How To Make A Sourdough Starter (From Scratch Recipe)
My How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch Recipe is an easy guide to help you create a sourdough starter that will make the most incredible, flavorful, and well-risen sourdough bread and baked goods, just like my favorite Crusty Sourdough or Sandwich Bread. This recipe has simple step-by-step instructions for making a sourdough starter, a sourdough starter feeding schedule, and how to feed and store your starter to easily maintain a healthy, active, starter that’s very beginner-friendly!
What is a sourdough starter?
It begins with making a culture of water and flour, and capturing wild yeasts and bacteria in the flour, but also in the air and even on our hands. Once the yeast is captured it starts to ferment spontaneously.
Once the starter has begun fermenting, then you can feed the live culture so that it begins to rise and fall predictably.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
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For this recipe you’ll need
- 2 large glass jars: Weck Jars, Mason Jars, or pickle jars work well
- A loose-fitting lid (to allow fermentation gases to escape)
- A wooden spoon or spurtle to stir the starter and scrape down the sides of the jar.
- A digital kitchen scale – I’ve used this one for years and love it.
- Optional: Grain mill: https://nutrimill.com/HEALTHYELIZABETH Use code: HEALTHYELIZABETH20 For $20 off your order at Nutrimill.com
Ingredient list
To get started making this recipe, you’ll want to gather these ingredients:
- Filtered, unchlorinated, room temperature water
- 100% whole wheat flour or 100% rye flour
- Unbleached all-purpose flour, must be unbleached or unbleached bread flour
Here’s How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Step by Step Instructions for How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch Recipe
To make a sourdough starter that is active, bubbly, and ready to bake with, can take anywhere from 5- 10 days depending on your environment.
Sourdough Starter Schedule
Day 1 – Start the culture: 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, 150g room temperature water.
Day 2 & 3 Feedings: Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 70g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 115g room temperature water.
Day 4 & 5 Feedings : Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 70g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 100g room temperature water.
Day 6 Feeding: Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 50g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 100g room temperature water.
Day 7 – Regular Maintenance Feeding: Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 35g sourdough starter, 140g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 140g room temperature water.
Once your starter is active you will only need to perform this feeding once a week to keep your starter healthy.
Testing your starter with the “float test“
To ensure that your starter is active and ready to be used, fill a jar with water then drop a spoonful of your fed and fermented starter. If your starter floats, its ready for baking. Success!
If it does not float, wait 12 hours, then feed your starter again, let it ferment for 4-8 hours until doubled in size. Then perform the float test again.
Ready To Make The Best Loaf of Sourdough You’ve Ever Had? Watch my easy recipe guide to making foolproof sourdough bread
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How To Make A Sourdough Starter (From Scratch Recipe)
Print RecipeEquipment
- 2 large glass jars: Weck Jars, Mason Jars, or pickle jars work well
- loose-fitting lid (to allow fermentation gases to escape)
- wooden spoon or spurtle to stir the starter and scrape down the sides of the jar.
- digital kitchen scale – I've used this one for years and love it.
Ingredients
- Filtered, unchlorinated, room temperature water
- 100% whole wheat flour or 100% rye flour
- Unbleached all-purpose flour, must be unbleached
Instructions
Day 1: Start the culture
- 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, 150g room temperature water.
Day 2 & 3 Feedings:
- Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 70g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 115g room temperature water.
Day 4 & 5 Feedings:
- Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 70g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 100g room temperature water.
Day 6:
- Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 50g sourdough starter, 50g whole wheat flour, 50g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 100g room temperature water.
Day 7 Regular Maintenance Feeding:
- Discard any liquid (hooch) on the top of the starter culture. In a clean glass jar add 35g sourdough starter, 140g unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 140g room-temperature water. Once your starter is active you will only need to perform this feeding once a week to keep your starter healthy.
Hello Elizabeth! When you maintain your starter after 7 days, do you place in the fridge or leave it out?
Hey there Sarah! Yes I keep mine in the fridge for up to a week and then take it out and feed it.
Hi Elizabeth,
When you have been through your seven days, and you aren’t ready to make bread yet because it falls on a weekday and you don’t have the time, can you just stick it in the fridge until the weekend when you have time?
Elizabeth!
I love the sandwich bread and rolls recipes. Took the bread to my church pot luck and it was a big hit.
I bought a scale ⚖ for measuring and it is easier than I thought it would be.
Hello 🙂
Can you feed your starter right from the fridge or do you need to let it sit on the counter for a while first?
When you’re ready to bake and your starter is refrigerated, I assume you take it out of the fridge, feed the starter and let it grow for a few hours?