Specimen 001 · Serafina Semolina
You’ve been handed a jar of wild yeast.
Her name is Serafina Semolina, and she was raised over the Great South Bay — which is exactly why her bread tastes the way it does. This is the field manual: how to keep her alive, how to bake with her, and what’s actually happening in the jar.
Starter card
photo — the jar, backlit
- origin
- Great South Bay, NY
- est.
- 2024
- flour
- bread + rye 10%
- hydration
- 100%
- peak
- 6–8 h @ 72°F
step 01Wake her up
step 02Feed her
step 03Build a levain
step 04Bake the first loaf
Recipes to start with
What’s happening in the jar
Little spirits of the place
Lactobacillus makes the acid, wild yeast makes the gas, and which strains you get depends on where the starter was raised. Serafina was raised over the Great South Bay, and that’s the flavor she carries into your kitchen — where she’ll pick up a little of your house, too.
Read the science →70%House hydration
1:5:5Feeding ratio
72°FHappy place
4–6 hBulk ferment
Triage
She’s probably not dead
Serafina is a strong starter. Nearly everything that looks like a disaster is just hunger or a cold kitchen.
01
She smells like nail polishHungry, not dead. Feed her twice today.
02
Grey liquid on topHooch. Pour it off or stir it in — both fine.
03
Nothing is happening at allYour kitchen is cold. Find a warmer shelf and wait.