Sourdough Starter

This guide will help you to take the guess work out of creating your very own sourdough starter.

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sourdough bread, sourdough starter

Combine 60 g flour and 60 g water in your jar.
Stir until it forms a thick batter. Scrape down the sides so it’s nice and tidy.
Place a rubber band around your jar at the top of your starter- this is a good way to measure how it grows!
Cover loosely and place the jar in a warm, draft-free spot on your kitchen counter (70 degrees is ideal)

Establish a feeding schedule- Sourdough loves consistency. Feed your starter at the same time each day. This will establish consistency, which help sourdough starters thrive. Consider feeding your starter in the morning when you first wake up.

Combine 60 g flour and 60 g water in your jar.
Stir until it forms a thick batter. Scrape down the sides so it’s nice and tidy.
Place a rubber band around your jar at the top of your starter- this is a good way to measure how it grows!
Cover loosely and place the jar in a warm, draft-free spot on your kitchen counter (around 70°F is ideal).

Check your starter for any signs of life—bubbles, a faint aroma, or slight expansion. If nothing appears yet, don’t worry.
Discard half of your starter. This keeps the microbial population balanced and prevents overflow.
Feed with 60 grams of fresh flour and 60 grams of water. Stir well and scrape down the sides.
Cover your remaining starter loosely and return to its warm place.

By now, you should start seeing bubbles and a slightly tangy smell. If not, your starter might need a warmer spot or whole wheat flour for a boost.
Repeat the discard-and-feed process: remove 60 grams of the starter, then mix in 60 grams of flour and 60 grams of water.
Stir, cover loosely, adjust rubber band and let it rest.

Your starter should now have a bubbly surface and a more pronounced tangy smell.
Repeat the discard-and-feed process as before.
If your starter seems sluggish, consider feeding it every 12 hours instead of every 24 hours.

By now, your starter should be rising and falling predictably after feedings. Look for it to double in size within 4-6 hours of feeding. (the rubber band helps us to see this process!)
Discard half of your starter- and feed with the usual 60 grams each of flour and water.
Keep it in a warm spot and monitor its activity until the next day.

Your starter should be doubling in size consistently after feeding, and the smell should be tangy and pleasant.
Repeat the discard-and-feed process. If your starter isn’t quite doubling yet, keep feeding daily and give it more time.

You may have an active sourdough starter, ready to use if it doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding and has lots of bubbles, airy texture.
Give it one last feed before baking, and let it rest until bubbly and active. You did it! You made a homemade sourdough starter!
If your Starter has doubled in size, you notice bubbles and a sour smell, it is ready to use! If you are still questioning if it is ready you can do the float test.
Float Test:
Wonder if your starter is ready to bake with?
Feed your starter, wait for it to double in size, and then drop a teaspoon of bubbly starter into a jar of water; if it floats to the top it’s ready to use.
If you do not see these things yet- your starter is not ready at this point, which is quite common due to a cold environment, and timing. Continue feeding it for 1-2 weeks or more. Be patient! Sometimes it takes longer than 7 days, and that is perfectly normal for some starters.
If you use bread flour for your starter it is a little thicker and requires a tad more water. You may find that your starter will improve with more water than flour to help it to peak.
Be sure you store your starter in your fridge in a jar with tightly closed lid.
Unless you plan to bake daily- then you can store your starter on the counter but it will need to be fed DAILY. I typically bake bread once per week, so my starter is kept in the fridge until the day before I plan to bake my bread.

If you do not see these things yet- your starter is not ready at this point, which is quite common due to a cold environment, and timing. Continue feeding it for 1-2 weeks or more. Be patient! Sometimes it takes longer than 7 days, and that is perfectly normal for some starters.
If you use bread flour for your starter it is a little thicker and requires a tad more water. You may find that your starter will improve with more water than flour to help it to peak.
Storing your starter:
Be sure you store your starter in your fridge in a jar with tightly closed lid.
Unless you plan to bake daily- then you can store your starter on the counter but it will need to be fed DAILY. I typically bake bread once per week, so my starter is kept in the fridge until the day before I plan to bake my bread.