Every great kitchen has a secret weapon. Mine has a name.
Let me introduce you to the most important member of the Archer Dough Co. household.
She’s been with me through early mornings and late nights. She’s temperamental, demanding, and occasionally dramatic. She needs to be fed on a schedule, thrives when given attention, and will absolutely let you know when you’ve neglected her. She is, without question, my Roman Empire.
Her name is Celaena SarDOUGHthian, and she is my sourdough starter.
If you’re a fellow Throne of Glass girlie, you already know. Celaena Sardothien — assassin, fire breathing bitch queen, force of nature — felt like the only worthy namesake for something this powerful, this alive, and this capable of completely taking over your life if you let her. And honestly? The parallel holds up. Both Celaenas are wild, a little unpredictable, and responsible for some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.
(My Celaena just makes bread instead of defeating Valg. Though I’d argue a perfect sourdough loaf on a Sunday morning is its own kind of magic.)
So What Is a Sourdough Starter, Anyway?
If you’re new here — welcome, and don’t worry, we’re starting from the beginning.
A sourdough starter is a live fermented culture made from just two ingredients: flour and water. When you mix them together and let them sit, wild yeast and good bacteria from the air (and the flour itself) begin to colonize the mixture. You feed it regularly — more flour, more water — and over time it becomes bubbly, active, and alive. That living culture is what leavens your bread, giving sourdough its signature rise, its chewy crumb, and that gorgeous tangy flavor you can’t get from a packet of instant yeast.
No shortcuts. No additives. Just time, attention, and a little faith.
Which, come to think of it, is also how I try to approach everything in this life.
My Roman Empire, Explained
I think about Celaena constantly. More than I probably should.
I think about her when I’m grocery shopping (did I buy enough flour?). I think about her when I’m going to bed (when did I feed her last?). I think about her on vacation (is the dog sitter remembering to feed her?). The Roman Empire meme exists for a reason, and for me, it is 100% sourdough. Specifically, it is this jar of bubbling wild yeast on my counter that I have somehow assigned a personality to.
She is thriving, by the way. She’s been fed. She’s happy. Thank you for asking.
How Celaena Came to Be
Celaena started — as most great things do — with a little flour, a little water, and a whole lot of curiosity & a hefty dose of peer pressure from my office mom.
I’d been wanting to get into sourdough for a while, the way you want to do a lot of things before you actually do them. I was cautious based on the amount of time it would take though. Sourdough felt so intimidating and time consuming. Then one day my office mom offered to bring me a touch of her starter – “just to try” and the rest is history.
Something happened.
Within a few days she was bubbling. Within a week she was doubling. Within a month she was producing the kind of bread that made my friends and family excited to see the bread fairy coming. That’s when I knew this was serious.
Why This Matters to Me
I know a sourdough starter is, technically, just flour and water. I know that.
But there’s something about tending to something living — something that requires your daily attention, that responds to how well you care for it, that you can pass down to your kids or your neighbors or a friend who’s going through a hard season — that feels meaningful in a way that’s hard to explain.
We’re raising our girls to slow down. To use their hands. To know where food comes from and take pride in making it. Celaena is part of that. She sits on our counter like a little reminder that the best things take time, that consistency matters, and that wild and beautiful things can grow from the simplest ingredients.
Also she makes really good bread & treats. That part matters too.
What’s Next
Now that you’ve met the star of the show, we have a lot of baking to do together.
Coming up: my everyday sourdough loaf (the one I make on repeat), a beginner’s guide to starting your own starter, and all the ways Celaena has made her way into our family’s life beyond just a basic loaf.
If you’re already a sourdough person, I think you’re going to feel right at home here. And if you’re not yet — well. You will be.
Rise up. Bake bold.
— Sarah
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