Looking for Sourdough? 
Making a sourdough starter is easy if you follow our simple guide. Before you know it, you'll be making your very own sourdough bread, pizza crust, bagels, soft sourdough pretzels, tortillas and much, much more!
Thousands of new sourdough bakers agree that it's the easiest and quickest way to make a sourdough starter from scratch!
Our guide for making a sourdough starter is one of MANY that you'll find on the internet. Over the years we've experimented with different methods and now we are sharing what has given the best and most consistent results to our readers, all over the world!
The following tutorial is going to give you exactly what you need to start baking sourdough bread in about a week.
You only need flour, water, a few basic tools and about 10 minutes per day.
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What is a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that attracts wild yeast found in the air, on the surface of flour and even your hands. This mixture becomes a food source for the yeast.
By giving the starter fresh flour and water every day, these yeast began to multiply, producing more and more yeast within the starter. When enough of these yeast are present, the sourdough starter is strong enough to make bread rise.
Once mature, a portion of active sourdough starter is added to sourdough bread dough for baking. This is commonly referred to as naturally leavened bread, as there is no commercial yeast in a sourdough starter.
The starter you make with this tutorial is referred to as a 100% hydration sourdough starter. This is because it is made with equal weights of flour and water.
What you need
You only need a few items and you don't need to spend a bunch of money to get your starter going.
- flour - Use a mixture of unbleached, all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I do prefer to use organic flour to avoid pesticides, but any wheat flour will work. It doesn't have to be expensive flour.
- water - Bottled, filtered and most tap water are all perfectly fine to use. To remove the chlorine from tap water by evaporation, fill a bottle with tap water and let it sit uncovered for 24 hours before using.
- container - A clear glass jar with straight edges makes it easy to see activity throughout the day. Loosely cover the container with a lid or thick piece of cloth to allow air to circulate in and out of the jar. I like to use a wide-mouth ball jar or a Weck jar. (affiliate links)
- spatula - An offset spatula or stiff spatula makes stirring a stiff batter easy. (affiliate links)
- kitchen scale or measuring cups - While making your starter, measuring cups work just fine. Because sourdough recipes are typically written with weighted measurements, once you start baking, it's wise to invest in a kitchen scale.(affiliate link)
- rubber band - A rubber band placed around the jar will allow you to measure how much your starter is rising after each feeding.
Most important to remember
The temperature of your kitchen will affect how long it takes for your starter to take hold. Yeast multiply more rapidly in warmer environments. If you are trying to build a starter in cooler months, the process can take a few days longer than it would in the warmer months. A kitchen temperature between 68°F (20°C) and 75°F (23°C) typically works well.
If your kitchen is too cold, you can create a warm spot using the heat from the lightbulb in your oven. Place the jar of starter on a baking sheet inside your oven. Shut the door and turn the oven light on. The heat from the lightbulb will create a warm environment inside the oven. Check on it after an hour or two to make sure it isn't too hot inside. (Do NOT turn the oven on.)
If your kitchen is too warm, store your flour and water in the fridge. The cold temperatures help to prevent over-fermentation.
How to make it
Let's take look at the basic steps needed for a strong sourdough starter.
Mix 6 cups of all-purpose flour with 3 cups of whole wheat flour. This is what you will feed your starter with.
On the first day, mix 1 cup of the flour mixture with ½ cup of water in a clean jar. Cover the jar loosely and leave it in a warm area of your kitchen for 24 hours.
On the second day, give the starter a stir, loosely cover the jar and let it rest for another 24 hours.
On the third day and beyond, you will feed the starter twice per day but only discard during the first feeding.
At the first feeding, discard all but 2 tablespoons from the jar and stir in ½ cup of the flour mixture and ¼ cup of water. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours.
At the second feeding, ADD 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and 2 teaspoons of water to the jar. Stir and cover until the next feeding.
If you are using a scale, here are the ingredients converted to grams:
- 1 cup flour = 120g
- ½ cup flour = 60g
- ½ cup water = 120g
- ¼ cup water = 60g
- 2 tablespoons starter = 30g
- 2 tablespoons flour = 15 g
- 2 teaspoons water = 10g
Repeat daily feedings until the starter is ready to bake with. Colder kitchens will take longer than warmer kitchens.
TIP: Make sure you save your discarded sourdough starter throughout the week in a container in your fridge. We've included recipes that you can use with your sourdough discard such as sourdough banana bread, coffee cake, brownies and sourdough discard crackers so nothing goes to waste!
What to expect day by day
- On the morning of day 2, you might see a few bubbles.
- On the morning of day 3, it may have risen a bit and should have a few bubbles on top.
- On the morning of days 4 and/or 5, the starter may look like NOTHING is happening. Keep going!
- On the morning of days 6 and beyond, the starter should be fluffy and bubbly. If it's rising and falling between feedings, it's ready to bake sourdough bread!
NOTE: If you find a layer of dark liquid floating on the surface of your starter, don't panic. This is called hooch. It simply means that your starter is hungry and needs to be fed. Pour the liquid off the top OR stir it right back in for a more "sour" starter.
How do I know when the starter is ready?
The best indicator that the starter is ready for baking is that it doubles in size 4-12 hours after a feeding. The texture should appear light and fluffy with plenty of bubbles on the surface and around the sides of the jar.
Another way to find out if your starter is ready, is to perform a "float test". When the starter has doubled in size, drop a tablespoon into a jar of room temperature water.
If it floats, it is a good indication it is ready to bake with. If it sinks, feed the starter a few more times and try again.
It can take up to 14 days for your starter to take hold, depending on how warm or cold your kitchen is, the flour you use and other factors. It’s important not to overthink things or constantly worry if everything is “OK”.
For the first few weeks after you get your starter going, I highly recommend feeding it once a day to make it good and strong. After that, you can continue to feed it daily if you bake often or store it in the fridge.
Once you've got your starter going, check out our guide on how to maintain a sourdough starter. This guide will help you determine a feeding schedule that works best for you!
Common questions
Sourdough starter should have a slightly sweet, "yeasty" smell, like bread. If the starter starts to smell like alcohol or nail polish remover, it's a sign that it needs some help.
Add an extra feeding every day until the smell goes back to normal. If the starter has an "off" smell or you see mold growing on top, the best thing is to throw it out and start over again.
If you keep feeding the starter every day without discarding a portion of it, you'll have more starter than you'll know what to do with!
If you are concerned about food waste, collect the discard in a separate container and store it in the fridge until there is enough to make a sourdough discard recipe with.
Turn it into something delicious such as sourdough pancakes or waffles, sourdough blueberry muffins or even sourdough crepes.
You’ll be excited to know that you can make more than just bread with a sourdough starter. We have recipes for sourdough english muffins, soft sourdough dinner rolls, sourdough chocolate chip cookies and so much more.
Each one of our easy sourdough recipes is developed for home bakers and beginners. Our goal is to help you build confidence in the kitchen so that your sourdough journey is a success!
Keeping a sourdough starter is a rewarding process that will allow you to make healthy, delicious bread and other baked goods for years to come!
Sourdough Starter Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- Glass jar
- Offset Spatula
- Baker's Scale
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (360 g) whole wheat flour
- water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix 6 cups of all-purpose flour with 3 cups of whole wheat flour. This is what you will feed your starter with.
- On the first day, mix 1 cup of the flour mixture with ½ cup of water in a clean jar. Cover the jar loosely and leave it in a warm area of your kitchen for 24 hours.
- On the second day, give the starter a stir, loosely cover the jar and let it rest for another 24 hours.
- On the third day and beyond, you will feed the starter twice per day but only discard during the first feeding.At the first feeding, discard all but 2 tablespoons from the jar and stir in ½ cup of the flour mixture and ¼ cup of water. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours.At the second feeding, ADD 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and 2 teaspoons of water to the jar. Stir and cover until the next feeding.
- Repeat daily feedings until the starter is ready to bake with. You'll know it's ready when it doubles in size within 4-12 hours after feeding it, the texture looks light and fluffy with plenty of bubbles on the surface and around the sides of the jar. Colder kitchens will take longer than warmer kitchens.
NOTES
- 1 cup flour = 120g
- ½ cup flour = 60g
- ½ cup water = 120g
- ¼ cup water = 60g
- 2 tablespoons starter = 30g
- 2 tablespoons flour = 15g
- 2 teaspoons water = 10g
This post was originally posted in January 2020 and updated in October 2021 with updated recipe instructions, photos, tips and tricks.
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Maria says
Help! I tried making it but got confused regarding the daily first feeding. Am I supposed to discard daily with the first feeding and just keep 2 tablespoon of the starter before I add half cup flour and quarter cup water to it? or do I only discard on the first feeding of the 3rd day?
Amy says
On day 1 you'll mix the flour and water. Day 2, just give the mixture a stir. On day 3, discard all but 2 tablespoons of the mixture and add the flour and water. 12 hours, later ADD 2 tablespoons flour and 2 teaspoons of water and let it sit 12 hours. Repeat day 3 instructions until the starter doubles in size. I hope that makes sense!
Melanie says
I think I completely messed up my starter. I read the instructions completely wrong and discarded on the first feeding ever and haven’t discarded since. It has doubled in size but it’s not super bubbly at the top. It does have a couple but not as many as I thought it would. Is there a way I can save it?
Amy says
Hi Melanie, yes you can save it, no need to start over! Just start discarding with your next feeding and keep going! 🙂