at the same fermentation stage, start another batch of Azorean starter and keep it in your fridge until you are ready to feed.

This way, every part of your sourdough tradition continues to grow.

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🌾 Preserving Portuguese Heritage Through Every Loaf

Our Azorean Sourdough Starter is more than just a baking ingredient—it’s a living link to the Portuguese past, nurtured for generations and carried across oceans. From the whalers of the 1800s to the kitchens of today, this recipe continues to honor our ancestors and their enduring love of breadmaking.

Bring history to your home kitchen. Bake, share, and taste the story of Portuguese Azorean sourdough.