This sourdough starter recipe is simple and requires only flour, water and a little patience. Once you have it down, you can keep this starter active and make all the sourdough bread you want.
Sourdough starter is easier than you think! It can take a few tries, but really all you are doing is waiting for nature to act. Be patient, and let it do its thing, and you will have starter for a perfect loaf of bread. Time is the only thing you can’t skimp on with a starter or sourdough bread.
What Is Sourdough Starter?
A sourdough starter (aka Levain, Mother dough, chef, Poolish, Biga, and it goes by many other names) is just a fermented mixture of flour and water. That’s it, two ingredients when mixed attract wild yeast and bacteria from the environment and the flour. They feed off of the flour and create gas, which is what makes your bread rise.
There are many styles of starters, some drier, some soupy, and some in the middle. Mine falls in the middle and is basically equal parts flour and water.
The process of making it is mixing the two ingredients and waiting for nature to act—nothing special or fancy. I recommend certain flour and filtered water to give the starter its best chance at attracting all the right flora and fauna.
Once your starter is active and ready to go, you can use my sourdough bread recipe to make a loaf. I will also show you how to keep it fed and how to put it to sleep if you are going on vacation.
Sourdough Starter Video Tutorial
Sourdough Starter Step-By-Step Guide
Find the full recipe along with tips, troubleshooting and substitutions in the recipe card below!
Day 1
In a clean, clear glass 16+ ounce jar or container, mix together 50g organic, all-purpose flour and 50g of filtered water. Cover completely with a cap of foil, which allows the yeast to enter the jar and lets the gas escape. Do not use the screw top lid, unless you’ve punctured a small hole in it. Allow to sit at room temperature for two days.
(Pro tip)Temperature – my kitchen ranges from 68°F to 76°F depending on the time of year. The cooler your kitchen, the longer this process will take.
(Pro tip) the jar needs to be large enough to hold about 1 cup of starter, plus room for it to expand (sometimes doubling) as the natural yeasts take over and create bubbles in your starter. I use clear glass so I can keep an eye on how much activity is in the starter.
Warning: The gas produced from the natural yeast will create bubbles and they need to escape, which is why you never want to use a screw top lid. The jar can actually explode from the pressure, that’s how strong the yeast can be. Impressive! The foil cap is all you need.
Day 2
Do nothing, just take a look. It may have tiny bubbles or nothing at all. Both are normal. Leave the mixture at room temperature.
Day 3
You will likely see some bubbles forming by day 3. This means that your starter is successfully gathering and feeding the yeast in the environment and flour. If you see no sign of bubbles leave the jar for another day at room temperature and see if they form.
Assuming you see bubbles on day 3, then add 50g organic, all-purpose flour* and 50g filtered water. Stir together and let sit at room temperature for one day.
(Pro tip) if the Starter collapses and you see streaks of it on the glass from the bubbles, this is totally normal and actually a good sign. It means the Starter was so active that the bubbles got so big they popped and the whole thing collapsed.
Days 4-6
Pour half the starter into a clean jar (discard the old jar). Then add 50g organic, all-purpose flour* and 50g filtered water to the new jar. Stir together and let sit at room temperature
Repeat this step over the next few days until you have an active starter with bubbles and a slightly sour smell and taste. This can take 7 days or up to two weeks, depending on the environment.
If you still aren’t seeing any bubbles or the bubbles have flatlined and there is a pool of water sitting on the top, see TROUBLESHOOTING in the recipe card.
Day 7
Your starter should be bubbly and have a pleasantly sour smell. To test if your starter is ready to use, take a spoon of it and place it in a bowl of water, if it floats to the top, it is ready to bake with. If it sinks, you need to feed the starter and try again in several hours.
How To Maintain Your Sourdough Starter
Pour off about half of the starter in the jar. Then add 50g organic, all-purpose flour and 50g filtered water to the jar. Stir together and let sit at room temperature for two or three days.
This creates Sourdough Discard, which can be thrown away or used in a variety of other recipes, like waffles, pancakes, muffins, cookies and more. I don’t really have a bank of those recipes, I just toss a bit in for flavor and some oomph.
How To Put Your Sourdough Starter To Sleep
Add 50g organic, all-purpose flour and stir into a thick paste. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one or two weeks. To activate the starter after it has been dormant just go back to the above instructions for how to maintain your sourdough starter, and add an additional 10g of filtered water on the first day.
Video
Instructions
To Make the Starter
- Day 1: 50g organic, all-purpose flour*50g filtered waterIn a clean, clear glass 16+ ounce jar or container, mix together the flour and water. Cover completely with a cap of foil, which allows the yeast to enter the jar and lets the gas escape. Do not use the screw top lid, unless you've punctured a small hole in it. Allow to sit at room temperature for two days.(Pro tip)Temperature – my kitchen ranges from 68°F to 76°F depending on the time of year. The cooler your kitchen, the longer this process will take.(Pro tip) the jar needs to be large enough to hold about 1 cup of starter, plus room for it to expand (sometimes doubling) as the natural yeasts take over and create bubbles in your starter. I use clear glass so I can keep an eye on how much activity is in the starter. Warning: The gas produced from the natural yeast will create bubbles and they need to escape, which is why you never want to use a screw top lid. The jar can actually explode from the pressure, that's how strong the yeast can be. Impressive! The foil cap is all you need.
- Day 2: Do nothing, just take a look. It may have tiny bubbles or nothing at all. Both are normal. Leave the mixture at room temperature.
- Day 3: You will likely see some bubbles forming by day 3. This means that your starter is successfully gathering and feeding the yeast in the environment and flour. (Pro tip) if the Starter collapses and you see streaks of it on the glass from the bubbles, this is totally normal and actually a good sign. It means the Starter was so active that the bubbles got so big they popped and the whole thing collapsed. NO bubbles: If you see no sign of bubbles leave the jar for another day at room temperature and see if they form.
- Assuming you see bubbles on day 3 then add:50g organic, all-purpose flour*50g filtered waterStir together and let sit at room temperature for one day.
- Days 4, 5, and 6: Pour half of the starter into a clean jar. Discard what is in the old jar.Then add to the new jar: 50g organic, all-purpose flour* 50g filtered water Stir together and let sit at room temperature for one day.Repeat this step over the next few days until you have an active starter with bubbles and a slightly sour smell and taste.** This can take 7 days or up to two weeks, depending on the environment. Little or No Bubbles If you still aren't seeing any bubbles or the bubbles have flatlined and there is a pool of water sitting on the top, see TROUBLESHOOTING below.
- Day 7 your starter should be bubbly and have a pleasantly sour smell. To test if your starter is ready to use, take a spoon of it and place it in a bowl of water, if it floats to the top, it is ready to bake with. If it sinks, you need to feed the starter and try again in several hours.
- Baking Day: To feed your starter for making bread, add 25g organic, all-purpose flour and 25g filtered water. Allow to sit for a few hours. (Pro tip) If your kitchen is very cool, turn the light on in the oven and put the jar in the oven. Maintain your starter (non-baking days): Pour off about half of the starter in the jar***. Then add to the jar: 50g organic, all-purpose flour* 50g filtered water Stir together and let sit at room temperature for two or three days.To put your starter to sleep for a week or two: Add 50g organic, all-purpose flour* and stir into a thick paste. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one or two weeks. To activate the starter after it has been dormant just go back to the above instructions for "maintain your starter (non-baking days)" and add an additional 10g of filtered water on the first day.
- *Flour Substitutions: You can use other types of flour for a sourdough starter. I suggest organic all-purpose flour for anyone who is new at this for a baseline. Organic, whole wheat, rye, buckwheat or even brown rice can also be used in your starter. I often add some whole wheat or rye in with the all-purpose. I typically will do 40g all-purpose and 10g of one of the other flours. Gluten-Free starter, I recommend Cannelle et Vanille BAKES SIMPLE for a recipe. ** If your starter seemed active on one day and then the next it doesn't seem as bubbly, try transferring to a clean jar. Sometimes the bacteria will build up and prohibit the healthy growth of your starter. This is not the same as mold and is still absolutely safe to eat, it just slows down the activity of your starter.
- ***Sourdough Discard is a byproduct of feeding and maintaining your starter. It can be thrown away or used in a variety of other recipes, like waffles, pancakes, muffins, cookies and more. I don't really have a bank of those recipes, I just toss a bit in for flavor and some oomph. A quick google search will result in many ideas.
Notes
TROUBLESHOOTING: If your sourdough starter doesn’t look anything like mine, then try these tricks to see if it will activate. Sometimes a starter just doesn’t take and it means you need to start over, but most of the time you can get it back to health.
Temperature – sometimes in a cold kitchen (below 65°F) the yeast remains dormant longer and doesn’t spring to action. If this is the case, put your jar of Starter in the turned OFF, cold oven with just the interior oven light on. The heat from the bulb will be enough to activate the yeast. Keep an eye on it because this can speed things up quite a bit and you may miss the action and it will deflate again. If so, just feed the starter again and repeat.
Separation of flour sludge and water – If your Starter separates and has NO bubbles, it needs to be fed a little more flour. Try adding an extra 10-20g of flour to the mix and pouring it into a fresh jar.
Brown water on the surface – Don’t be alarmed by this, it is normal to see some liquid in your Starter and it can be clear or light brown. As long as there are bubbles it is healthy. Throw away and start again if you see any signs of mold.
Clean jars can help a sluggish Starter. If your starter is lackluster it may be time to change its environment.
Frequent Feeding – If by the 4th day, your starter has little bubbles but nothing close to what you see in my photos, then try feeding your starter twice a day. For the SECOND daily feeding, you will use 25g flour + 25g water (half the usual amount), and Do Not discard any of the starter. Only discard once a day or you may dilute the starter too much.
Fabulous instruction! Easy to follow, clear, encouraging, forgiving and humane! Thanks so much.