How To Make A Sourdough Starter (FAQs, care tips, recipes & more!) (2024)

Bubbly and gut-friendly, a sourdough starter makes the best, most flavorful bread! So, how do you get one? Here’s how to make a sourdough starter from scratch with only flour and water… including which flour to use, maintenance and care tips, and answers to your FAQs! We’ll even share our favorite sourdough recipes like English muffins, pancakes, pizza crust, and chocolate cake.

Making this sourdough starter recipe is easy, thanks to the already-present and abundant wild organisms on whole-grain flour (the fresher the better). My two daughters have done it — I know you can, too!

Why I Love Sourdough

What are the differences between today’s rapid-rise yeast breads and traditional wild yeast-leavened sourdough breads? Here is a summary!

(This information is consolidated from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell.)

Pure Yeast – Baker’s Yeast – Commercial Yeast (Active Dry Yeast, Quick-Acting Yeast, etc.)

• selected strains of yeast that is chosen as superior, isolated and bred – a monocrop
• each confers desired characteristics for flavor, reproduction, ideal temperature
• engineered in a laboratory in a scientific quest for better breeds
• need to act quickly, before any wild microorganisms have a chance to get established
• depends upon more precise factors for success
• became commercially available in the 1870s
• diminishes much of the grain’s nutritional value
• stales easily

Wild Yeast (Sourdough Starter)

• motley crew of yeast growing with other microorganisms – an ecosystem, if you will
• unique flavors
• is everywhere – on the flour, in the air, always ready to stop and feast upon carbohydrate-rich food
• slower fermentation, allowing yeast to add B-vitamins and break down hard-to-digest gluten into more easily assimilated nutrients
• accompanied by Lactobacilli and other bacteria, which produce acids and contribute complex sour flavors
• easily propagated in the home kitchen, where it can be maintained for a lifetime, even generations
• breads until 130 years ago were made with this natural leavening
• versatile with regard to temperature or other growing conditions
• does not stale easily, retains original moisture much longer than baker’s yeast-leavened breads

As you can see, creating a sourdough starter (a colony of wild yeasts and Lactobacilli bacteria) is an investment in your health… and yields delicious, nutritious baked goods! Once you experience the beauty of sourdough bread, you can’t go back!

Ingredients Needed

Begin by gathering your materials. For your coming sourdough adventure, you will need:

• Pure water — To begin a starter, I encourage you to use mineral-rich, chlorine-free water. You might very well be able to start a starter with your tap water, but let’s begin by giving your starter the very best environment in which to grow; a chemical-free home. If your water is not clean or you don’t filter it, I recommend purchasing spring water or filtered water (here’s how to choose the best water filter for your family!). If your water is filtered and does not re-add minerals back, consider fortifying it with natural mineral drops.
• Whole grain flour of choice — Choose the freshest organic, whole grain flour you can find and keep it at room temperature. Warmth is helpful when working with sourdough. As for which flour is best, you can use whole wheat, spelt, einkorn (here’s how to make an einkorn starter, and how to transition your starter to einkorn flour!), rye, etc. You can even feed your sourdough starter foods other than flour (but hold off on that until your starter is mature).

Equipment

• Container — Choose a non-reactive container such as glass. Avoid plastic containers because over time, the acidity of the starter can cause the plastic to leach into it. When starting a sourdough starter, I prefer using a wide mouth, pint-sized Mason jar. Initially, we will be working with small amounts of flour and water. Using a smaller glass container allows for easier stirring and provides the perfect window for bubble watching! New life! I cover the jar with a cloth napkin and rubber band. Air is important in the sourdough starting process, so please do not screw on a lid.
• Utensils — The first time I started a starter, I used a wooden spoon for stirring. Feel free. The past couple times around, I’ve used silverware from my drawer. It’s less bulky and makes the task of stirring vigorously much easier. Whether you choose a wooden spoon or your everyday silverware, I do recommend that you stay away from reactive metals such as copper, brass, aluminum, iron, and lead.

How To Make A Sourdough Starter: Step-By-Step Instructions

The video below is a free release from our Sourdough A to Z eCourse and eBook. It explains what’s happening inside a sourdough starter… such a miraculous process!

An active starter has these qualities: It’s bubbly, domes slightly, produces hooch (yellow liquid) and smells fresh and sour. It may even double in size, though often that depends on the type of flour used.

As you follow the instructions below, keep an eye out for these qualities to let you know that your starter is on the right track. 🙂

• The Beginning. Put 1/4 cup water and 3/8 cup flour (1/4 cup + 1/8 cup) in a clean jar such as a pint-sized Mason jar. Stir vigorously. Scrape sides. Cover. Allow to sit for 12 hours.
• Feeding One. 12 hours later, if you don’t see life, stir again. Scrape sides. Cover and allow to sit for 12 more hours.
  If you do see life (a few bubbles), add 1/4 cup water to the jar. Stir well. Add 3/8 cup flour. Stir vigorously. Scrape and cover. Set aside for 12 hours.
• Feeding Two. 12 hours later, if you still don’t see signs of life, dump out this mixture and start again.
  If you do see life (a few more bubbles), remove 1/2 of the starter, add 1/4 cup water, and stir. Add 3/8 cup flour and stir. Scrape and cover. Allow to sit for 12 or so hours.
• Feeding Three. Remove 1/2 of the starter. Add 1/4 cup water and stir. Add 3/8 cup flour and stir. Scrape and cover. Allow to sit for 12 or so hours.
• Feeding Four. Remove 1/2 of the starter. Add 1/4 cup water and stir. Add 3/8 cup flour and stir. Scrape and cover. Allow to sit for 12 or so hours.
• Feeding Five, Six, Seven… Continue feeding with this routine until your starter consistently shows signs of life, grows double in size between each feeding, and is at least one week old.

If, after day three or more, your starter does not show much activity 12 hours after its discard/feeding, try giving it a good stir without discarding and feeding. Sometimes this pause gives the organisms a chance to catch up and the starter an opportunity to take off.

Your sourdough starter is now ready to use! Enjoy the journey!

How To Maintain Your Sourdough Starter

To maintain your sourdough starter so it thrives, keep two things in mind: warmth and food. (And air, but that’s a given, right?)

If you do these two things well, the starter will be very happy and make great food for you. This information works for a starter that has become part of a dough, too. (Meaning, you’ve already made the dough and it’s “rising” or doing its thing.)

1. Warmth

A sourdough starter likes to be warm while it is working. Ideal temperature is right around room temperature, or between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

An oven with the light on or a food dehydrator with a low temperature setting (below 90 degrees Fahrenheit) are good places to put your starter and/or sourdough dough.

I also like the spot on my counter right next to the oven vent, near the wood stove, near a turned-on slow cooker, or on top of the refrigerator. Even right out at room temperature is fine.

Because I know my starter likes warmth, I choose water and flour that facilitate this: warm water (yet comfortable to the touch) and flour that is warm from milling. Don’t add cold water or cold flour to your starter, else you’ll lose time while the entire mixture regains room temperature in order for the wild yeasts to begin flourishing again.

If you can’t mill your own flour, at least don’t use cold flour. Room temperature flour is fine.

Note: If your kitchen is in the 90 degree and above range, you might want to seek out a cooler place for your starter, use cold water for its feedings, or maybe even use a cool water bath.

2. Food

The wild yeasts in a sourdough starter feed on the starches in flour. (Actually, they will eat sugars in fruits, too, but for baking bread, we’re concerned about flour.)

There are many schools of thought on feeding a starter; I prefer to keep this simple.

Feed your starter whatever whole-grain flour you’re using. Certainly, a starter may do the best on rye flour (some people claim this) and while this may be true, it doesn’t mean that whole wheat or whole spelt flour will not perform. I know from experience that whatever whole-grain flour I feed my starter keeps it happy, healthy and thriving.

But you can’t just feed it flour alone, or it will eventually get too thick to work. So feed it equal parts flour and water. Or if using spelt flour, use 3/4 to 7/8 cups of water for every cup of flour. This is because spelt produces a thinner starter.

Here’s something else to keep in mind, and it makes sense when we remember that we’re trying to keep the starter alive. Don’t overwhelm the starter during a feeding.

Practically speaking, don’t feed it flour more than 3 times its current volume. Here’s an example…

If I retrieve 1 cup of starter from the refrigerator, I feed it not more than 3 cups of flour (and therefore 3 cups of water) at a time. If I need 9 cups of starter for a batch of bread, I will feed it in successive feedings, spaced out throughout the day by several hours each.

Of course, if you keep a greater quantity of starter on hand at all times, say 4 cups, then you could feed it up to 12 cups of flour (and 12 cups of water) without breaking this rule.

Feed the starter at least weekly, if storing it in the refrigerator. I recommend storing 1 cup of starter in the fridge, and building up its volume as needed. It is much easier to find room in the fridge for storing it in this small quantity.

If you like to keep your starter out at room temperature, feed it every 12 to 24 hours with equal parts flour and water, discarding as necessary to keep the volume to less than half of your container’s size. Keep it in a fairly warm spot.

One More Thought: It’s Flexible!

Now, all these guidelines are flexible. Your starter probably won’t die if you feed it cold flour, or if you overfeed it. So relax about it, and don’t stress out.

I’ve come up with these guidelines because I have a simple goal of keeping my starter alive by keeping it fed and warm. If you depart from something I’ve said, do it while keeping in mind the starter’s main needs of warmth and food.

Sourdough Starter FAQs

Over the years, members working through our Sourdough eCourse have contributed many clarifying questions. We’ve compiled the best here for you!

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of whole grain flour?

For new starters, whole grain is preferred to all-purpose flour because it is more abundant in wild yeasts and Lactobacilli, which we’re trying to catch and nurture into a sourdough starter. The process of refining flour removes the microorganisms, which are on the outer hull of the grain.

That said, it’s not the end of the world to use all-purpose flour, and if that’s all you have, give it a try! If your starter doesn’t seem to be taking off and you’re using all-purpose flour, switch to whole grain and see if that helps.

For mature starters, I feed my starter whatever flour I’m using for the recipe in front of me, or whatever flour I’ve got leftover at the moment.

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter?

Yes! While building a starter, if we just keep adding more flour and water, we will soon outgrow our jar. Within a week it would fill up the house!

That would be much more wasteful than removing a small amount before each feeding. If you still aren’t convinced, here’s more information and some recipes to use sourdough discard.

I forgot to discard 1/2 my starter. Did I ruin it?

It’s fine! Next time, discard first (you can discard 3/4 of the starter instead of 1/2 to get it back down to manageable amount), but don’t worry about it this time.

My starter isn’t bubbly! What should I do?

It’s okay! Stir vigorously, feed as normal, and give it time!

There are ebbs and flows to starting a starter. Even seeing a lull after activity is normal as the organism balance shifts as it gets reestablished.

Hang in there!

Why isn’t my starter doubling in size? It looks so flat.

Not everyone gets doubling or tripling in volume. It depends on the flour and water ratio, among other things. You could try making it even stiffer.

The other thing is, you might be missing when it gets high because often a starter collapses at the end of the 12-hour cycle. Don’t give up and don’t worry. If it’s bubbly and active, it’s doing great!

How long do I have to discard starter?

You’re only discarding during the first three to five days of creating a new starter. After that, “discard” actually goes in your recipes as the starter it calls for. Always remember to hold some back!

When is a starter considered mature?

If it’s bubbling, producing hooch, doming up/enlarging in size, and has a fresh/sour smell, you can bake recipes with your new starter when it is five days old.

Once all of those things have been happening regularly for three weeks, it is considered established and mature… at which time we say it’s ready for bread-baking!

My starter smells unpleasant. Is something wrong?

If it’s a new starter, off smells are within the realm of normal. The organism balance is shifting … please give it all time. Also, if you have your new starter near an established starter, this can cause it, too.

If your starter has an alcohol smell, then you might have to do a little troubleshooting. The wild yeasts need oxygen. If oxygen is not given to the sourdough starter yeasts, other organisms which don’t need oxygen are encouraged to proliferate instead, such as the yeasts that make beer and wine. Try using a cover for your jar that encourages more airflow.

My sourdough starter has spots of mold growing on it. What should I do?

Bummer! It’s probably best to toss it, although sometimes you can just skim it off and with TLC the mold won’t return. It’s okay to start over, too!

When should I give up on my starter and try to make another one?

It’s hard to tell whether or not you should start over. It’s kind of a heart decision.

If you’ve checked all the variables — what kind of flour you’re using, what kind of water you’re using, the temperature of both and the temperature of your house, that it’s not too close to other ferments, etc. — and your starter still isn’t showing signs of activity, then it would be clear that you should start over.

Recipes To Use Your Sourdough Starter

Pretty soon your sourdough starter will be bubbly, active and ready to work.

Once it is five days old, use it in any of these yummy, easy, recipes, great for beginners or experienced bakers alike: fluffy pancakes (pictured above), waffles, English muffins, crepes, chocolate cake, spice cake, or pizza crust — all free recipes right here on this blog.

Once your starter is mature (has been active for three weeks or more), you can move on to sourdough bread! Some of our favorites include this whole-grain artisan loaf, this super fluffy, not-so-sour loaf, and this einkorn sandwich bread.

Because we add more all the time, feel free to go here for a current list of all sourdough articles.

The recipes linked above — as well as the additional recipes in the eCourse and eBook — always call for the entirety of the flour to be “soured” by the sourdough starter. This ensures maximum reduction of phytic acid and pre-digestion of gluten.

You can bet that these recipes are the healthiest around!

If you have more questions on how to care for your new sourdough starter, check out these blog posts…

• When Is A Sourdough Starter Ready For Baking? #AskWardee 145
• Why Won’t My Sourdough Bread Rise? How To Know When Your Starter Is Strong Enough For Bread-Baking
• How To Freeze Your Sourdough Starter {Best Way} #AskWardee 059

Want your own copy of these instructions? Click here and I’ll send you a free sample chapter from our Sourdough A to Z eBook for FREE.

You’ll get…

• an explanation of the science behind a sourdough starter
• a glossary of sourdough terms, including what hydration means
• a 5-day photo journal of starting a sourdough starter
• plus a digital copy of our favorite fluffy sourdough pancake recipe!

Have you made a sourdough starter before? Now that you’ve seen why sourdough is so much better than modern bread baking practices, what do you think? What’s your favorite thing to make with sourdough?

This post is a combination of two posts originally published and written by Wardee Harmon on 6/2/10 and 4/20/11. The posts were combined, updated, and republished on 4/7/21.