If you've been making your own bread at home, Kudos to you! If you haven't but it's something you've always wanted to try, you're in the right place!
You may have heard stories of sourdough starters being passed down from generation to generation. Even that these age-old starters can be closely guarded, and well taken care of secrets. Luckily learning how to make a sourdough starter from scratch requires neither a centuries-old 'hand me down', or any special ingredients.
I'll show you not only how to make your own sourdough starter, but also how to properly take care of it, use it to make your own sourdough bread, as well as a few tips and tricks I've picked up from doing this myself over the past few years.
This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.
A Quick History of Sourdough
Sourdough bread is essentially the 'historical' way of making leavened bread around the world. The very first loaves of bread where likely various forms of flatbread, which were made with whatever flour or grain was available in the region. At some point in history, an 'unlucky' (or very lucky depends on how you look at it), baker left his dough sitting in a warm spot for too long, and the water and flour mixture would have started to ferment. What a surprise he (or she) must have gotten when upon baking, a piece of soft fluffy bread was pulled out of the oven.
Sourdough bread was born.
This basic method of using naturally occurring yeasts to ferment flour products was the main method that would have been used up until the early 18th century for baking bread. Bakers would not really have had any control over the yeast itself, but strains 'local' to an area would have produced differing tastes and textures, especially when re-using old dough's to start a new batch.
This eventually led to the creation of making slurry based yeast starters which often contained barley malt, and various flours. These were often referred to as 'emptins' in old recipe books, and where essentially the scraps of the beer-making process (left-over wort), mixed with flour. It's interesting that leavened bread and beer were usually produced in the same regions, as the fermentation process for yeast is similar in nature.
In time the 'Vienna Process' for baking and making yeast was invented and bakers would have slowly started using press-yeast, a specially produced yeast meant for baking.
The Difference Between Sourdough and Regular Yeast Breads
As mentioned above, sourdough bread uses 'wild yeasts' to ferment a bread dough, while more modern yeast breads use what is knows as 'bakers yeast'. Baking bread always requires a starter or yeast of some sort, and bakers yeast comes in easy to store, shelf-stable variations that require little work:
- Fresh Yeast
- Active Dry Yeast
- Instant Yeast
Each have a different method of preparation, but in short: both fresh and active dry yeast need to be 'bloomed' or activated prior to use while instant yeast may be mixed right into the dry ingredients of the recipe.
Modern breads leavened with bakers yeast (such as this white sandwhich bread) have a tendency to rise (or proof) fairly quickly in comparison to sourdough breads.
While this is convenient in a commercial setting, breads using bakers yeast often have less complex flavors and a lighter structure.
Sourdough breads are more complex in flavor due to differing wild yeasts, have a slightly 'sour' taste due to the fermentation process, and are usually a bit chewier then yeast breads.
Wild Yeasts
Naturally occurring wild yeasts, are present literally everywhere around us. On fruit, in the air, on plants such as wheat, barley, and Einkorn, in dirt and in water.
When flour is mixed with water and left in a warm environment these wild yeast will slowly start to multiply and ferment and turn natural carbohydrates present in the flour into carbon dioxide. This is the basis of how a sourdough is made possible.
The interesting thing is that, as a starter ferments and is 'fed', it picks up strains of yeast local to its surroundings and the flour used to feed it. This means that while you may receive a sourdough starter that is 'so many years old' and from a specific region, the starter will take on new local strains of yeast until the old ones have all but disappeared.
Using The Proper Ingredients For Your Sourdough Starter
When making your first batch of sourdough starter at home, it's important to use good quality ingredients. This is the biggest secret to success.
The very first time I made my own sourdough starter from scratch, nothing happened. Literally. It went moldy on the counter, and I was left wondering how I could have screwed up something 'so easy'.
Flour
I learned that since yeast is a living organism, giving it any old flour and water, will not exactly help it grow and multiply. Most often people have all-purpose flour at home which has been bleached and enriched. Freshly milled flour has a yellow appearance, and as such it is commercially bleached with a bleaching agent, (such as chlorine), to give the flour a white appearance. The bleaching process also makes it easier for the flour to develop gluten while kneading.
While this is fine and dandy, bleaching flour may kill the naturally present yeast and other beneficial bacteria. If it doesn't, the chemical inhibits the growth of wild yeasts that may be introduced through other means (such as through the air or your hands.). For this reason, it is best to use organic unbleached all-purpose or bread flour when making a sourdough starter from scratch.
Whole wheat flour and other flours can in theory also be used, but they may produce of flavors in your starter. Using an un-bleached organic all-purpose flour is my recommendation. - Chef Markus Mueller
Water
While most of us in North America have access to clean, potable tap water, if you live in any urban setting, you may not know that it is most likely treated with chlorine and fluoride for health and safety reasons. This is not a bad thing for us, just bad for the wild yeasts!
While this is done to kill any bad bacteria that can cause disease and other illnesses in humans, chlorinated water also happens to destroy the wild yeasts as soon as it's mixed into the flour. The easy way around this is to use filtered water, or distilled water in your sourdough starter.
If you don't have access to filtered or distilled water, you can leave the water sitting out on the counter for 30 minutes or so to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Alternatively, you can also use fruit juice as your liquid to feed the starter.
Making Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Let's get to the knitty gritty and actually make a sourdough starter from scratch! Keep in mind this is not something you will make start to finish in one afternoon. You'll need about 4 days to properly let the starter ferment and become active.
Over these four days, you'll periodically feed the 'sourdough starter' (about every 12 hours) with more flour and water to encourage yeast production. you'll notice the sourdough starter start to become gloopy, bubbly, and slightly sour smelling.
You'll need:
- A non-reactive container (such as a wide mouth glass jar or plastic container. Old yogurt containers work well for this)
- A clean spoon and measuring cup set
- a clean linen towel or cheesecloth
- unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
- warm filtered water or distilled water (fruit juice such as orange or pineapple juice may also be used for the first two feedings)
(Optional)
- plain greek yogurt
Using Greek yogurt adds a sour flavour to your starter, but is considered to be 'cheating' by professional bakers. Yogurt does not help the starter ferment as is believed by some.
What adding yogurt may potentially do is lower the pH level very slightly of the starter (as would happen when using fruit juice instead of water)discouraging bad bacteria and mold growth and encouraging the growth of wild yeasts.
Day 1
Start by mixing ⅔ cups (85 grams) of the flour in your non-reactive container with ⅓ cup (80ml) of warm water. Vigorously stir the mixture with a spoon to incorporate air. Scrape down the sides of the container with the spoon, and cover the container with a clean linen cloth or cheesecloth. You want the starter to 'breathe' and be able to expel the carbon dioxide it produces. If the mixture seems VERY dry add another 1btsp (14ml) of water. The consistency should be paste-like, but not runny.
Set the container in a corner on your kitchen counter and forget about it for a day.
Optional: At this stage you may add 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt to the starter, to help add sourness and decrease the ph level of the mixture decreasing the chances of mold growth. - Chef Markus Mueller
Day 2
After 12 - 24 hours, it's time to feed your starter again. Over the past hours, the yeast present in the flour/air/water will very slowly start to begin fermentation. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen (especially if your ambient room temperature is under 20C or 68F) this may be closer to the 24 hour mark. Essentially the warmer the temperature the faster the sourdough starter will ferment. You may notice one or two lone bubbles in the mixture.
Add ⅔ cup of flour and ⅓ cup of water to the starter. Mix vigorously with a clean spoon, and again scrape down the sides and replace the cloth. The sourdough starter should be fairly gloopy and may start to appear gluey.
Day 3
Wait another 12-24 hours. At this point you should start seeing noticeable bubbles trying to break the surface of the sourdough starter. Don't worry if you don't, as long as there is no mold, or 'rotten smell' everything should be ok.
Feed the starter again with ⅔ cups of flour and ⅓ cup of water. Scrape down the sides of the container, and replace the cloth.
Day 4
At this point another 12 - 24 hours will have passed, and you should be seeing the surface of the sourdough starter look bubbly. The starter may even start to grow in volume, and depending on the temperature may even have doubled in size.
Feed the starter one more time with ⅔ cups of flour and a splash of water to maintain consistency. Sit back and wait another 24 hours.
Day 5
This is it! Your sourdough starter should have at least doubled in size by now and smell quite yeasty. If you are still not seeing any visible signs of fermentation or notice a 'sour' smell, it's a good idea to start over and try keeping the starter in a warmer location to encourage yeast growth.
At this point, your starter is ready to use in a bread or other sourdough recipe, but if you aren't quite ready to bake, you can store it in the refrigerator.
Storing Your Sourdough Starter
Many people keep their sourdough starters on the counter, but unless you plan on baking every two or three days, I have found it best to keep it refrigerated and dormant to avoid the yeast from losing its strength.
If kept at a warm temperature the yeast will keep eating the carbs in the flour until all the food has been consumed(unless you keep feeding it). The yeast then starts to die and loses its potency.
To avoid this, store at least 1 cup of starter in the fridge in a non-reactive container. The cold temperatures will make the yeast go dormant. They are easily awakened by taking them out of the fridge and feeding again with another round of water and flour.
If the sourdough is left to sit for a long time, a brownish liquid may appear on the surface ( called hooch by some). This is normal, and usually a sign of a little to much water in the mixture. Simple pour it off and continue feeding as normal.
Check out our web story for a quick overview of this recipe: How to make sourdough starter from scratch!
Made the recipe? Comment & Rate it below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest
Recipe
How To Make Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Un-Bleached All Purpose Flour Organic is best, but using un-bleached flour is most important.
- ⅓ cup Filtered Spring Water Chlorine and Fluoride Free
Optional
- 1 tablespoon full fat plain greek yogurt
Instructions
Day 1
- Start by mixing ⅔ cups (85 grams) of the flour in your non-reactive container with ⅓ cup of warm water. Vigorously stir the mixture with a spoon to incorporate air. Scrape down the sides of the container with the spoon, and cover the container with a clean linen cloth or cheese cloth. You want the starter to 'breath' and be able to expel the carbon dioxide it produces.
Day 2
- Add ⅔ cup of flour and ⅓ cup of water to the starter. Mix vigorously with a clean spoon, and again scrape down the sides and replace the cloth. The sourdough starter should be fairly gloopy and may start to appear gluey.
Day 3
- Feed the starter again with ⅔ cups of flour and ⅓ cup of water. Scrape down the sides of the container, and replace the cloth.
Day 4
- At this point You should be seeing the surface of the sourdough starter look quite bubbly, The starter may even start to grow in volume, and depending on the temperature may even have doubled in size.Feed the starter one more time with another ⅔ cups of flour and ⅓ cup of water. Sit back and wait another 24 hours.
Day 5
- Your sourdough starter should have at least doubled in size by now.At this point your starter is ready to use in a bread recipe, but if you aren't quite ready to bake, you can store it in the refrigerator.
Using the starter in a recipe
- After day 5, if your sourdough is bubbly, smells like sourdough, and isn't mouldy, it's ready to use in any sourdough recipe. Simply measure out the amount of starter the recipe calls for and proceed as is required.
- If using a previously refrigerated starter, simply take the starter out of the fridge a day before you plan on baking. Feed the starter to re-activate it. Once bubbly and 'active' it's ready for use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.
Ulika
Hey I love the start and I am in day 3. When it comes time to bake can I just use half my starter and keep my starter going as long as I keep feeding it. I’ve read articles where people have the same starters for years. Is there any harm in just keeping it alive and constantly feeding it?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Ulika, you can certainly do that!
Liz
Very informative and easy. I’m on day five so far it’s perfect can’t wait to bake,
Robin
OVER THE MOON HAPPY WITH THIS RECIPE! I've tried in the past without success, but this time it worked. It's only on Day 3, but it's smelling sour, it doubled and it had bubbles. I can't wait to see what Day 4 brings 😀.
Chef Markus Mueller
That's great Robin! I love hearing when something works really well for our readers! You can keep us up to date with your baking by tagging us @earthfoodandfire on instagram and facebook!
Nell.
Hello Markus,
I am making my second attempt of making sourdough starter, and I am currently using you're recipe.
Leading up to day 5 tomorrow in the starter and I have noticed it has doubled in size & becoming more of a sourdough smell to the starter.
I've got a question with when I finish day 5. To keep feeding the starter once a day.
How much do I discard to maintain the starter and how much would I add water & flour?
I like to store my starter on the kitchen bench.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Nell, After day 5, you are ready to bake with your starter. Use as much starter (unfed, because adding the recipe ingredients to it is essentially feeding it) as the recipe calls for, and then either refrigerate the rest or feed it again as described in the post here to keep it going. I personally don't discard any starter because I feel there really is no need to unless you are feeding very large quantities of flour (which our recipe and method does not call for). I hope that helps!
Markus
Ryan
Hey there,
I’m trying out this starter and I’m a little confused. Many recipes I’ve seen call for you to discard a portion of the starter and feed a lesser volume. This recipe tells you to keep piling on the flour which has led me to have to transfer from container to bigger container a few times.
Is it possible that you may have accidentally left out that part of the instructions? Or am I doing it right?
Thanks!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Ryan, I simply find throwing out part of it wasteful especially in the first few days when trying to get the culture going, you can throw out half if you wish and then proceed with feeding if you find you are running out of container space.
barbara williams
hi....i see a little bit of a discrepancy in the instructions vs. the actual recipe....in the detailed instructions, you say on day 4 to add the flour and a SPLASH of water....but, in the recipe, you say to add the flour and 1/3 cup of water....i'm making the starter....i'm on day 6, and it's not doing very well...if it hasn't doubled by tomorrow, i will start over...but, i wish i knew which info is correct.
thank you
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Barbara, Thanks for pointing out the inconsistency. You want the consistency of the starter to be thick and gloopy right after feeding it. As the bacteria break down the starches in the flour it will become thinner. The 1/3 cup measurement given is a ballpark figure and can vary greatly depending on the type of flour used. Whole wheat flour for example would absorb much more water and therefore be thicker, then using the same amount of water with all-purpose flour. Even different brands of all-purpose flour can behave differently. If at day six your starter isn't showing any signs of bubbling or fermentation of any sort, I agree, I would start over, but I would also try keeping the starter in a warmer location. The warmer the ambient temperature, the faster the starter will develop. Make sure you are using un-bleached flour, and un-chlorinated water (so not city water) to start the starter. Bottled spring water works great in my experience. Hope this helps!
Samar AbuDouleh
Hello.. Is it possible that starter would be ready to use in day 3? And how to be sure if it's ready or not. I'm in day 2 and want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Samar, It is possible yes, though just because it is large and bubbly doesn't mean it is strong enough to bake with. A simple test you can perform before using is to drop a spoonful of the starter into warm water before feeding it. If it floats it means the starter has created enough bacteria that are creating the air bubbles to allow it to float. If it sinks, I would continue feeding the starter.
Rick
The instructions from the “long winded expanded” section don’t match the “recipe”. Day 4 - add 2/3 cup flour and a splash of water versus add 2/3 cup of flour and a 1/3 cup water. Which one is correct.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Rick, I apologize for the discrepancy. I would feed it with the 1/3 cup of water. That said, by day four you should be seeing some action in you starter and should have gotten a feel for what the consistancy should be like. 1/3 cup of water may be a tad to much, but this can depend on your flour used etc.
Roberta Abbott
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love the comprehensive information on how sourdough works and the historical perspective, and your writing is accessible and engaging. My sourdough turned out great, but I really appreciate you mentioning that your first attempt failed, as did mine. But by using unbleached flour and water where the chlorine was allowed to dissipate, it turned out perfectly. At one point I put a bit too much water and developed hooch and the instructions on dealing with it worked great. Thanks again!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Roberta. Glad you found the instructions useful in your particular situation. Baking with sourdough I'd a bit of a trial and error process until you get the feel for it and really understand how it works.
Happy baking!
Ann
Hi there,
When I take the starter out of the refrigerator, how much should I feed it? Can I put it back in the refrigerator straight after?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Ann, just feed the starter as you did to originally get it going. It may take a little longer to activate since it also has to warm back up to room temperature. Once you've used the starter you can put any leftovers back in the fridge in a clean container.
Ann
Thank you. It’s day 4 and instead of putting a dash of water I put in the usual amount and now the growth has slowed down. What should I do now?
Claudia
Do you have a sourdough bread recipe you recommend to use for this starter? I am on day 5 and preparing to bake! Thanks!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Claudia, glad to hear you're starter is doing well and you are ready to begin baking. Make sure you do a float test to see if your starter is ready to go? If a spoonful of the starter wont float it's not quite ready to bake with.
I would suggest starting with our no knead sourdough bread. It is quite foolproof and will give you a good understanding of the sourdough baking process.
Let me know how it turns out! You can tag us on social media @earthfoodandfire
shiela
I am getting ready to start the starter. I've been wanting to do this for a very long time.
I am going to use your No Knead Sourdough Bread recipe when the starter is ready. My question is can I use a deep cast Iron fry pan with lid to bake the loaf of Bread? I don't have a dutch oven.
Thankyou!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Shiela, I don't see why you couldn't use a cast iron frying pan with a lid. You just want to ensure it is deep enough to properly accomodate the loaf of bread. Let me know how it turns out!
shiela
I am about to throw my first starter out. It has been 10 days. It does get a few tiny bubbles (less than 10) on the surface. It hasn't grown at all. It smells good. It does get a thick coating on just the surface. I remove it and it returns. I am clueless why? I used all purpose flour no bleach. I did use 1Tbl .Full fat Greek yogurt. I use distilled water.(should I be using spring water)? I feed once every 24 hours.
I am hoping the second go around to be successful. I went back and read that you said to feed every 12 -24 hours. How would I know whether to feed every 12 hrs or 24 hrs?
If feeding every 12 hrs. would this help to encourage growth and bubbles sooner than feeding every 24 hrs?
Also would it help to replace water with Fruit juice? If so all the time or just a few times? If I use frozen canned juice , do I dilute it with water?
As far as flour goes would it help to start off using whole wheat flour or 100% stone ground whole wheat flour? I have both. Or should I continue using the Unbleached All Purpose Flour? I appreciate all your help! Thankyou!
P.S. I haven't thrown out the old starter yet. And I got a dutch oven just waiting to be used.:)
Kevin
Thanks for the straight forward approach, I will set this up this afternoon, could you tell me how much starter I would use to make a loaf of bread.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Kevin, You would use as much as is indicated in whatever recipe you are using.
Payal John
Hi Chef! I just want to know that when we add flour and water the second day the water has to be warm each time or only the first day we have to add warm water? Do let me know please! Payal john
Chef Markus Mueller
Hey, The water should be luke warm at every feeding. If you add cold water it will just take longer for the starter to activate.
Nancy Shreve
What can I expect if I use gluten-free flour for my starter and bread?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Nancy,
I assume it would work. It would probably depend on the type of gluten free four used etc.
I have never made a gluten free starter so can't offer to much insight unfortunately.
I would simply give it a go and see what happens!
Chef Markus
Wendy
It seems like you don't ask to discard half the starter before feeding is that correct? Yet, still adding the same amounts (2/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of water) each time. All other recipes I see are asking for discard. Your recipe will be much less wasteful if that's the case!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Wendy, You are correct, Our recipe uses smaller amounts to get the starter started to avoid having to discard some. I simply find it wasteful. By day 5-7 you should be able to start baking with it, negating the need to throw any out because you 'have to much starter'.
Wendy Lai
Hi Markus,
So with each feeding we also don't need to feed the equivalent weight of the existing starter?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Wendy, you don't need to feed the weight of the existing starter each time as you would end up with an enormous amount of starter. At each feeding feed the starter with 2/3 cups flour and about 1/3 cup water. You want the consistency to be like a thick pancake batter.
Victoria garcia
Hi Markus,
I started your starter just over 24 hours ago, I have only fed it once but it seems to have almost doubled in size already, should I continue feeding it as it is or should I discard some before I feed it again?,
Victoria
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Victoria, I would simply feed it as the recipe says and maybe move it to a larger bowl.. Keep in mind it will shrink again as you mix in a new feeding.Keep us posted!
nichole
I'm at day 5 tomorrow and ready to bake. I'm use bread tins this time. At what temperature do you recommend baking it at?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Nichole, I would suggest baking it at 375 for 20 minutes, then lowering the temperature to 350 and baking for another 40 minutes. Check the bread after the one hour, it should sound hollow when tapped or have an internal temperature of 210+ when using a thermometer.
Enjoy! Chef Markus