How To Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Learn how to make a sourdough starter from scratch with flour and water. Simple steps, daily feeding guide, and expert tips for success.
Ingredients
- 370 grams (approx. 3¼ cups) bread or all-purpose
- 370 ml (approx. 1½ cups + 1 tablespoon) filtered water lukewarm
Instructions
DAY 1
- In a clean jar, mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 85°F / 29–30°C.
DAY 2
- Morning Feed:Discard 10 grams of starter into your discard jar. In your starter jar, mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 85°F / 29–30°C.
- Evening Feed:Discard 20 grams of starter, leaving 10 grams in the jar. Mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 85°F / 29–30°C.
DAY 3
- Morning Feed:Discard 20 grams of starter, leaving 10 grams in the jar. Mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 80°F / 26–27°C.
- Evening Feed:Repeat the same steps: discard 20 grams, leave 10 grams, and mix in 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 80°F / 26–27°C.
DAYS 4–9
- Increase to 1:2:2 Feeding RatioMorning Feed:Discard 25 grams of starter, leaving 5 grams in the jar. Mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 75°F / 23–24°C.
- Evening Feed:Discard 20 grams of starter, leaving 5 grams in the jar. Mix well 10 grams of flour (about 1 tablespoon) with 10 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 2 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 75°F / 23–24°C.
DAYS 10–14
- Increase to 1:4:4 Feeding RatioMorning Feed:Discard 20 grams of starter, leaving 5 grams in the jar. Mix well 20 grams of flour (about 2 tablespoons) with 20 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 4 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 70–75°F / 21–24°C.
- Evening Feed:Discard 40 grams of starter, leaving 5 grams in the jar. Mix well 20 grams of flour (about 2 tablespoons) with 20 grams of filtered lukewarm water (about 4 teaspoons). Cover loosely and keep at 70–75°F / 21–24°C.
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 10-14 hours for a 1:10:10 feeding). The top won’t be domed (which would indicate is still rising) and it might actually have started to drag back down slightly.
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.
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