A simple tutorial for creating your very own sourdough starter in just 7 days! Learn all you need and troubleshoot challenges with our Q&A.
I now consider myself an expert in making sourdough starter. Since I inevitably end up neglecting my little sourdough baby and have to throw it out, I have started SEVERAL batches now!
Honestly, keeping a sourdough starter probably only takes a minute a day. But you have to remember to feed the darn thing. So if you have a memory like mine and you’re able to remember each and every one of your childhood classmates’ birthdays but forget to pick up milk on your way home, then there’s definitely a challenge to the whole sourdough thing.
Since it takes some responsibility to feed each day, I actually think that starting a sourdough would be a good test project for a kid who’s begging for a pet. Give them something to practice feeding, with low emotional risk if that thing dies. If they show they are responsible with the sourdough, then maybe they’d be eligible for that puppy. Or maybe move on to a goldfish first!
how to start a sourdough starter with only 2 ingredients
Day 1:
Find a container that holds the amount you’d like. I found a beauty similar to this one at a housewares store.
It sits on my counter, so I wanted something aesthetically pleasing, but you can use whatever you’d like. The container just needs something to cover it loosely. I initially started with a large Ziploc container like this one:
The gas produced by the sourdough probiotics needs to escape, but you don’t want dust or other random things to fall in your starter either. If you decide to use a big mixing bowl, you can cover it with plastic wrap and throw a tea towel over top.
Okay, second task on day one is to measure out 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. It’s important (and easier) to do this by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, take a look at this one
It’s made of bamboo! How pretty and sleek is that?
Now stir the flour and water together until it is well combined and you get a thick, sticky mess. It’s just going to look like a big ball of dough at this point. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 2:
Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. It’s still just going to look like a thick dough. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 3:
Same as above. Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. You’re going to start wondering if anything is every going to happen because it’s still going to just look like a thick, sticky mess. If you’re one of the lucky few, you may even start to see some bubbles! Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 4:
Do you see bubbles yet? If you’re lucky, magic has started to happen. But it’s okay if you don’t have any bubbles. Don’t lose hope! Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 5:
Now you should start to see bubbles and the dough should begin to loosen up. Again, if it hasn’t happened yet, don’t abandon your baby! It could still happen. Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 6:
You really should see some bubbles and your dough should be fairly loose and thin. I’m sorry if this hasn’t happened for you yet. I said I’m an expert at starting sourdough, not fixing sourdough problems (UPDATE: I’m learning more and more and have included a lot of troubleshooting Q&A at the bottom of this post!). Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 7:
Congratulations! You made it! You can start to use your starter! If you aren’t able to, throw about half of it out or your starter will grow too big for your container and explode down the sides! We’re not going for a volcano lava science experiment here. Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
A happy, thriving, bubbly sourdough starter!
Day 8 to infinity:
Feed your sourdough with a 1:1:1 ratio. What that means is you’ll need to weigh your unfed starter and then feed it equal parts flour and water. For example, let’s say your unfed starter weighs 2 oz. You’ll then add 2 oz water and 2 oz flour.
For the avid baker: If you plan on using your starter 2 or more times a week, you will need to be pretty active in feeding it. Keep feeding your starter everyday. Use or discard as needed to keep to a manageable size for your container. If you go away for a weekend, just throw it in the fridge. If you’re going to be away for more than a week and you don’t want to hire a sourdough nanny, dry it, freeze it, and defrost it when you get back.
For the occasional baker: If you plan on using your starter once a week or less, you can keep it in the fridge. It will need to be taken out and fed at least once a week. It’s best to use the starter within 12-24 hours after feeding it. If you’re going to be away for more than a week and you don’t want to hire a sourdough nanny, dry it, freeze it, and defrost it when you get back.
For the rare baker: Make friends with an avid or occasional baker and use their starter as needed. To make it a symbiotic relationship, you could offer to babysit the starter when your friend goes away!
FAQ:
Q: What’s the best temperature for a sourdough starter?
A: Think a warm summer day. The ideal temperature is around 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s warmer it might develop off smells and colours.
Q: Can you tell me the difference between a fed (active) and unfed sourdough starter and when to use them?
A: I made a video to visually show you the difference!
Q: My starter has turned orange/pink/grey/blue. Can I still use it?
A: I haven’t been able to find an authoritative answer on whether off-colour starters are still safe to use. Since illness-causing bacteria like to grow in the same conditions as the probiotics in your sourdough starter (room temperature, moist, salt-free, with a food source) I wouldn’t chance it. Throw it out and start again. Orange or pink colours and visible mold are definitely signs the starter has gone bad and should be discarded entirely.
If you keep your starter in the fridge and you pull it out to find a greyish liquid on top, just pour that off into the sink, weigh the remainder, and feed as normal! This greyish liquid is called “hooch” and is just a sign that your starter needs to be fed.
Q: Can I use whole wheat flour or flour from other grains (rye, rice, etc)?
A: Yes! Although if you don’t require 100% gluten-free (i.e. you don’t have Celiac) then it’s recommended to start with all-purpose flour to get the starter going. You may certainly have success with any type of flour but I’ve read that all-purpose flour is the most predictable. Once you have an active, happy starter, you can branch out in what you feed it! But once you branch out, keep feeding it the same thing. For example, if you want a rye starter, keep feeding it rye flour. Don’t go back and forth between rye and flour.
As for bleached all purpose flour, reports indicate that some people have success while other don’t. I would recommend reaching for unbleached if you can as it tends to produce more reliable results!
Q: I’ve read elsewhere that to maintain the starter it should be fed every 12 hours but your guide says every 24 hours. What do I believe?
A: From the info I’ve been able to gather, feeding your starter more often will help to increase the active bacteria count. If you find that your dough is taking a really long time to rise or that your loaves don’t rise as much as you’d like during baking, then try feeding your starter every 8-12 hours in the day or so before you use it. But if you’re happy with the way it performs when you feed it every 24 hours, then why make the process more labor-intensive than it needs to be?
Q: Do I still need yeast to bake with sourdough?
A: Yes AND no! Initially your sourdough starter will not be potent enough (for lack of a better description) to make a whole loaf of bread rise on its own. Once your starter gets to the point where it looks like the “fed” description in the above video then you can start to use it alongside yeast or baking powder. The sourdough will impart a rich flavour to your baking! But it will take a bit more maturing to go yeast-free. There’s no exact timeframe but you can try after 2-3 weeks. If your bread doesn’t rise that well, that’s okay! You can still use it to make croutons or bread crumbs 🙂 Wait a few more feedings, and try again! Sourdough baking inherently involves some trial and error.
Q: What can I make with my sourdough starter? Is it only good for bread?
A: Heavens, no! If you can use wheat flour for it, you can find a version that uses sourdough starter. I have been consistently blown away by how much BETTER-TASTING my sourdough versions of nearly everything have turned out! Here are some things I’ve made:
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Overnight Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough Seed Bread
- Sourdough Naan Bread
- Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Crepes
- Sourdough Crackers
- Herbed Lentil Sourdough Bread
- Omega 3 Sourdough Bread
Some recipes are “starter” recipes, aka beginner recipes (haha, see what I did there?) that don’t rely on the leavening power of the sourdough starter. These recipes will have either yeast or baking powder as well.
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
how to make a sourdough starter
Ingredients
- All purpose flour preferably unbleached
- Luke warm water
Instructions
Day 1:
- Measure out 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into a container (see options above). It’s important (and easier) to do this by weight.
- Now stir the flour and water together until it is well combined and you get a thick, sticky mess. It’s just going to look like a big ball of dough at this point. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 2:
- Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. It’s still just going to look like a thick dough. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter
Day 3:
- Same as above. Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. You’re going to start wondering if anything is every going to happen because it’s still going to just look like a thick, sticky mess. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 4:
- Do you see bubbles yet? If you’re lucky, magic has started to happen. But it’s okay if you don’t have any bubbles. Don’t lose hope! Add another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 5:
- Now you should start to see bubbles and the dough should begin to loosen up. Again, if it hasn’t happened yet, don’t abandon your baby! It could still happen. Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 6:
- You really should see some bubbles and your dough should be fairly loose and thin. Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Day 7:
- Congratulations! You made it! You can start to use your starter! If you aren’t able to, throw about half of it out or your starter will grow too big for your container and explode down the sides! We’re not going for a volcano lava science experiment here. Add yet another 4 ounces (112g) of all-purpose flour and 4 ounces of water into your container. Stir until fully incorporated into the starter. Cover loosely and leave on your kitchen counter.
Hi, I sure wish I could have seen your video. It started out (with a thick ugly demo of MY sourdough adventure) but then there was just ad after ad after ad and another video of another recipe. I started out with a yeast recipe + flour + water, fed it every day for 8 days and it was so thick that I could make a spoon stand up straight in it. Sigh.
Hi Jessica!
Thanks for your post and the detailed instructions!
I have tried your recipe for sourdough starter twice and have had some troubles. The first time I put the starter in a bowl and covered with plastic wrap. I was seeing some nice bubbles around Day 4 but by Day 7 the bubbles had all disappeared and it looked “dead”. The second time I tried covering the starter with a kitchen towel (as I thought maybe allowing more air in would help) but the same thing happened – bubbles on Day 4 but none by Day 7.
Do you have any ideas about what may have happened? The only thing I can think is that maybe my kitchen is too cold (we keep it around 70F)
Hi Caroline!
Yes, it might be a bit too cold. You can turning the light on in your oven and leaving it in there for a bit of extra warmth. Just don’t forget that your sourdough starter is in the oven!!
I love the way this site is set up, so I decided to use it to try my first starter for sourdough bread.
I’m only on Day 2, but have noticed after I read the description over and over again that my starter should resemble a ‘thick dough’. I have PRECISELY measured out my ingredients so I know that isn’t the problem. My starter resembles a thin type paste. Is this okay? Please advise. Thank you very much for your assistance.
Each starter is going to be unique because the culture in each flour is unique!
On day 3 and have all the bubbles throughout. So, it looks great, buuuut…Is it normal for it to smell like soured milk? Like strong soured milk??
Yes! That’s definitely normal!
I am on day 7. I have had bubbles on the surface since day 2 or 3. My starter is in a glass container. I don’t see any bubbles on the sides. Is that normal? Would his mean that my starter is not mature enough to make bread rise on its own without adding yeast?
Right, I would say it’s not quite mature enough yet to handle rising a loaf of bread on its own! But you can do the float test to check 🙂
Days, everything is exactly how you said it would be, great instructions,
Thanks
So glad you found it helpful! Thanks for your feedback!
All going well on day 7
Good to hear!
Hello. Im on day 7. I want to make bread. I probably missed it in your article. I understand that you weigh and do the 1:1:1: ratio for storing in the fridge but i didnt see what the feeding is when on the counter. Thank you
The feeding is the same when on the counter!
In your Q&A you said to pour off “hooch” and feed from there. Don’t! Stir it back in and then feed. Many sourdough recipes rely on certain hydration ratios. If you pour off the hooch, the liquid ratio will be off. As long as the hooch is gray, stir it back in before feeding. Of course, pink or orange, or mold would be signs that the starter has gone bad.
Ooo, good to know! I’m always just weirded out by the grey hooch, lol.
I tried making a sourdough starter a few years ago but gave up as it didn’t work. I will try your method and see if I have better luck.
Thanks for your comment! I hope it works well!
I just started my starter today. I read through the steps and appreciate the pics to be able to vision it along the way.
I can’t wait until next week to get baking.
Such and easy starter recipe. I have always been intimidated but your instructions we so easy to follow. I have already shared with aa friend and my daughter-in-love. They are enjoying the fruits of my labor! Thank you and here’s to happy baking
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for the review!
Ok it’s day 6 and I’ve looked on this to see how to make bread. It only tells me what to do to the starter on day 7. I just need a bread recipe.
Hi Amy, thanks for the comment and review. At the bottom of the article, the last section has all the sourdough recipes (including bread recipes) with links that I have posted on my site, all the best as you use your new starter!
It’s day 3 and I have bubbles!
almost to day 7 is there a recipe for the sourdough bread?
In the first 2-3 week I recommend adding some instant commercial yeast as a little “insurance” in case your starter isn’t quite mature enough to handle rising a whole loaf of bread. You can take the liquid part of a recipe (water or milk), heat to medium warm, dissolve 1/2 tsp of yeast in. Then proceed with the recipe as usual! Here’s my favourite recipe for sourdough seed bread.
Day 3 of My starter starts to go and bubble a lot, I wonder if tomorrow it grows more, it will go beyond a capacity of my jar. Can I discard half on day 4?
Yes, you can discard if it’s getting too big!
Hello Jessica,
Your step-by-step instructions are so easy to follow and fun to read! Thank you for your simple instructions.
I twice attempted to make a sourdough starter a couple of years ago and, yes, I felt like I was married to it! And, the countless number of pages and pages of instruction were ludicrous ?
I have made two loves of bread so far. My question is: why doesn’t the bread taste very sour? I live in Arizona at an elevation of 1,200 ft. Do you think it is just where I live or possibly the starter will become more sour as time goes by?
I’ve found that sourdough bread isn’t actually very sour! Each starter is unique so I think some are more sour than others.
Hi Im on day 6, everything is looking good! Can we use this starter with any sourdough bread recipe? I browsed on your site and noticed you didn’t have a plain sourdough bread recipe, is there on you recommend using this starter with?
Thanks!
In the first 2-3 week I recommend adding some instant commercial yeast as a little “insurance” in case your starter isn’t quite mature enough to handle rising a whole loaf of bread. You can take the liquid part of a recipe (water or milk), heat to medium warm, dissolve 1/2 tsp of yeast in. Then proceed with the recipe as usual! Here’s my favourite recipe for sourdough seed bread.
After I feed my starter (I’m on day 9?) It bubbles up great (started bubbling around day 3) but my starter doesn’t actually grow…it just bubbles. Is that normal? Am I missing something?
Since you’re on day 9, your starter is going to be pretty big now! If you haven’t seen signs of it getting bigger, then I would recommend starting to feed it like a mature starter: as in, start discarding half, weigh what you have left and then add that same weight in both water and flour. Each starter is unique! Some will take longer to get going and others will be quicker.
I’m in the midst of this recipe – so far it is going wonderfully. Quick question. Since beginning the process of my starter, I’ve read on a few different blogs that you should remove some of the starter in-between feedings. Can you explain why this recipe doesn’t call for that? I haven’t seen a brown watery liquid that the other recipes were discussing so I believe I’m good. Just want to double check. Thanks!!
In my personal experience, I haven’t found it necessary to discard. As much as possible, I try to reduce food waste. But if your starter is showing signs that it’s starving (like the brown watery liquid) then discarding could be a prudent choice!
Thank you for your reply! I think I’m having luck with the bleached flour, it’s day 4: bubbling and had a bit of liquid on top, (before feeding) but looks bubbly and about the consistency of waffle batter after feeding. There is a smell, but it’s not as strong a yeast smell that I’ve experienced as with pizza dough made with packaged yeast. Does this sound about right?
Hi! We are on Day 7 and the starter is quite watery! Also, it smells like sour milk. Are these things normal?!
Haven’t attempted it yet, so rating is based on instructions only. (That’s why only 4/5 stars). Very clear and easy!
My question is can I use bleached all purpose flour or is that bound to be a failure? (Some starters I’ve read also call for filtered water too). Could I use the bleached AP flour with a mature starter? (It’s all I’ve got in the house). Also, should water be room temp before feeding?
Hi Alicia, you can definitely try the bleached flour, especially since it’s a mature starter and you’re mostly using the flour to feed the cultures that are already present. Some people have success starting a culture with bleached flour while others don’t. I think the bleaching process will definitely reduce the quantity of cultures present so it’s a bit more of a gamble. But like I said, if you received a mature starter from someone, I think it should be fine.
I never use filtered water. I just use municipal tap water and I get great results. And yes, water should be lukewarm!
Hi!
Classic quarantined move… I’m starting a sourdough starter! I fed day two earlier and it has since tripled. If it’s doing this well can I start cooking with it or I should wait till day 7? Also can I take some out so it doesn’t explode?
Thanks!
Watch the video to see if your starter meets the criteria for “fed” , ie: ready to use! It should be pillowy and look kind of like toasted marshmallow. And yes, if your starter is growing really fast, then please take some out! You can use it in recipes that don’t require the sourdough starter for leavening, such as the pancake recipe on my website 🙂
So, on day 7 I can use the starter to make things like pancakes, waffles or crepes.
When can I make bread with it? Day 8?
You can make bread with it when it starts to look like the “fed” version in the video found in the FAQ section!
Do you not discard any of the starter before feeding?
I do not, you will end up with a large amount of starter if you continue. However, you can keep starter in the fridge for up to a month unfed, so there is never really any need to discard any if you don’t want to. If my stored starter in the fridge gets to be too much it can be used for crepes and some other recipes.
Hello!
Corona Virus has us cooped up and we are trying our best not to go to the market for things we can make at home…bread! Question…mom brain kicked in and I only did 2oz and 2oz daily. I’m assuming I will have a smaller starter? Or should I just start over with 4oz 4oz? Starter virgin. Thanks!
Hi Nicole, yay for using a rough situation to do something new and different! I don’t believe you will have to start over, just continue with the 4oz 4oz and do it an extra day! All the best with your starter start!
Will definitely try this in 2020. A few years ago my friend, a vicar’s wife, was given a small bowl of starter by a member of the congregation. It came with instructions on how to feed it. Once it had tripled in size she was to divide it in three and pass on two portions to neighbours or friends – along with copies of the instructions, which included a recipe for an apple cake.
We keep our house very cool in winter, 64-68 degrees. What do you suggest to get the starter going? There isn’t really “warm” place anywhere.
You could turn the light on in your oven and place it in there! Just make sure to always double check your oven before using it for baking!!!
Looks like a tedious process and Im not sure if I have the patience to wait for the results. Ill try this out soon and wish me luck! Hoping to get the same results as yours. The number of days I need to wait is just right for the feeding window of my military diet.
Day 2 it started to bubble 🙂 I wanted to post a picture of day 3 before feeding & where it is resting but I don’t know how 🙁
Thank you for such a great tutorial!!!
Gah! It’s always so exciting to see those bubbles! It never gets old 🙂 Have fun with all your sourdough creations!
Hi Jessica – my starter seems to develop a white powdery dry film with big bubbles on top daily. Under the dry film top, the development is going on very nicely. They don’t look like mold and smells like yeast. I discard the white film on top and feed. Next day, the same thing happens again. I have been using rye flour. I tried closing the jar tight – and then alternate with covering with cheese cloth – the same thing happens either way. Any clue?
Hi Virginia!
I’m not familiar with use of rye flour for feeding a sourdough starter. My guess (and this is very much a guess) is that the cultures found on rye flour contain more yeast strains than bacteria. Could be very normal but I don’t actually know! Yeast can grow with less moisture content then bacteria. Are you using a scale to measure your flour or water? Another thought is that maybe the starter is a bit dry?
Thank you for your reply. No – my starter is not dry at all. I always use a digital scale to measure both flour and water. I have followed your recipe for the starter using only all purpose white flour – lots of little bubbles – scent no so strong – looks a bit boring actually. So last night I fed it with rye flour and tonight I will see what’s happening to it! I also wonder why some people recommend closing the jar tight while others say don’t do that and keep jars open and cover with a cheese cloth etc.
Hi Jessica! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Do you just leave the starter for a whole 24 hours the first day or should you add more flour and water in after 12 hours as you do for the Second and third day. Thanks so much
It’s up to you if you want to feed every 24 hours or every 12. If you live in a hot place, feeding every 12 hours might work better.
Instead of throwing part out can you use that part for a second starter? I haven’t tried this yet but as soon as I go to store for container I will.
Once you have your starter going, you can keep it in the fridge and you won’t need to throw any out. But in the first week, if you don’t discard some then you’ll end up with a GIANT load of starter! Instead of throwing it out (because who likes food waste??) you could add it to recipes that don’t depend on the sourdough for leavening. Check out my link in post for a recipe for making sourdough waffles, as an example.
It just smells really bad by the third day!
Hi, I have ended up dumping mine twice now because it gets extremely sour by day 3!
What do you mean when you say “extremely sour?”
I’m only on day 3 and my sourdough is super bubbly and quite sour. I already had to dump one batch because it was very sour on day 3. Its quite warm inside it being winter. Also I was wondering if the no metal spoon/ bowl applys here too? How do you use a recipe that says “unfed from the fridge” if yours has been on the counter for the 7 days and you want to use it right away? Thank you
If a recipe calls for starter that is “unfed from the fridge” then unfortunately, you would not be able to use starter that has been at room temperature. Please begin with a different recipe at this point!
Metal spoons and bowls shouldn’t be a problem. Many people use them without an issue. But if you feel better about it, feel free to stick with wooden spoons/glass bowls, etc!
I am just starting this sourdough. Above on your recipe links, it does not allow me to click on the sourdough pizza dough. Would you have the recipe for that? Thank You
Hey Lena, sorry about that but I haven’t posted a recipe for the sourdough pizza dough yet! I hope you’re having fun with your sourdough starter!
Thanks. Is there an email address I could contact you with? I have a bunch of questions! Thanks!
Hi Lena,
I’m very happy to answer all your questions but please ask them here! Other people might also be wondering the same things and could benefit from the answers as well.
warmer (around 80-85), much too hot in summer (110+)
80-85 would be a fantastic temp to speed up the fermentation!
I just found this (Thank you Pinterest) and I am excited to try making sourdough stuff. I saw a couple people say the AZ weather helped it along nicely. I live in Las Vegas and was wondering if putting outside (in fall and spring, not summer) on an enclosed patio would help it mature better.
I’m not familiar with the weather in Las Vegas! Would the patio be warmer or cooler?
So this might be a silly question, but if you opted to feed the starter every 12 hours, would you then take the 4 oz of flour and water and half it for each feeding?
Sourdough starters can be pretty forgiving but the best thing to do is double the amount in the container (once the starter is established after a week or so). For example, if your starter weighs 8 oz, you can feed 4 oz of water and 4 oz of flour. If you want to bulk it up, after 12 hours you can then feed it 8 oz of water and 8 oz of flour. People will often just keep a small amount of starter in the fridge and then bulk it up shortly before using. That way you don’t end up with a ton of starter that will just need to be thrown out. I hope that makes sense!
What happens if you use bleached flour instead of unbleached?
Good question. I have seen some sources recommend against bleached flour and unfiltered water. I just did some more reading and some say this is a myth. You could try starting a starter with bleached flour. If you don’t see any bubbles by day 7 then I’d call it quits and re-start with unbleached.
Hi! My question is.. on day 8 I can use my starter?
How much do I keep?
If your starter is nice and bubbly and sticky, it’s ready to use! Keep about a cup of starter.
Hello, I’m on the morning of day 3 (I feed it at night) and I noticed it bubbling as rising too much. I have switched to a larger bowl and am now just loosely covering with a tea towel (assuming the issue was that the gas wasn’t escaping), but it’s super stinky. Is that normal? I don’t see any discoloration and when I transferred the starter to a larger bowl, I did notice that there was a little bit of water separation at the bottom. Do all of these things seem normal, or should I start over?
No discoloration is a good sign! Without being able to smell it myself, I can’t really tell you whether it’s a “normal stinky” or not. Sourdough does have a distinct odor that you might find unpleasant if you’re unused to it. I didn’t like the smell of it at first! But the more I got used to it and loved everything I baked with it, the more the smell grew on me. Sometimes there’s water separation on the top. That’s normal too.
As i continue to feed my starter, do i need to add the 112g of flour and water, or can i feed with less?
To keep an active starter healthy it’s best to double its weight when you feed it. If you don’t use your starter very often try keeping it in the fridge and taking it out once a week to feed it and keep it on the counter for at least 12 hours.
I’m trying this for the first time was wondering if it’s cover loosely with plastic wrap then a dish cloth draped over it is that to much or should I just do the towel? Also I used tap water people say as long as it can vent it should be fine ? What’s your opinion on that
Tap water should work just fine! If you find you aren’t getting any bubbles after a few days then try pouring a glass of tap water and allowing it to sit overnight. Then use this water.
I would use one or the other (dish towel or plastic wrap). You want it to be able to breathe 🙂
Thanks! How long will it need to sit out before adding to it?
You can add to it right away. Then leave it out for at least 12 hours to incubate at room temperature before returning to the fridge.
I fed my starter for the first 5 days. on day 6 I forgot and threw it into the fridge before I had to leave. Can it be salvaged?
Yup, it should probably still work! It will just take a little longer to develop now 🙂
One constructive criticism that will improve everyone’s results. Most homes/kitchens are air conditioned. Those filters on modern air conditioners work too well. If you do your starters outside, exposed to the air instead of in your home, it will make a significant difference.
Good to know! We don’t have air conditioning in our house so I don’t have that “problem!”
I loved the ease of this recipe! However, I may have to wait until it’s consistently warm outside to make it well! When I started my sourdough, it was in the 70s and 80s during the day and had risen to be so large I had to move it to another container after 4 days! But when I moved it to another container, it stayed roughly the same size 🙁 there are just a few bubbles in it now, and it’s day 7. Did moving it to a new container kill my sourdough? The temperature also dropped down to 40s and 50s outside, so maybe that majorly affected it too. I hope my bread will still rise if I try to bake it!
A lower temperature will slow the growth but it won’t kill it! This is why you can keep it in the fridge and only take it out once a week or so to feed it! When you want to use your starter, feed it and then put in in a warm place for several hours. What I do is turn the oven on for a few minutes and then shut it off. Then I’ll put my starter in there to incubate!
Hi! I started a sourdough 3 days ago. When you say to trow about half of it out, can we use it instead at this point and continue to feed to other half?
thank you for this tutorial. It is clear and easy to follow 🙂
Hi Katherine,
I wouldn’t use the starter until it’s had a chance to really develop. Give it at least 7 days.
Thanks for the feedback!
The link you supplied says to feed the sourdough twice a day. Please explain the difference. It says to throw half away each time as well.
Feeding it twice a day will ensure growth but I have never had any problem with only doing it once a day! I like to try and make things as easy as possible 🙂 Once the starter is happily bubbling away, you only want to keep a small amount and double it in bulk when you feed it. If you don’t use it very often, then you’ll need to throw some starter out or else it will become a monstrous size!
Hi, thank you for sharing of making a sourdough starter, am going to try it! Just one question: How much water and flour should I feed to maintain the sourdough after the sourdough is being used?
Hi Joy!
For the healthiest starter, it’s best to double by weight (approximately) what you have leftover after using it. So it depends on how much of the starter you end up using for a recipe. Does that make sense?
I live in Illinois in the US so i dont think its particularly humid.
I think my scale was pretty accurate because the 4oz of water measured out to be 1/2cup.
Its sitting on my counter.
It had some bubbles developing pretty quickly.
I added 4 more oz of flour and water tonight (24hrs now) and its still not a real dough. Similar to thick pancake batter.
Sounds like everything was done right! Each person’s sourdough is going to be a little different. Since you had bubbles right away, your flour probably had a lot of starting culture in it! The pancake batter is more typical of a developed starter so it sounds like yours is just a few days ahead of the typical!
Hi. I love the ease of your tutorial.
I started my starter last night.
I used my kitchen scale to get 4oz of each water and flour but when i mixed them they didn’t make a dough. It was more like a soup.
Should i start over?
Hmm, that’s interesting. Do you live in a very humid place? Do you know if your scale was measuring accurately? Was it sitting on a level surface?
Hi,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I started my sour dough starter 3 days ago and I see bubbles already. Is that good? It’s been sitting on the kitchen counter in the same place and I feed it once a day at around the same time. It’s winter so the temperature of the kitchen is around 70-75 when I’m cooking or baking for lunch.
Bubbles already? That’s awesome! Your starter is alive!!! Some starters will take off faster than others. It depends on the original culture amount in the flour and the growing conditions. Keep up the good work! I’d still wait the full 7 days before using it though. Just to make sure the culture count is high enough 🙂
How large of a container do I need to use for this starter? It looks like it would have to be pretty large considering all the days that you are adding flour and water.
For the first week using something like a large mixing bowl is a good idea. Once you have built up and developed a happy, bubble starter, you don’t have to keep such a large amount. Most recipes call for 1-2 cups of starter. So you can keep about 1 cup in the fridge and then take it out and bulk it up before you want to use it. Does that make sense?
I forgot one night but that morning I fed it.. Will it be ok and should I feed it again tonight?? Thank you this is really fun…
Sourdough starters are fairly forgiving. If your routine is to feed it at night then I would feed it again and get back into habit! (and I agree: little sourdough pets are so much fun!)
I would love to try this but I don’t think I have a container large enough for 20+ oz of flour and 20+oz of water. Would this starter work if I cut the portions in half? So instead of adding 4 oz of flour and 4oz of water, could I do 2oz of flour and 2oz of water everyday?or would it not work the same?
Yes, that should definitely work! When your starter has matured enough to use, just make sure not to feed it more flour and water than what is left in your container. Aim to double what is left. This just might mean that you have to wait longer in between uses.
40 years ago i was a newly wed, a newbie 🙂 our”web”was the radio. A couple stations carried an hour long cooking call in show and the listeners enjoyed conversation about a popular/spreading fad called”Herman”that was a sourdough starter. Any dough/batter recipe could be modified to use it. We didn’t know at the time how good probiotics were for you….heck, we didn’t even use the word probiotic back then. Love reading your posts and especially the comments in your”community” !!! AND, by the way, i was motivated to start a sourdough….i added a few crumbles of organic cheddar cheese, just to see what it would do. Cooking is not rocket science-but it is science i tell my kids.(Boys as well as girls 🙂 ) Have fun…experiment…and then do it again if you like it, or learn from it. Thanks for providing really good information to”research” !!!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your story.
Once it’s bubbles, then it’s ready to use ? Or should you continue with the whole week first?
Once it bubbles, you know you have something good going but I would still recommend waiting until the end of the week! It will be all the more powerful then 🙂
I’m on day 4 and it was going well I thought and I had bubbles right from day two which I thought was weird but anyway today I went to look at it and it has a thin layer of water on top and now smells pretty bad… do I continue or throw and start over?
I would err on the side of caution and start over!
Do you live in a hot climate? Sometimes things can get funky if it’s a bit too hot! If so, you might want to keep it in the fridge overnight and only let it sit out during the day.
dear Jessica, my starter is bubbling on the second day.Did I do it all right??What should I do??.Is it because of this tropical climate??
dear Jessica, thank you so much for the response.It’s pretty hot during this month.Hope you have a lovely weekend
greeting from Indonesia,Dear Jessica, sourdough is something new for me.I would love to try it soon .Is there any adjusment I shoul d make since I live in a tropical country?
Hi from Canada!
The first week would be the same for you in a tropical country. But if it’s pretty warm in your kitchen, I would recommend keeping the starter in the fridge after the first week and taking it out to feed once a week and leave it on the counter for several hours.
Have fun!
finally, I can make my own starter.Wish I could send you the picture.Thank you so much
Awesome!
My mom LOVES sourdough, so I decided to give this recipe a shot. Day 3 and it is already bubbly and almost looks like day 7! Thank you AZ weather haha. I can’t wait to finally make her a loaf of sourdough bread, and bread bowls for soups 🙂
Bread bowls! That sounds just perfect for Fall! Glad to hear your sourdough is happily bubbling away already!
Hi. Thanks for the tips and recipe. My question is ? On day 8 where do I find or know how to make a loaf of bread with the starter?
Thank you for your feedback! I would recommend starting with a beginner recipe that uses commercial yeast to help the baby sourdough starter along. Once the starter matures more, you would be able to bake bread with the rising power of the starter alone. Here is a really good basic recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-beginner-sourdough-sandwich-loaf-recipes-from-the-kitchn-48192 I also have a tasty recipe that has a lot of healthy seeds in it: http://smartnutrition.ca/recipes/sourdough-seed-bread/
Have fun with your sourdough! It’s a great adventure!
Mine was bubbly on day 2….
Nice!
how do you know if the starter has died?
Great question! There are a couple ways that I know of…
a) if it turns green or blue. A slight orange tinge is fine. That just means that it hasn’t been fed in a while and there’s more alcohol production. Discard the top orange liquid and feed.
b) if you feed it and nothing happens. No bubbles, no rise, nothing. If this happens, start fresh!
I’m so excited that I found your site, it’s so straight forward and helpful.
I’ve never tried this before so looking forward to starting. A quick question…
What is the equivalent of 4 ounces of water in cups or do I need to weigh the water?
Thanks
Hi Monique,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment!
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale but if that’s not possible for you, then 4 oz would be 112 ml of water. Which is nearly half a cup.
So excited to do this, my starter is sitting on the counter and it already has bubbles (we live in Southern Arizona, so lots of,warmth to feed the “baby”)! Husband is excited too, as he loves sourdough anything! 🙂
Isn’t it so exciting to see those bubbles?! Lucky you, living in Arizona 🙂
Great instructions. Super straight forward. I’m currently on day three and I’ve read other places that by day 3 you should remove half and then add more. You don’t indicate to remove any, why? Have you tried removing half on day 3? I’m worried that if i don’t my starter will outgrow its jar as i have only small -medium size containers. After feeding on day two it nearly doubled it size but then shrunk back down. Is this normal? (sorry for the string of questions)
I’ve experimented with and without removing half and have had success both ways! So I think it depends on the space you have in your container. Also, I think it might develop faster when you throw half of it out. And yes, it’s completely normal for it to puff up! When it bubbles up, you know that you’ve got an active starter! Way to go! You’re doing great!
how do you cook this?
This recipe is used to make a starter, which you can use as a base for many baked products. I have some example in the Q and A section! You could also do a Google search for “sourdough recipes!”
You suggest drying your sourdough starter, and freezing it if you’re going away. How do you dry it?
Thanks!
Good point! I probably shouldn’t give vague instructions like that! I haven’t done it myself yet but I’ve heard that you can spread it out thinly on a sheet of wax paper or a silicone mat. Leave it to dry at room temperature and then break it up into pieces and place in a container or ziplock to freeze!
I don’t get it, it’s only flour and water? Where is the yeast? Where do the probiotics come from?.
I am really confused how you can get sourdough starter from just flour and water?
Good question! Wild yeast and bacteria (good bacteria: probiotics) are found in the flour but they’re dormant when dry. They need water to be able to grow and multiply! Here’s a good article that describes sourdough in great detail! http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=whatissourdough
I have never made bread of any kind. I have thought about drying out bread making, but it scares me.
Sourdough is so easy to work with! It’s a very rewarding bread to start with 🙂
Cool! I’ve heard of some starters that live on forever and that’s why some bagels and breads are so amazing. Must try this sometime!
If only I could manage to keep my starter alive long enough 🙂
oh man, i tried doing this myself last year and failed miserable. i’m actually having a friend dehydrate his starter and mail it to me so i can rehydrate it! excited to see if it works. if it doesn’t, i’ll be trying again using this post!
Haha… as I wrote, I’ve failed miserably several times! The good thing is that it’s so easy to start up again!
Hi Jessica! Thanks for the post! I look forward to trying it. When you say add the water and flour…do I need to mix flour and water in? Or just sprinkle it on the top and leave it to incorporate on its own? Thanks.
Hi Tabitha!
Thank you for the question. The water and flour should be well incorporated into the mixture. So go ahead and give it a hearty stir! I’ll update the tutorial to clarify.