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The Wee Sourdough Bakery, Portsoy, Banff (2026)

29/09/2026

Sourdough Starter Series - Part 3 🌾

Hello everyone! How’s your starter looking?

We’re now about a week into the process and by now, one of three things is probably happening:

Things are moving, things aren’t moving… or they started and then suddenly stopped.

All of these things are possible, and completely normal.

If you haven’t had much change yet, let’s have a look at your flour.

First, check how old your flour is. If it’s been sitting in the cupboard for a year, it might be time for a fresh bag!

Another option you could try is adding a little wholemeal flour to your feed. You don’t need to change your flour completely — try half white flour and half wholemeal for a feed or two and see if that makes a difference.

Wholemeal, wholegrain and rye flours contain more of the grain and can add extra nutrients and microorganisms to your starter.

Did your starter rise and then stop for days?

Don’t panic!

A false rise is very common in young starters. Your starter can have a burst of activity, rise beautifully and then go quiet again. It doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong.

And one big rise doesn’t mean your starter is ready. What we’re looking for is consistent rises after feeding, and it’s completely normal for that rise to collapse back down after a few hours.

That pattern is what tells us your starter is getting stronger.

So for now…

Keep feeding:

20g starter
20g water
20g flour

And breathe! 😂

We’re still building a healthy, strong starter. It takes time. 🤎

26/09/2026

Sourdough Starter Series - Part 2 🌾

How’s it going?

Have you seen any change yet?

By around Day 3, you might start seeing some activity. It could be bubbles, foam or a teeny tiny rise.

Or… you might be staring at a jar of paste thinking, “Well, that’s done absolutely f all.” 😂

And that can be completely normal too!

Your starter might also start smelling different. You could notice a sweet, fermented smell, or even something a little alcohol-like or acetone-like. Don’t panic — these can all be normal signs that things are happening.

If your flour and water are separating, with a layer of water sitting on top or underneath, your mixture may be too wet. Remember to weigh your water too! We want to be accurate with our measurements.

If you’re seeing absolutely no change, temperature is one of the first things to look at.

Try using slightly warmer tap water — not hot, just cosy. You can also find somewhere consistently warm and away from draughts.

And no, you don’t need bottled water! Unless you have a specific issue with your tap water, it’s perfectly fine to use it straight from the tap.

An unused microwave can make a great warm, draft-free spot for your starter. The microwave must be switched OFF — we’re using it as a little cupboard, not cooking your starter! 😂

Some people also use an oven with the light on, but if you do this, PLEASE remember your starter is in there before turning the oven on!

For now, keep going with your daily feed:

20g starter
20g warm water
20g flour

Even if you’re seeing some activity, we’re still building a healthy, strong starter — no bread-making or saving discard just yet!

Keep feeding daily and remember: we’re giving it time, not chasing the clock. 🤎

I’ll be back in 2–3 days with the next update!

23/09/2026

Sourdough Starter Series - Part 1

Have you ever wanted to make your own sourdough starter but felt horribly overwhelmed? Tried it before and given up because you had some funky paste that wasn’t doing anything?

Then you’re in the right place!

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll break down the process and cover some common troubleshooting issues.

Now, I’m currently avoiding flour like the plague while I confirm if my symptoms resolve now I’ve shut the bakery, so you’ll be doing the mixing, I’ll be doing the talking/typing!

What you’ll need:

🫙 Clean jar or lidded container
⚖️ Digital scales
🌾 Flour — I recommend a strong bread flour
💧 Water — straight from the tap
🥄 Something to mix with — an auld soup spoon will do
〰️ Elastic band or whiteboard marker
⏰ Time — you’ll need to feed your starter every day until it’s active and healthy, and this could take 3 weeks or more.

We’re going to give it time rather than chase the clock. 🤎

Day 1 — Your first mix

30g flour + 30g warm tap water

Mix well until there are no dry patches.

Scrape down the sides and mark the level with an elastic band or marker.

You’re unlikely to see much yet, but this starts the habit for when your starter does begin to rise.

Pop the lid on loosely — your starter doesn’t need to be airtight.

Avoid covering it with kitchen towel or cloth. This allows airborne dust, mould spores and other unwanted microorganisms into your starter.

Leave somewhere comfortable, away from draughts.

And then…

we wait.

Until tomorrow, roughly the same time.

From Day 2 onwards

Feed your starter every day — even though I won’t be posting every day!

20g starter

* 20g warm tap water
* 20g flour

Throw any extra starter in the bin at this stage. It isn’t active yet, so don’t save the discard.

Please don’t put it down the sink! Flour and water make a surprisingly effective drain-clogging paste. 😆

You likely won’t see much change straight away, so don’t panic — this is completely normal.

I’ll post every 2–3 days with updates and what to expect next, but your starter still needs feeding every day.

Save this post and follow along so you don’t miss the next update!

20/09/2026

Okay, so some of you already have a starter and you’re already well on your way to making your own loaves… 🥖

But what about those of you who don’t?! 👀

Well, here it comes…

✨ An ACTIVE sourdough starter ✨

Full of life, fermentation and those beautiful bubbles we’re looking for! 🫧

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to start building a little series showing you how to create your very own sourdough starter from scratch.

It isn’t a short process. It takes time, patience and, if I’m honest, a little bit of madness! 😂

But once you’ve got a happy, active starter bubbling away on your kitchen counter, you’re well on your way to making your own sourdough.

So if you don’t have a starter yet, this one’s for you.

Come back soon and follow along! 💛🥖. PS that final bubble pop in this video; I couldn’t have timed that one better!! 😂🤌

17/09/2026

Well… Apparently closing the bakery was the secret to growing Facebook. 😆

I closed the doors were just under 1000 Facebook followers and somehow a few days later there are now over 1300 of you?! 🥺💚
So I thought we’d start with the obvious one…

🥖 The Classic Sourdough

This is the loaf that started it all for me and over the last almost 2 years became the loaf I made more than any other. It’s a simple sourdough loaf with a lovely open crumb, crisp crust and plenty of flavour – and it’s a great place to start if you’re new to sourdough.

Ingredients:
265g warm water
100g sourdough starter
430g strong white flour
5g salt

Method:
1. Mix water & starter.
2. Add flour & salt, mix to form a shaggy dough.
3. Cover & rest for 30 minutes.
4. Do 3 sets of stretch & folds, 30 minutes apart with damp hands.
5. Bulk proof dough in a straight-sided container until almost double (80%) rise.
6. Turn dough out onto a damp counter and gently shape into a loose ball. Rest for at least 15 mins.
7. Final shape and create surface tension.
8. Rest overnight in a floured banneton in the fridge.
9. Preheat Dutch Oven and lid in an oven with temp of 230C.
10. Score at a 45 degree angle and bake, 20mins with lid on Dutch oven, 30mins with the lid off or until desired colour.

Finally this might be the hardest part! Cool for a minimum of 1 hour before cutting!!

Don’t have a Dutch Oven? No Problem! 👇

I’ve included my open bake method in the pinned comments, along with the adjustments I’d make if you’re using a stand mixer instead of mixing by hand.

And if you’re completely new to sourdough, don’t panic if your first loaf doesn’t look like the ones you see online. Learning to read your dough takes time, and honestly that’s half the fun.

Save this one for your next bake and let me know how you get on! 🥖💚

13/09/2026

And that’s it, folks. 💛🥖

I had every intention of posting this on Wednesday evening, but in all reality, it’s taken me the rest of the week to slowly work my way through everything and get the bakery cleaned down.

Wednesday felt like a very strange day to me. I couldn’t even bring myself to open the bakery door after my morning pick-ups were done. It’s a funny auld world. 🥹

What a journey it has been. It has been so much more than I ever imagined when I started baking bread from my kitchen almost two years ago.

I’ve been asked so many times over the last few weeks, “What’s next?”

Honestly, I don’t know yet.

For now, I need to find out if stepping away from the bakery will resolve my issues with flour and, hopefully, allow me to start making things with the kids again.

Flour is part of so much more than just bread — Saturday morning pancakes, birthday cakes, soups, stews, pastry and so much more. So there’s a bit of figuring out to do before I decide what comes next.

I’m also continuing with my Design & Innovation degree, which I started a few years ago before our littlest person came along. I’m moving into the next official year now, and although it’ll take a few more years, I’ll get there eventually. 🎓

And I’m not disappearing completely.

I’ll be keeping the Facebook and Instagram pages and, for now, turning them into a little knowledge corner for all things baking — sourdough, recipes, tips, things I’ve learned, things I’m still figuring out… and who knows where it might lead.

But today is about saying goodbye.

Thank you to every person who ordered bread, bought a cookie, came to a market, joined a class, shared a post, recommended me, sent me a message, or simply followed along.

You made The Wee Sourdough Bakery into something so much bigger than I ever expected it to be.

I’m incredibly proud of what we built here.

Sending you love, gratitude and immense thanks.

Go raibh míle maith agat. ☘️

Tara

09/09/2026

Good morning from the Bakery! 💛🥖

The oven is on and the bread is flowing!

It’s our final morning baking as The Wee Sourdough Bakery and it’s definitely a bittersweet one. 🥹

But for now, there’s bread to bake! I’m looking forward to seeing all your lovely faces at collection from 10:30am and getting these final loaves into your hands.

The very last bake is officially underway. 🥖💛

See you soon!

Tara

04/09/2026

Okay guys… 💛

I’ve had a few messages asking if I’m really sold out of bread already, so just to confirm — YES! I am indeed completely, genuinely, absolutely SOLD OUT of bread! 🥖😭

There are still a few cookies available, but I am officially at MAX CAPACITY for the final bake at The Wee Sourdough Bakery.

I honestly can’t squeeze another loaf in, much as I’d love to! 🥹

If you missed out on the bread but fancy getting into sourdough yourself, you can still order a FREE sourdough starter to collect this week. It’ll come with a little card with all the care and feeding instructions you need to get started. 💛

And if you didn’t manage to get an order in this time… I’m sorry! I really wish I could bake enough for everyone.

Thank you all so, so much for making the final bake such a mad one. 🥹💛

See you all next week for the FINAL collection! 🥖

Tara

04/09/2026

WE’RE HERE, GUYS! 💛🥖

Orders are officially OPEN for my FINAL BAKE DAY! 😭

I’ve increased the availability of the loaves a little after they sold out so quickly last time, so if you’re hoping to grab one of the final loaves, don’t leave it too late!

And I’ve added something to the website that I’ve never offered before… maybe it’s for you, maybe it isn’t! 👀

❄️ FREEZER STOCK — 50% OFF ❄️

I have a small amount of bread from the last few months that didn’t sell at markets and went straight into the freezer. These loaves are now available at 50% off and will be defrosted and refreshed in the oven on the morning of collection.

Because these have already been frozen, please only purchase if you plan to eat them within 2–3 days of collection. They should not be frozen again.

📍 COLLECTION

Collection starts from 10:30am this Wednesday. I have an appointment that morning, so I’ll be starting collection a little later than usual — thank you for bearing with me! 💛

And finally, there’s still a little sourdough starter available to take home this week. 💛

Same deal as last week — if you’ve ordered starter, please remember to bring your clean jar with a lid! An old jam jar is perfect.

This is it. The final one. Order here: https://www.weesourdoughbakery.co.uk/s/order

See you all soon. 🥖💛

Tara

02/09/2026

We hosted my two sourdough beginners class in the Portsoy Institute Hall this year! Incase you missed it, the hall is getting a new roof which they have been fundraising for. If you fancy sponsoring a slate, the details are in the picture!
Ps… 2 days until orders open for our final bake day!

The Wee Sourdough Bakery

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