How To Make a Sourdough Starter

A sourdough starter is the heart of every loaf, capturing wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria from the environment. These microorganisms ferment the dough, producing natural gases that allow it to rise.

Unlike commercial yeast, which acts quickly and predictably, a sourdough starter imparts a complex, tangy flavor due to the acids produced by the lactobacillus.

The combination of wild yeast and bacteria creates diverse textures, from crisp crusts to chewy interiors.

It's this natural leavening process sets sourdough apart, making each batch unique to its surroundings and the care it receives.

I believe creating your own sourdough starter is easy and can be done by anyone because yeast and lactic acid bacteria are all around us.

Now, it does require patience, precision and attention to detail, especially the first couple of weeks while you are working to establish a strong sourdough starter.

If you would like to fast-track your journey, you can purchase some of my sourdough starter, which comes with detailed feeding and maintenance instructions.

Jump to:

• What Makes My Sourdough Starter Method Work So Well
• Here's What Some Followers Have Said About My Sourdough Starter Recipe:
• Note For Sourdough Beginners
• Equipment Needed To Make Sourdough Starter
• Key Ingredients To Make Sourdough Starter
• Step by Step Tutorial On How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch
• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4 - Day 9
• Sourdough Starter Storage
• Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions
• Sourdough Starter Troubleshooting Guide
• How To Make Sourdough Starter In Bulk
• How To Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
• Related Recipes
• Subscribe to get my recipes

Over time, I have tweaked my own process to create a sourdough starter from scratch until I landed on this method, thanks to:

• my own hands-on experience and research reading from incredible bakers like Hendrik Kleinwächter, Addie Roberts, Trevor Jay Wilson, Tom Cucuzza and others.
• everything I've absorbed from my mom-a biology teacher passionate about living organisms and their extraordinary inner workings. Who, for as long as I can remember (and still to this day!) never stopped talking about them. This was especially true when we baked together. Gracias mamá!

Here's What Some Followers Have Said About My Sourdough Starter Recipe:

Note For Sourdough Beginners

Before we dive in, let's start by discussing some facts you must know about sourdough starters:

• A sourdough starter is a colony of living microorganisms: wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
• They are literally "everywhere", they are already in the jar, in the spatula, in the flour, in the water, in the air, so believe me when I say they will find their way into your jar.
• Just like any living organism, your starter needs certain things to thrive. Just like you need to eat good food to feel your best, fresh air, protect yourself from intense heat and cold and make yourself cozy at the right temperature you prefer, etc, your sourdough starter needs you to:
  • Not let it go hungry too long. It gets hangry (hungry + angry) don't we all?
  • Feed it good flour and filtered water, and just the right amount of it.
  • Remember to use lukewarm water for feedings. Never feed it cold water from your fridge filter (warm it up slightly) or super hot water that can kill your little colony.
  • Give it a good stir when mixing and then again later in the day to get things moving and let some oxygen in (ah! fresh air!).
  • Keep it cozy. Wild yeast and beneficial bacteria thrive in warm environments.
  • Never put a new or young starter in the fridge. Wait at least 2 weeks or longer if you can for best results, keeping it at room temperature.
  • Put it away from sunny windows where the UV rays can destroy the beneficial bacteria.
  • Keep things clean. Clean the top of the jar after every feeding, use a clean spatula every time, remember to cover it loosely, and change the jar often.

Every single time, when I hear from someone who is struggling to create their own starter or even keeping alive one they bought, we find out they didn't treat their starter like the very unique living organism it was.

Now, I also want you to know that sourdough starters are incredibly resilient, once they are well established, strong, and healthy.

• If you use cold water one day, it's ok.
• If you fed it a few hours later, it's ok.
• If you fed it before it had fully peaked, it's ok.
• If you forgot it in the fridge too long, it's ok.

Just don't do it all the time, all right? And as soon as you realize the mistake, try to be extra loving to your starter for a few days. It will bounce back just as happy as it once was. I promise.

Equipment Needed To Make Sourdough Starter

• A digital scale ( or a set of cups and spoons will work fine, as well)
• Two clean glass jars with lids
• A clean silicone spatula or wooden spoon

Key Ingredients To Make Sourdough Starter

• Organic bread flour, 13% or higher in protein content, not bleached, enriched, or bromated.

You can use any kind of flour, including all-purpose flour (as I often do) as long as it is organic, not bleached, enriched, or bromated.

Keep in mind that different flours will give you different results and need to be fed differently. For the method I explain below, I recommend you use bread or all-purpose flour for best results.

• Lukewarm filtered water (not reverse osmosis or distilled)

Lukewarm filtered water is ideal for a sourdough starter because it's free of chlorine and other tap water chemicals that can inhibit yeast and bacterial growth.

Avoid reverse osmosis or distilled water as these are stripped of essential minerals that microbes need to thrive. A little mineral content helps nourish the starter and keeps fermentation active and balanced.

And just like we said above, use lukewarm water, not hot or cold.

See recipe card for quantities.

Step by Step Tutorial On How To Make A Sourdough Starter From Scratch

Day 1

In the morning:

That's it for now! It's time to start thinking of a name for your sourdough starter!

The wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are already present in the flour and the air. When you mix flour and water, you're creating the perfect conditions for them to wake up, feed, and multiply. This is the beginning of your sourdough ecosystem.

In the evening:

Day 2

In the morning:

In the evening, once you see your starter is not growing anymore and it has actually deflated a bit and started to fall back down:

Important: Only feed it again once it has risen a bit and started to deflate. If you didn't see any activity, then wait the full 24 hours and feed it again in the morning of Day 3.

Overfeeding during this stage is a common mistake. The colony of microorganisms is still small and will get further diluted among all the fresh food, so it will take it longer to use it and for you to see fermentation activity.

Day 3

You might start to see more activity: some tiny bubbles on the top and the sides of the jar and even some rise.

In the morning:

6 hours later, stir it gently.

In the evening, once you see it's not growing anymore and it has actually deflated a bit, discard and feed using a 1:1:1 ratio

Around this time you might encounter something known as False Rise. This is when the starter doubles or even triples in volume, and looks very bubbly and active, so you might think it's ready to bake with.

But it has a strange smell (like sweet, cabbage-like or funky) instead of the pleasant tangy smell of a sourdough starter. It's runny and foamy, and it goes completely flat if stirred.

These are signs of overgrowth of the Leuconostoc bacteria, commonly present in the early days of a new starter. It produces gas (CO2) and causes bubbling and rising, even though the colony of wild yeast, the one typically responsible for the development of CO2 gases during fermentation, is fairly small.

That bacteria is harmless and will eventually die off as the starter becomes more acidic by gathering more lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the environment.

Continue to feed your starter at a 1:1:1 ratio and keep it warm and the starter could overcome the false rise in as little as one day.

Day 4 - Day 9

Around day 4, once your sourdough starter overcomes the false start, you will start seeing more activity: bigger bubbles and more rising and it should start smelling less like flour and more tangy and slightly sour, with subtle notes of vinegar or yogurt from the lactic acid. There may also be hints of fruity sweetness or overripe fruit, along with a yeasty, bread-like aroma.

You might also notice that your starter is rising more vigorously and falling more drastically than before. Even though it does that, the starter is less runny, but instead it's thicker and it clings to the walls of the jar a little more when you move the jar around.

You starter is becoming more balanced and the gluten proteins can tighten and bind more, which gives the starter a thicker, clingier texture.

Those are all good indicators telling you it's time to start feeding your sourdough starter more food. Increase the feeding ratio to 1:2:2 and start keeping it at room temperature, around 75°F (24°C).

My kitchen is usually around 72°F (22°C), so I would keep it inside the microwave where it is around 75°F.

6 hours later check on it. It could have risen, even doubled, but it's not ready to bake with yet. Stir it gently.

By the evening, your starter should have risen, peaked and started to fall back down.

I hope that by now your sourdough starter is beginning to look like it's ready to bake with, and technically it is ready, and you could bake with it, but please trust me on this one:

The colony of yeast and bacteria is still small and still likely out of balance. Rushing to bake with it might not give you the great results you might be expecting.

Sometimes, people might bake with a Day 4 or even a Day 7 sourdough starter and get a bad loaf of bread. They might blame the recipe or their lack of skill, when in reality they just used a weak starter.

Day 10 - Day 14

The colony of yeast and bacteria should be stronger now, so it's time to start feeding it more. Increase the feeding ratio to 1:4:4

6 hours later check on it. It should have risen, doubled or even tripled.Stir it gently.

By the evening, your starter should have risen, peaked and started to fall back down.

Maturation

By the end of the second week, your starter should be bubbly, doubling or more after each feeding, have a pleasant tangy smell, and be ready to use or store for future baking. Do not use before two weeks for best results.

Use at Peak

You can use it to bake bread once it has peaked after a feeding. Depending on the feeding ratio and the environment temperature and humidity, it will take 4-14 hours (4-6 hours for a 1:1:1 feeding and 9-12 hours for a 1:10:10 feeding).

When your sourdough starter has reached its peak, the top won't be domed or convex (which would indicate is still rising), but instead, the top will look flat or slightly concave, and it might have started to fall back down slightly, which you can determine by looking at the residue left on the sides of the jar.

Sourdough Starter Storage

You can store your sourdough starter two ways. Choose the method that fits your baking rhythm-and switch anytime!

• At room temperature if you're baking often (daily or every other day). This keeps it active and ready to go, but it will need regular feedings-usually twice per day.
• In the fridge if your sourdough starter is well established and you need a break or only bake once a week. The cold slows down fermentation, so you'll only need to feed it about once a week. Just let it come to room temp and feed it a couple of times before baking with it again.

Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions

Related Recipes

Looking for other sourdough recipes? Try these: