Looking for the easiest, most foolproof sourdough starter recipe? This is it!
Best of all, we walk you through, step-by-step, so you can start enjoying delicious, homemade sourdough bread in about a week!
At first glance, creating a sourdough starter can appear to be time consuming and rather complicated even though there are only 2 ingredients involved.
The good news is that the process of cultivating your first sourdough starter requires about 5 minutes a day for 1 week! That's it!
Jump to:
WHAT IS A SOURDOUGH STARTER?
The short answer? It is nature's way of getting bread to rise while it bakes.
The long answer is simple too. A sourdough starter is a combination of flour, water, yeast and bacteria that is used to leaven bread. Here's how it works:
- Yeast and bacteria that are naturally in the environment set up home in the flour/water mixture and start to multiply. With regular feedings, a nice size colony establishes itself and the starter is then used to leaven or "raise" bread during the baking process.
You may have heard of breads baked with "wild yeast" or breads that are "naturally leavened". I can almost guarantee that a sourdough starter has been used in these cases.
Step by step instructions
Before we dive into the details, let's look at the basic steps needed in order to make a sourdough starter.
- Day 1: To a mason jar add 50 grams whole wheat flour + 50 grams all-purpose flour and 100 grams water: Use a spatula to stir vigorously until smooth, with no clumps. Clean the inside of the jar with a wet napkin, cover loosely with fabric or a lid and let rest for 24 hours.
- Day 2: Stir the mixture to incorporate air, cover the jar and let rest for 24 hours.
- Days 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7: Feed – To a clean jar, add 50 grams starter (discard the rest) + 100 grams all-purpose flour + 100 grams water. Clean the inside of the jar, mark level with a rubber band, cover loosely and let rest 24 hours.
Tips for success
The following are areas to take note of:
- Types of flour
- Sourdough Starter container
- Kitchen temperature
- The rise and fall
Let's take a closer look at each of these areas!
1. Types of Flour
When choosing what type of flour you will be using to feed your starter, it's important to keep a few things in mind.
- Use a high quality, unbleached and un-bromated flour. I trust brands like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill when it comes to commercial flour brands.
- Freshly milled wheat flour can be used to feed your starter if you have access to it. I personally use the WonderMill, which is an economical option if you're just starting out.
- Any type of wheat flour can be used including, whole wheat, rye, all-purpose, spelt and a variety of others.
- For ongoing maintenance I feed my starter with a mixture of 75% all-purpose flour and 25% whole wheat. You can feed it with 100% of any flour of your preference once you get it going.
2. Containers
- I recommend using a tall, glass jar with straight edges. Wide-mouth, pint-sized Ball jars are perfect because they are inexpensive and easy to find.
- Another reason to use a tall glass jar is to see the starter rise and fall throughout the process.
- Other containers you can use are Weck Jars, a glass cup, a bowl or a plastic container with a lid.
3. Kitchen Temperature
When cultivating a new sourdough starter, it's important to remember that the temperature of your kitchen has a HUGE impact on how fast or slow it will take your starter to mature. A kitchen around 70 degrees is warm enough to have a starter ready to bake within one week.
If you find your sourdough starter not rising, cold temperatures could be the issue. This could cause the starter to take up to two weeks to mature.
If your kitchen is too cold, don't worry. I've got a trick for you!
- Place your starter on a baking sheet and put it in your oven.
- Turn the light of your oven on, but don't turn on the oven! If you have a thermometer, keep it inside the oven alongside the starter to monitor the temperature. (Remember to shut the door to keep in the heat.)
- The heat from the light should keep the interior of the oven right around 70-75 degrees, which is PERFECT for making a starter.
If the ambient temperature is consistently too hot, over about 80 degrees, the fermentation process will speed up and your starter may need more than one feeding a day.
SIGNS THAT THE AMBIENT ROOM TEMPERATURE IS TOO HOT
- The starter is very watery 24 hours after a feeding.
- The starter has a few bubbles on top after 12 hours but is not rising after day 4.
These are both signs that your starter is hungry. If this happens around day 3, give the starter a second feeding 12 hours from the first. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 teaspoons water to the starter and give it a stir. (Do not discard any starter on the second feeding.)
4. The rise and fall
Over the course of this process, the starter will have a life of it's own! On the first few days, you will see some activity. Lots of bubbles and it may even rise in the jar.
On day 4, it may look like your starter is going nowhere, but keep going!
By day 5 or 6 the starter should be rising like a champ!
I recommend placing a rubber band around the jar at the initial level after you feed the starter. This will give you a good idea of how active the starter is from day to day.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S READY TO BAKE BREAD?
By day 7, I'm sure you're more than ready to get a loaf of bread in the oven. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel!
After the starter has consistently risen after feedings for a few days in a row, it is ready to bake with!
Another way to find out if your starter is ready, is to perform a "float test".
On DAY 7, feed the starter in the morning and let it ferment until it's doubled in size. (4-12 hours) Fill a clear glass jar with room temperature water. Remove a tablespoon of starter and gently drop it into the water.
Did the starter float? If your answer is yes then you are ready to bake some sourdough bread!
You'll want to try either our beginner's sourdough bread recipe or our sourdough country loaf bread recipe!
If the starter drops to the bottom of the glass, this is an indication that it needs a few more days of feedings before it's strong enough to bake with. All you need to do in this case is practice patience and keep going!
How to determine a maintenance schedule
Now that you have your new "pet" (hopefully you've given your starter a name!), it's time to decide a maintenance schedule that works for you.
The first thing to decide is how often you plan to bake.
- If you like to bake often, consider keeping your starter at room temperature with DAILY feedings.
- If you plan to bake only on weekends or occasionally, store your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week.
For simplicity, and for the sake of your sanity, the amount you feed the starter are the same, whether you maintain it daily or weekly. The quantities are as follows:
- 25 grams starter
- 100 grams flour
- 100 grams water
This ratio of starter, flour and water helps to keep the balance of yeast and bacteria at healthy levels.
TIP - If you store your starter in the fridge, I recommend giving it at least two feedings to "wake" it back up before baking with it. Make sure to plan your baking schedule in advance so your starter is active!
Leftover discard options
There are many options for using sourdough starter discard!
Sourdough Discard Recipes
You don't need to throw away your discarded starter! Check out our recipes for sourdough discard to avoid wasting it!
You can make sourdough cinnamon rolls, sourdough pancakes and waffles or even sourdough discard crackers! (The crackers are my personal favorite. Thin, crispy and tangy!)
It's a good idea to reach out to friends and family to see if they would enjoy making sourdough recipes. You never know who would like to give it a try!
TIP - Keep a separate jar in your fridge and save the discard until you have enough to make a recipe.
If these options don't work, you can always put your discard in a compost pile.
What is Hooch?
So you've got your starter going only to wake up to a layer of dark liquid floating on top. Does that mean there's something wrong?
Lucky for you that dark liquid on top is called "hooch" and it means that your starter is hungry. I promise it hasn't gone bad!
Simply pour it off the top or stir it back in before you feed your starter.
How can you tell if your sourdough starter is bad?
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.
Which brings me to the next important topic!
How to save sourdough starter
I recommend saving a "backup" starter, just in case you find yourself without any. Trust me, things can go wrong when you least expect it! You never know if you'll find a fruit fly floating around, or heaven forbid you accidentally drop your jar!
Saving sourdough starter is easy.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Instead of discarding your starter, spread a very thin layer on the paper. Allow the starter to dry COMPLETELY. This will take about 3-4 days.
- Break the dried starter into pieces and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.
- To use the dried starter, place 50 grams of it in a jar and cover with 100 grams of water. Let sit for 30 minutes for the starter to absorb the water. Give it a stir and then add 50 grams of whole wheat flour + 50 grams of all-purpose flour and 75 grams of water.
- Continue to give it daily feedings until it is active and bubbly.
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!
Make sure to check out our Kitchen Essentials page for all the tools we use for baking sourdough recipes!
Sourdough Starter Recipe
Equipment
- Wide Mouth Mason Jar with Lid
- Offset Spatula
- Baker's Scale
Ingredients
- 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour (unbleached)
- 1/3 cup (50 g) whole wheat flour
- water
Instructions
- Day 1. To a clean glass jar add 50 grams whole wheat flour + 50 grams all-purpose flour and 100 grams water: Use a spatula to stir vigorously until smooth, with no clumps. Clean the inside rim of the jar with a wet napkin, cover loosely with fabric or a lid and let rest for 24 hours. (see notes for measurements in cups)
- Day 2: Stir the mixture, clean the inside rim of the jar, cover and let rest for 24 hours.
- Days 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7: Add 50 grams starter to a clean jar and discard the rest. To the starter add 100 grams all-purpose flour + 100 grams water. Stir vigorously, clean the inside rim of the jar and place a rubber band to mark the starter level. Cover loosely and let rest 24 hours.
- The starter is ready to bake after it rises and falls consistently for a few days in a row. If you'd like to test the starter before baking you can perform a float test. Perform Float Test: After the starter has doubled in size on day 7, drop 1 tablespoon of the starter into a glass of room temperature water. If the starter floats, it is a good indication that it is ready to bake. If it sinks, continue feeding and discarding 2 more days and perform the float test again.
Video
Notes
- 50g starter = 3 tablespoons
- 50g whole wheat flour = 1/3 cup
- 50g all-purpose flour = 1/3 cup
- 100g all-purpose flour = 2/3 cup
- 100g water = 1/2 cup
- TROUBLESHOOTING - If you keep the ambient temperature between 70-75 degrees, you should not have any issues. If the ambient temperature of your kitchen is too hot, over 75 degrees, you may have to give it an additional feeding everyday. If your starter hasn't risen at all by day 5, give it an extra feeding 12 hours after the first. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of water to the jar and stir. (Do not discard any at the second feeding.)
- I recommend cleaning the inside rim of the jar with a wet napkin or towel after feedings to help keep the jar clean and tidy. When starter dries, it is VERY hard to get off of the jar, FYI. I also recommend cleaning up any starter that falls into your sink or surfaces right away for the same reason.
- Discarded starter - save in a separate jar in the fridge to use in other recipes like pancakes, give to a friend or put in a compost pile.
- Any type of wheat flour can be used to make a sourdough starter.
Charlie says
Hi 🙂 Thank you for the detailed instructions. I was following every single steps and the rise is somewhat okay, but for some reason my first bake today was a disaster:(
The bread collapsed in the oven and although it cam back bit but the end result was quite dense, almost like a scone, a hard and dense scone...
Is that normal? What should I do differently?
Amy Duska says
It sounds like your dough was over proved, which means over fermented. Which bread recipe did you use?
Sawyer says
If the starter rose a lot by day 2, can I take a little bit out to use with a discard recipe? You mentioned previously to wait until the first discard day (day 3), but I mixed it this morning (day 2) like the directions said and it's rising a lot.
Amy Duska says
Hi Sawyer! I would wait until day 3. It needs to still be cultivating the yeast and bacteria on day 2, so if you take some out, you are basically taking away it's food 🙂
Sawyer says
Hi Amy, thanks for your response! I have another question now...
My starter has started to separate. There is a murky water-like substance underneath the starter, and then at the very bottom there's a thin layer of white. I researched a little, but most people talked about having a liquid above, not below. Is there something I should do? Or can I just leave it be until tomorrow?
Amy Duska says
I think it's just hungry! Give it a second feeding 12 hours after the first. Don't discard anything, just add 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of water, stir and let sit 12 hours until next feeding. Let me know if that helps!
Natalie M Galan says
Hey there Amy,
First of all thanks for your recipe and content!
Just getting started on my starter (hehe). I'm at day 3. At what point can you start keeping the discarded starter? Now? Or once it's finished the full 7 days of prep? I'm wondering if I can keep what I discard today and dry it out...
You're awesome.
Thanks kindly,
Natalie
Amy Duska says
Hi Natalie, you are very welcome! The starter discard is not ready to be dried out just yet. You want to dry out starter that is active. You can use the discard in our sourdough discard recipes for sure!
Charlie says
Hi,
My kitchen temperature is above 80F. I’m on Day 8 and my starter is rising and bubbly. However, it didn’t pass the float test. Could it be the kitchen temperature is too warm? How do I know if my starter is strong enough for baking?
And, for the maintenance feeding, do I have to feed it at 12 hour interval with 2 tablespoons flour and 2 teaspoons water in addition to the 100g flour and 100g water at 24 hour interval since my kitchen temperature is too warm?
Amy Duska says
Hi Charlie! The starter is ready to use once it's been rising and falling consistently for a few days. The float test is not foolproof. I would say that if your starter is rising and bubbly, you can go ahead and try to bake with it.
For the maintenance feeding, I would feed it once a day and if 24 hours later it's really watery or has alot of water on top, go ahead and give it the extra feeding. Once you've taken care of your starter for a while, you will naturally know what to do. 🙂
Shaina says
I’m on day 4 and my starter has some bubbles as the top but has not risen at all since I have started. Is this normal? Or is my yeast not active enough? My house is on the cooler side so I might try the oven light trick.
Amy Duska says
Hi Shaina! It's perfectly normal on day 4! I would just keep on going. If it doesn't rise after you feed it tomorrow, use the oven light trick. But make sure it doesn't get too hot. Somewhere between 70-75 degrees works really well.
Allie says
I have not started yet but wondering if you have halve the recipe for the starter. 5 and 1/3 cups of flour sounds like a lot!
Thanks...looking forward to doing this!
Amy Duska says
Hi Allie, this is how much flour you'll need over the course of a week. You'll use a little each day. Once you get it going, you'll need more flour to maintain it 🙂
Stamatia says
Good morning from Greece. As soon as i discovered your site, i started my own starter. Days 1 and 2 went as planned. Day 3 i left it in the oven with the light and it rose and fell. After that i keep it in room temperature but i see no activity. Only on day 4 i saw some water and did once a 12 hour feeding. Now i am on day 6 but no movement. I used triticum dicoccum and dinkel flour. The problem could be the flour or the temperature? I hope i didn't miscalculated it in Celsius. I think the temperature in my oven with the lamp is about 84 degrees F. Thanks.
Amy Duska says
It is too warm at 84 degrees F. This is most likely the issue. I would keep it around 21-24 degrees C.The flours, spelt and emmer, are fine to use. Just keep going with what you have and make sure the temperature doesn't get too hot.
Jenna says
Hi Amy! I’m working on my starter following your recipe (with all whole wheat flour instead of a 50/50 blend) I’m on day 4 and when I measure and feed using my scale my starter gets SO thick and almost looks like a dough ball. I haven’t had a lot of rise and need some help. What do you suggest.
Amy Duska says
Is it still thick 24 hours later? Whole wheat needs a little more water than all-purpose to hydrate. You can add a tablespoon or more water to thin it out with no problem.
Jenna says
It's not as thick 24 hr later but should it always be that thick after a feeding? Should I always add that extra tablespoon of water?
Amy Duska says
Yes, my starter is pretty thick right after I feed it. I would compare the consistency to a really thick muffin batter. Add water until it gets to that consistency. It's ok if you add more than the recipe calls for. The recipe is a guide, but sometimes you have to alter it a little depending on your flour and your environment. Feel free to keep asking questions until you get it going. I'm happy to help! 🙂
Constance says
On what day can I use my discard for pancakes or biscuits?
Amy Duska says
You can begin using your starter for these recipes with your first discard!
Shruti Goel says
Hi! I made the starter yesterday morning. Today morning I could see some bubbles, then I gave it a mix, covered it and let it rest. It's been 6 hours since then and my starter has tripled or even quadrupled. Is that normal? Should I just continue the process like you have mentioned?
Amy Duska says
Yes just keep up the process! It will settle down as the yeast and bacteria start to adjust to your environment. Don't panic if one day it looks like there is little to no activity, that happens around day 4.
Amoryn says
For your maintenance you said 25g of starter with 100 g flour and 100 g water. Is that correct? That's different than everything else you mention in the recipe and I thought you were never supposed to add more feed than starter....?
Amy Duska says
Those ratios are for after the starter has been established and you need to maintain it moving forward.
Laura says
thanks for the amazing guide to making sourdough ! cant wait to try but I have a question- on day 2, does it have to be loosely covered or tightly closed?
Amy Duska says
Only lightly covered so it can breathe!
Leanne Schultz says
Hi this is my first time & not sure if I've got it right. I kept the discard & spread thinly on a baking tray & my kitchen smells terrible after 1 day, my son says it smells like vomit! Should I throw it out?
Thanks
Leanne
Amy Duska says
I would definitely throw it out if it smell like that!
Chris says
Hi Just thought I'd pass on a tip you may like to include..
The top of a fridge towards the rear is usually a toasty warm place to culture starters, rise dough etc (a fridge produces heat externally to make cold internally). It's wasted heat anyway and saves powering up the oven for long periods of time 🙂
Amy Duska says
That's a great tip! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Deb says
Hi. Please Forgive my ignorance. I am just starting out. If I want to make every other day I know I need to feed my starter in the off day and discard since I won’t be using it for bread. Is it ok to keep it on the counter if I am not using it every day?
If I decide to slow down my baking to every four days would you keep it in the fridge? If so do I just take out 25grams and feed it the morning I want to bake and then use 50g of that to mix in the evening before bed? I assume I’ll have more than 50g there so now I have two starters right? One in the fridge where I relived 25g and the new one where I just took 50g for my bread. So you just discard the rest of that 50g?
The feeding for storage and feeding for baking has me thoroughly confused. I think you mentioned different ratios for each and everyone online says something different.
My starter should be ready to start the baking process tomorrow. I plan to feed in the morning and mix at night and bake on Tuesday morning. I’m just not sure what to do with what’s remaining. I need some sort of routine spelled out for me if I want to bake every 2 or 3 or 4 days.
Amy Duska says
Hi Deb! I know this can be confusing at first, but I promise as you go along it will start to make sense. Baking every few days requires you to have an active starter on hand. Here is my suggestion if you are going to bake every few days ...
*You will store your starter on the counter at all times and feed and discard once a day. You will discard all but 25 grams and add 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour. (The part you discard can be saved in a separate jar, in the fridge, for other recipes. Just keep adding to it every time you discard)
*With this feeding schedule, your starter will be ready to bake everyday once the starter has risen and reached it's peak in the jar.
*If you decide not to bake that day, simply allow the starter to fall back down and repeat the discard and feeding at the same time on the next day.
* So with this method you will have an active starter that sits on your counter and another jar of discarded starter that you add to everyday when you feed the one on the counter.
I hope this makes sense and please ask more questions if it doesn't!
Jessica says
Hi, this is my first time trying sourdough starter. I was half asleep when I did the pm feeding and put 1/3c water & 1/2c of flour instead of the 2 tablespoons flour and 1.5 tablespoons of water. This is my 8th day and it didn’t pass the float test. It’s been cold so I will try the oven. Do you think I should start over or what would you suggest? Thank you.
Amy Duska says
Hi Jessica! Don't start over! Keep on going. The float test is not always fool proof. What matters more is that the starter is rising and falling everyday. Has it been doing that? What is the temperature of your kitchen?
Kay says
Hey, once I use a bit of the starter to make bread, etc. how do I keep the mother starter going?
Do I feed it with the same amount I take out every time I bake?
Since I might bake with the starter once a month.
Thanks?
Kay
Amy Duska says
Hi Kay! Take the starter out of the fridge a day or two before you want to bake and feed it the maintenance feeding to get it active and bubbly again. Take 25 grams of the mother out and feed her, put her back in the fridge and use the remaining to bake your bread with. Hope that makes sense, feel free to ask other questions if you still need clarification! 🙂