“Dissolve the starter in the water first”

You can, and it does no harm. But you don't have to, and whisking it until frothy adds nothing.

Why

Stirring the starter into the water spreads it evenly before the flour goes in, which is convenient, especially with a stiff starter. That's all it does. The froth isn't the point: the gas that raises a loaf is made later, inside the dough, by fermentation. Air you whisk in at the start is gone long before the oven.

Further down

Squeezing the starter through an already-mixed dough works just as well, which is why adding it after an autolyse is perfectly fine. What matters is that it ends up everywhere, not how it got there. A few folds finish any unevenness.

Words used here Starter Autolyse

Updated 7 October 2026