How to make your own Sourdough Starter, using simple ingredients with no special equipment, in just six days, that can be used in our sourdough bread. Video.
When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything.~ Shunryu Suzuki
With over 500 five-star reviews and hundreds of success stories, my chef’s perfected sourdough starter guide has everything you need to make your own homemade starter. In just six days, you’ll be baking the most beautiful sourdough loaves!
But first, What is a starter?
Sourdough starter is a “wild yeast” made from flour, water, and the natural wild yeast in the air. With a little care and patience, it ferments, and when strong and active, just a little bit of starter replaces commercial yeast and makes your bread rise, while transforming the gluten in the bread into something more easily digestible. Store-bought yeast is not needed!
How to Make Sourdough Starter | 20-Min Video
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Fast forward to Specific Day by video time (using scroll bar underneath video)
- Day 1 Morning: :23
- Day 2 Morning: 4:10
- Day 3 Morning: 7:00
- Day 3 Evening: 9:12
- Day 4 Morning: 11:50
- Day 4 Evening: 13:37
- Day 5 Morning: 14:45
- Day 6 Evening: 16:50
- Day 6 Morning: 18:12
- Day 6 Evening: 20:10
Sourdough Starter Recipe Ingredients
- Jar – A wide-mouth quart jar or a Weck’s 1-liter tulip jar.
- Flour – 5 lb bag of organic bread flour (plus 1 cup organic whole grain flour )
- Water – filtered water, tap water, or mineral water (specifically, San Pellegrino, for the correct mineral ratio). Distilled water does not have enough minerals.
- Scale – using a kitchen scale is optional but handy.
- Thermometer – Knowing the temp of the starter using a thermometer is optional but handy!
Understanding starter
- Think of sourdough starter as yeast. Only in this case, instead of buying a packet of yeast from the store, you are making your own living “wild yeast” by fermenting flour and water. Once it’s bubbly and happy, it is very much ike a very low-maintenance pet.
- You must feed it (stir in a mixture of flour and water) once a week to keep it active and strong. You know it’s happy when it bubbles. 😉 And YES, you can even name it.
- Some people believe that bread made with sourdough starter is actually better for you than bread made with yeast. Here and Here are a few articles to get you started on your own research. While I’m not sure if this is scientifically proven, I do know that bread made with sourdough starter, tastes infinitely better, feels easier to digest, and has more complexity and better texture, than bread made with commercial yeast. So if you are a bread lover- this is absolutely the way to go, as far as the quality of your finished bread.
How to Make Sourdough Starter
*See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
This recipe for Sourdough Starter takes 6 days (or up to 12 days if it is very cold where you live). For a primer, watch the 20-minute Sourdough Video above!
Day 1: Staring in the morning or at night, using a wide-mouth quart jar, tulip jar, or Crock or Glass Measuring Cup , mix 1 cup whole grain flour (120 grams) with 1/2 cup filtered water (120 grams) using a fork (or chopstick) making sure you’ve incorporated all the dry flour.
Place the lid lightly on top (using the Weck jar lid is really handy here) or a wet towel to keep moisture in, or plastic wrap- and let sit at room temperature (70-ish degrees) on the kitchen counter for 24-48 hours. If you are unsure how warm it is, use a kitchen thermometer and check it a few hours later. See notes for TEMPERATURE.
TIP #1: For your first measurement, weigh the flour using a kitchen scale so you can get an idea of how the mixture should feel. Do not weigh the measuring cup! It should be like a thick paste, like peanut butter. If you need to add a little more water to incorporate the flour, that is OK too!
Day 2: After the first 24 hours, there may or may not be a bit of bubbling. Let the mixture rest until you see activity (bubbles or rising) sometimes this takes 36 hours or even 48 hours if very cold. When you see active bubbling, discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter (4 ounces).
To the remaining ½ cup of starter, stir in 1/2 cup water (120 grams), and mix well with a fork. Add 1 cup of organic bread flour (120 grams)spooned and leveled. Stir until combined. Again, it should feel like a thick paste. If overly dry, feel free to add a bit more water. Cover again and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for another 24 hours.
Day 3: After 24 hours, hopefully, you will see some bubbling or rising and if not, let it go a bit longer until you see activity. Be patient.
Depending on how warm your house is and how active your starter, you may need to begin feeding more often or move to two feedings a day, in the morning and at night. If it is cold, one feeding a day may be enough.
TIP #2: Only feed the starter after it has peaked or looks hungry. See the “3 Signs of Hunger” below. Feeding it when it is “not hungry” will basically dilute all the growing yeast and make it lethargic. Better to underfeed than overfeed.
The 3 Signs of hunger
The photo below was taken after the starter was fed, and after it peaked (reached its highest), and now is sliding down. It is now “hungry” again. See the downward slide marks on the jar? Pay attention – your starter is telling you it is hungry.
- Look for “slide marks” (be sure to use a clean jar so you can see these clearly).
- Liquid at the top of the starter.
- Thin and runny. The starter is liquidy enough to pour out of the jar (when at room temp).
This might be 12 hours, it might be 14, it might be 18, or 24, depending on the temp in your house. In very warm climates, it may only be 6-8 hours. In winter, this may take 36 hours. It is better to underfeed rather than overfeed here.
For each feeding, discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter (keeping roughly ½-cup of starter in the jar). Add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup Bread Flour (spooned and leveled). Mix well, cover, and let this rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours or until the starter looks “hungry” again before repeating.
Day 4: Feed 1-2 times, discarding all but 1/2 cup of starter each time. Feed 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup water.
TIP #3: It is typical on day 4 for the starter to slow down and stall a bit. This is OK. Just keep going, be patient and look for the hunger signs, and only feed when clearly hungry. Hopefully, you’ll begin to see some rising and falling. It’s helpful to put the starter in a clean jar each day and mark the beginning level (with a sharpie, string or rubber band) so you can easily see this.
Above, you’ll see it peaking, and below, you’ll see it deflating and getting “hungry.” There may not be too much difference in the beginning, so look closely.
Understand that your starter has a schedule of its own; it is a living thing, so watch it and pay attention.
If your starter is not rising and falling, look at its consistency. As it metabolizes the flour and gets hungry, it will get runny and liquidy, like to the point where you can pour it right out of the jar. If it is still thick like paste, it’s not done metabolizing (eating)the flour.
Day 5: Feed again, 1-2 times, discarding all but a 1/2 cup the starter each time. Adding 1 cup bread flour and 1/2 cup lukewarm water. The starter should look visibly active, bubbling, rising, hopefully, close to doubling in size.
Repeat day 5 until the starter is rising and falling predictably and is close to doubling in size within 6-8 hours.
TIP #4: If your starter is not rising but there is evidence of hunger (liquidy or liquid at the top) try 3 things: substitute 1/4 cup whole grain flour (add to ¾ cup white bread flour) on your next feeding. Try using mineral water like San Pellegrino instead of water. Stir the starter a few times after feeding to allow more wild yeast from the kithcen to get inside.
DAY 6 Morning: Baking day! Give it one last feeding in the morning: this time discard all but a 1/3 cup. (The reason we are changing this to 1/3 cup is to feed it a little bit more.) Add 1 cup flour (120 grams) and 1/2 cup water, stir, and place it in a clean jar so you can see the action clearly. You can use a sharpie or place a rubber band around the jar to mark the beginning level. The starter should hopefully double in volume within 6-8 hours of feeding.
In the photo above, on the 6th day, the starter was fed at 8 am, it peaked around 2 pm, then it started deflating, and by 8 pm, it was “hungry” again. See those downward “slide” marks on the jar?
DO THE FLOAT TEST: When the starter is at its peak, or just after, place a teaspoon of starter (just from the top, don’t stir it down) in a glass full of water; it should hopefully float. If it floats, success!!! Congrats. You can now make our sourdough bread…tonight!
TIP #5: When baking bread always use hungry starter that has already peaked!
STARTER DOES NOT FLOAT? If it doubles in size but does not float, you can still try baking a loaf if it doubles within 6-8 hours of feeding it.
At this point, if your starter does not double in size within 6-8 hours of feeding, don’t give up! Often, it just takes longer, especially during the winter months. Continue feeding one to two times a day until you see a consistent, predictable rise and fall.
Read the troubleshooting section. If you need to take a break, put it in the fridge and try it again up to a week later. Don’t toss it!
Day 6 Evening: Let’s Bake! Use 1/3 cup starter to make this sourdough bread recipe and place the remaining starter (or if not making bread, place all of it) in the refrigerator, and feed it at least once a week, reserving ½ cup starter, before feeding it the usual 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup water.
TROUBLESHOOTING Starter
- SMELL: Starter should smell sweet, tangy, earthy, like a wet horse – not “bad”. If it really smells foul or unpleasant, you may have used an unclean jar, unclean utensil, or somehow introduced other bad bacteria. I would start over.
- NO ACTION: On day 4-5 it is typically for it to slow down. If your starter is not rising at all but there is evidence of hunger (liquid at the top, or bubbles) try 3 things. First substitute 1/4 cup whole grain flour (add to ¾ cup white bread flour) on your next feeding. If no rise, then try using mineral water, specifically San Pellegrino instead of water. San Pelligrino specifically has the right mineral ratio, I have great luck with it. Others not so much! Also try stirring the starter a couple of hours after feeding, a couple of times throughout the day to allow wild yeast from the room to get in there. Lastly, you could try pineapple juice instead of water.
- FLOUR: Try to use fresh milled whole grain flour to start, then organic BREAD FLOUR. The more wild yeast in the flour, the better your starter will do- so smaller brands like Bob’s Red Mill seem to do better than bigger conventional brands that have been overly processed. It is totally OK to mix flours and to switch them up- this adds different kinds of wild yeast- a good thing!
- DO NOT overfeed. For example, maybe feeding 2 x day at 12-hour intervals is too often. You want to feed after the starter has peaked, then deflated (see photo above- you’ll see some slide marks on the jar) and this tells you that it is hungry. If you feed the starter before it has had a chance to metabolize (or eat) all the flour (before peaking) and then you discard part of it, and feed it again, you are actually diluting all that amazing bacteria, weakening your starter. So it’s all about watching your starter in your home. If you are not seeing rising and falling, but notice the starter just gets liquidy, this too is a sign of “hunger”. Or if it gets runny enough to pour out of the jar, another sign it is hungry. There are lots of variables here. Just be patient, pay attention and watch. This is a living thing- it doesn’t care about time schedules and recipes or what it “should” do. It will “eat” when it is “hungry” and sometimes it likes to eat slowly. 😉
- TIME: It may take longer than 6 days in colder environments. Use a kitchen thermometer and take its temp. Is it over 65F? Find a place where it can be warm. In the oven with the light on, or in an upper cupboard ( heat rises). Sometimes it takes 12-14 days! Be patient, keep going. If it is doing absolutely nothing, leave it out on the counter for 24-48 hours and see what happens. If you run out of flour or need a break, don’t just toss it, put it in the fridge and see if you can get it going a few days later.
- ACIDITY: If you still can’t get that starter going, some people recommend subbing pineapple juice for the water for one feeding- raising the acidity level. My good friend just tried this and it got hers going.
- LIQUID: If you see any liquid at the top of your starter, it means your starter is hungry. So, yes it’s still alive which is a good thing! You can stir the liquid in, or pour the liquid out, either way, but feed it. This is a sign that you may need to feed it more often.
- MOLD: if you see any discoloring or mold on the surface, starter was probably contaminated. If it is only on the surface, it is probably ok to save. Scrape it off, save 1/2 cup of the underneath starter, and keep going, using a clean jar. Feed, smell, use your best judgment.
- FLOAT TEST: Try testing when your starter is peaking. Take a spoonful from the top without stirring it down. If your starter is rising and falling consistently, but not passing the float test and it has been over 8-10 days- just try baking a loaf. People are having luck with good loaves without passing the float test. It may be the flour…
How to Maintain Your Starter
- REFRIGERATE & FEED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK: Pick a scheduled day and try to stick with it, always reserving 1/2 cup and feeding it 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Discard the remaining, give it away, or keep the discard in a separate container for sourdough pancakes, sourdough buns, banana bread, biscuits, etc. I usually don’t feed the discard unless I give it away.
- If you forget to feed it one week, it is most likely OK; feed it 1-2 times a day for 1-3 days in a row to revive it (keeping it out on the counter) until bubbly and active and doubles within 6 hours. I’ve left my starter for a month on vacation (in the fridge) without feeding and simply revived it by feeding it 3 days in a row, 1-2 x day. It’s surprisingly hard to kill. You can also freeze it for more extended storage.
- This batch will allow you to bake 2 loaves of bread per week with enough left to feed for the next week. If you want to bake more often, you can keep it out and feed it 1-2 x daily. Or if baking every few days, you can pull it out of the fridge, feed it 10 hours before using, leaving it out, use what you need while it is peaking (or slightly after), then put it back in the fridge that evening. Do the same thing a few days later when ready to use again. So this would be feeding 2-3 times a week, best if baking 4-5 times a week.
The best time to use sourdough starter is just after it peaks or on its way down when you know it is hungry.
Sourdough Bread Starter FAQs
Yes. While you are building your starter, during the first week, it is the simplest, easiest, fastest, and most economical way to create a healthy starter. (Or save it separately -in the fridge- and use it in Pancakes, Waffles, Buns, or Biscuits. ) This is because you always have to feed it two times its volume in flour. For example-if you kept all the 1 1/2 cups of starter, you would have to feed it 3 cups of flour (instead of keeping just a 1/2 cup and only feeding it ONE cup). Discarding will shorten the fermentation process, require less flour in the long run, and create a stronger starter. Once your starter is “established” after the first week- then you can give it away to friends, use it in pizza dough, pancakes, etc) or give it to a friend.
How to use your Sourdough Starter
- See all our Sourdough Recipes!
- Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Biscuits
- Sourdough Buns
- Sourdough Tortillas!
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Overnight Sourdough Waffles
More from Feasting At Home
Simple Sourdough Starter
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 6 days
- Total Time: 144 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups
- Category: sourdough, fermented, cultured, bread, baking,
- Method: fermented
- Cuisine: bread
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make your own Sourdough Starter (see the step-by-step video in post) using simple ingredients with no special equipment, in 6 days, that can be used in sourdough bread. Sourdough Starter is a wild yeast, made from fermenting flour and water.
Ingredients
- 120 grams whole grain flour (whole wheat flour, rye flour, or freshly milled flour) 1 cup, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- Organic White Bread Flour (5-10 lb bag ) I like Shepherd’s Grain or Bob’s Red Mill.
- 120 grams Water per feeding (1/2 cup water)
Instructions
-
- Day 1: Starting in the morning or at night, using a wide-mouth quart jar or Crock or Glass Measuring Cup mix 1 cup whole grain flour (120 grams) with 1/2 cup (120 grams) filtered water using a fork making sure you’ve incorporated all the dry flour. For your first measuring – it is a good idea to weigh the flour, using a kitchen scale so you get an idea of how thick it should feel. It should be like a thick paste. Thick like peanut butter. If you need to add a little more water to incorporate the flour, that is OK, but be precise with the flour. Place the lid on top (using the Weck jar is really handy here) or a damp towel to keep moisture in, or plastic wrap- and let sit at room temperature (70-80 degrees) on the kitchen counter for 24-48 hours, or until you see some bubbling. If you are not sure how warm it is, use a kitchen thermometer and check it a few hours later. See notes for TEMPERATURE.
- Day 2: After the first 24 hours, you may or may not see a bit of bubbling. I prefer to let this rest until I see a tiny bit of activity (bubbles) and sometimes this takes 36 or up to 48 hours. So start “day 2”, when you see a little bit of bubbing. Discard all but 1/2 cup (136 grams) of the starter. (See notes for discard). Add to the remainder, 1 cup of white bread flour, (120 grams), spooned and leveled, and 1/2 cup filtered water (120 grams), mixing well with a fork. Place the lid on loosely again and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature (70-80F) for another 24 hours.
- Day 3: By the third day, you should definitely see some bubbling- and if not, let it go a bit longer. Depending on how warm your house is and how active your starter, you may need to begin feeding more often, or even move to two feedings a day roughly 12 hours apart, like in the morning and at night. In a nutshell, you want to feed the starter only after it has peaked (metabolized all the flour from the last feeding) and has started sinking down or gets liquidy- this is when it is hungry! This might be 12 hours, it might be 14, it might be 18, or 24, depending on the temp in your house. In very warm climates it may only be 8 hours. It is better to underfeed rather than overfeed here. For each feeding, like before, discard all but 1/2 cup of the STARTER (keeping roughly ½-cup of starter in the jar -4 ounces or 136 grams) Add 1 cup Bread Flour (spooned and leveled) and 1/2 cup water to the 1/2 cup starter and let this rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours or until the starter looks “hungry” again before repeating.
- Day 4: Feed 1-2 times, discarding all but 1/2 cup of starter EACH TIME. Feed 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup water. Look for the hunger signs. Hopefully, you’ll begin to see some rising and falling. It’s helpful to put the starter in a clean jar and mark the beginning level (with sharpie, string or rubber band) so you can easily see this. ***If for some reason your starter looks like it is still rising at the time of second feeding (at night) and there is no evidence it has fallen or no slide marks, it is still “eating” so skip this feeding and feed first thing in the morning. AGAIN, Feeding it when it is “not hungry” will basically dilute all the growing yeast and make it lethargic. Better to starve than overfeed.
- Day 5: Feed again, 1-2 times, roughly 12 hours apart, or when hungry, discarding all but a 1/2 cup the starter EACH TIME. 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup lukewarm water. The starter should look active, bubbling, rising, sliding down, hopefully, close to doubling in size. (If not, repeat this day until starter doubles in size within 8-12 hours of feeding- and read the troubleshooting section.)
- DAY 6: Give it one last feeding. Discard all but a 1/3 cup. Add 1 cup flour ( 120 grams) and 1/2 cup water, and place it in a clean jar so you can see the action clearly. You can use a sharpie or place a rubber band around the jar to mark the beginning level. The starter should hopefully double in volume within 6 hours of feeding. When it peaks, DO THE FLOAT TEST: To test the starter, place a teaspoon of starter (just from the top, while it is peaking, don’t stir it down) in a glass full of water, it should hopefully float. If it does, you can make sourdough bread. Tonight! Let the starter keep resting at room temperature or a few more hours allowing it to fully metabolize the flour, perhaps sinking a little before making your dough. You want to make dough with slightly hungry starter. Place the remaining starter in the fridge and feed it in a week. You’ll have enough stater to make one more sourdough loaf during the week, and still have enough to feed. If you want to wait to make bread until later in the week place starter in the fridge. Be sure to feed it in 7 days. Read maintenance section.
- At this point, if your starter does not double in size don’t give up! Often it just takes longer, sometimes up to two weeks, especially if it’s cold. Continue feeding one-two times a day (only when hungry) for a few more days, until you see a visible rise and fall. Read the troubleshooting section. If you need to take a break, just put it in the fridge and try it again up to a week later. Don’t toss it- if there are bubbles, it is still alive.
- This batch of starter will make two loaves of bread with enough left over to feed for the following week.
Notes
- TEMPERATURE: The colder your home, the longer it will take for the starter to grow and become active (bubbles). Find a warm spot (70-80 degrees) for the best results. On the stovetop, with the light turned on, or on top of the fridge. Or in the oven with the light on. On top of a heating pad (set to low) with a towel in between). You can still make the starter in a colder home, it will just take longer- even up to 2 weeks.
- FLOUR: Always try to start the batch by using organic, freshly milled whole-grain flour (wheat or rye) because it has more wild yeast in it than All-Purpose or white flour and will get it active and growing sooner. You can, of course, continue to use whole grain, but I’ve had the best luck using organic “bread” flour for days 2 through 6. People have made a sourdough starter with All-Purpose flour- but personally, this has never worked for me– there are fewer nutrients and wild yeasts in the flour and results in a very lethargic starter. If it is your only option, try mixing in 2+ tablespoons of whole-grain (wheat or rye) with the AP flour per feeding. Feel free to use different flours or mix different flours together. It is OK to use all-purpose flour if in a pinch, but using it repeatedly will result in sad starter.
- WATER: I usually use tap water -but sometimes the chlorine in tap water can inhibit the growth of your starter. Lukewarm water helps fermentation to start faster. Sterilized bottled water is often overly sterile, and can also inhibit. Mineral water, like Perrier (carbonated is OK) can sometimes work miracles.
- HYDRATION: Hydration refers to the ratio of water to flour in terms of weight. It is a ratio. The starter is typically at 100% hydration- meaning equal parts flour and water, in terms of weight. So if you use 120 grams of water, use 120 grams of flour. This roughly translates to 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water. Feel free to weigh instead of measure if you want to be more precise, or want to familiarize yourself with the consistency you are aiming for. If using whole grain flours (which tend to be “thirstier”) and your starter seems very thick, it is totally OK to add more water to thin it a bit. I intentionally keep the hydration a little lower here (a thicker starter) so you can more clearly see the rise and fall “action” in the jar.
- STORING AND FEEDING: When your starter is kept cold, in the fridge, you don’t need to feed it as often- only once a week. Feel free to feed it “cold”, and put it right back in the fridge if you like. If you keep it out on the counter, you’ll likely need to feed it 1-2 x daily (or just watch and feed only when hungry). Cold slows down the fermentation, heat speeds it up.
- USING: When you need to use your starter for baking bread, feed it 10-12 hours before making bread dough, using it after its peak height. For a more “sour” flavored bread, use the starter straight from the fridge, 3-6 days after feeding. The starter gets more sour tasting the longer it goes without feeding. Feeding the starter the same day as making bread will produce a milder sourdough flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 31
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0.2 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 6.2 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
HI! I was giving a starter from a friend and it died a sad death 🙁 I’ve wanted to start again and after reading this article I think I understand more what needs to be done and I’m excited to start this weekend!
I am excited for you! It is a fun process Jess!
Hi Sylvia, I started my starter a couple days ago in the evening and it took 36 hours before I saw activity and next fed it. After I fed it, 12 hours later it tripled in size but it wasn’t done rising so I left it to continue to rise overnight. In the morning, I noticed that it had overflowed and was very runny when I fed it. 12 hours later, it rose a little but there was a little bit of water separation in the middle. I fed it again but I did noticed it still felt runny (not as thick as pancake batter) when I was mixing it. What do you recommend?
Hi Christine, sorry for the delay. I would just keep going, sounds like you are doing everything right! It can be a rollercoaster in the beginning, but it will settle down and come into a rhythm.
Great recipe! Ready to make the dough tonight.
When storing in the fridge in a mason jar do you screw the top on all the way or leave it placed on top?
Just place it on top
Hi and thank you sooo much for taking the time to write this article. Out of all SDS recipes I’ve researched, this looked to be the simplest for a beginner. I am currently on day 8 and using 1/4c whole grain flour, 3/4c bread flour and 1/2c water. Yesterday I fed and it’s now been 24 hrs and it still hasn’t gone down. My question is, do I stir and leave it? Do I discard and feed? Or do I stir and feed? It’s bubbly and has a sweet aromatic smell. Thanks for any advice.
Hi RaQuell, it doesn’t need to go all the way down, just as long as it is on it’s way down, you should be fine to stir, discard and feed. You can also tap the jar on the counter and see if that starts it sinking.
Day 3 my starter more than doubled to the top of the jar. It’s day 4 now and it hasn’t fallen yet. Do i let it fall back down before I let it feed again?
Hi Ashley- Either that or just make sure it is starting to sink.
Normally I don’t read post on blogs, but I would like to say
that this write-up very forced me to try and do it!
Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you,
quite great post.
Thanks Ginger!
Hi there! I’m on Day 14 and my SDS is finally beautiful- more than doubling. It took a long time and lots of nurturing! Now that it has more than doubled and past the float test, do I just put it in the fridge after it starts to “sink” and get hungry? And then feed on a week? Do I cover it with a lid or something else? Thanks!
Congratulations and I commend your patience with this. It takes longer in the winter, good job! Feed it, cover with a lid ( not tight) place in the fridge until hungry ( it will take roughly a week to get hungry again). Or make bread with it now!
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe several times and the same thing keeps happening. On Day 2 I get bubbles and a rise, feed per the recipe and by day 3 (even less than 24 hours), its very liquidy (can pour out), with no evidence of rise or bubbling. I weigh all ingredients, have tried bottled water, etc. where am I going wrong? When I’ve continued with the feedings, nothing happens. THANK YOU!
Hi JC, this is really typical, and nothing is wrong. It sometimes just stalls, and you just need to keep going. Try different flours, try San pellegrino, try moving to a warmer spot. Read ALL the trouble shooting tips. If it is getting “liquidy” (even with no rise) it is very much alive! If it continues to get liquidy, it is “processing” the flour your are feeding it- this is not “nothing”, it is just “shy”. 🙂 Can you tell me it’s temp during the day?
Thank you so much for the reply! It’s winter where we live, but 73 in our kitchen. How long should I get it before feeding from day 2 into 3? It’s liquidy as I described, should I go more than 24 hours? THANK YOU!
Hi, JC, don’t worry about time or going over the 24 hours… just read your starter. If you are not seeing the rise and fall, then base feeding on if is runny enough to pour out of the jar- then it is time to feed.
Hi!
So I made it to day 3 and the starter was soooooo thick when I fed it (became like a dough, not peanut butter) and I let it be thinking it would soften; I used a scale to be precise in the weights. It did expand overnight slightly, but not much so I added water after 24 hours of it just being a hard dough. I waited another 24 hours as it has been very cold here and I thought it affected its digesting. Today, it does not look like much has changed. I am wondering what steps to take next. There is some slight bubbles, but it overall did not do anything. Did I kill it with the water? Should I feed it and see what happens? Should I start over? Lol thank you for the help!
Nope, you didn’t kill it. Adding more water does not hurt.:) I would wait to feed until it is runny enough to pour out of the jar. That way you’ll for sure it it hungry.
You have got to simplify the instructions.
Too much is repeated, and all the side notes (such as temperature and second feedings) need to be in one section with bullet points.
Thanks Ashley- appreciate your feedback. Are you referring to the post body itself, or the recipe card? Do others out there feel this way, just curious?
Love the detail of this recipe! So much info on troubleshooting also! Has answered all my questions and concerns.
Thanks Trinity! Glad it has been helpful!
Wow, that was a pretty strong way of telling someone what ‘they’ need to do.
I think Sylvia’s page is incredibly instructive in a clear and precise manner and I appreciate all the work and detail she put into it.
How long can I keep the discard in the fridge? Can I start saving the discard from day 2?
Yes, Ali, you can, but it may not have enough strength yet to rise things.
I’ve used your sour dough starter recipes to make bread, biscuits, scones, and pancakes and they all turned out fabulous, and my kids loved them! Thanks so much!
Wonderful! So glad to hear this.
With my starter (I got it from a friend but it came with your recipe) how would I go about feeding it to make it stronger?
I keep it in the fridge, do I feed it right away when I take it out or wait til I bubbles and acts “hungry”? After I feed it, can I put it right back in the fridge til the next feed?
Hi Carissa- please read through the maintenance section of the post. You only want to feed it when “hungry”. You can feed it cold and place it back in the fridg right away if not using for a while 🙂
This took 2 weeks because it’s cold here, but it worked. I baked my first beautiful loaf this morning.
Love your patience with this, sometimes it can take a while and glad your bread turned out!
Can you make sourdough bread from your own starter in a bread machine?
Great question Linda and I actually don’t know…does anyone else know if this can be done?
Over the years I’ve been maintaining my starter with a ratio of 1 part starter to 2 parts flour and 2 parts water (15g starter, 30g each flour and water). This is a common ratio I’ve seen in other methods. Your instructions use a ratio of roughly 1:1:1, which I haven’t seen before. Wondering why you use this ratio.
Hi Geno 🙂 So we use 1 part starter, 1 part water and 2 parts flour, based on volume. This is pretty standard? I like to keep the starter thick, so people can easily see the rise.
Hi! My starter was extremely active the first few days (rising out of the jar). However, on day 6 i tried the float test and it sinks straight to the bottom. I tried again on day 7 & still not floating. There are some little bubbles in the starter & consistency is loose/could pour out of jar. What should i do?
Hi Haley- I would read through the troubleshooting section for different things to try. If it is still doubling within 6 hours of feeding (but not floating) you could try making bread. Otherwise I would keep working o the starter. 🙂
That’s for the advice!!! I ended up just baking a loaf using your sourdough bread recipe (my first time) and it turned out great!!! A hit on Thanksgiving🍞🦃🤗
Yay! That is awesome Haley!
I love this sourdough starter recipe! You make it so easy to follow & understand. I had a question about the discard, how long can you keep the discard in the fridge & use it for other recipes, does it go bad at some point?
I’d like to have my starter for breads & discard for all other recipes but wasn’t sure if the discard would go bad at a certain point.
Thanks again for the awesome sourdough start recipe!
Thanks Tiffany-glad this worked for you! The discard doesn’t really go “bad”, it just gets more and more sour with time, which can be too much for some people. It can get a dark hooch on top, which you can pour off.
Once you’ve established your starter after day 6. Can you feed it without having to discard to get more starter? And if yes how much?
Hi Katelyn. When trying to make more starter… match the water and double the flour. For example: if you have 1 cup of starter, feed it 1 cup water and 2 cups flour. If you have 1 ½ cups starter, feed it 1 ½ cups water and 3 cups flour. Hopefully that makes sense.
Hi Sylvia, This is my first time making Sourdough starter or bread. Thank you for the easy to follow steps and the videos. It has taken the mystery out of the process for me. My question is around the starter on Day 6. Can I use 1/3 c of the discarded starter and add the flour and water. In my mind that would give me a second starter that I could give to a friend. Would that work? Thank you in advance.
Yes, that is correct. The starter can either make 2 loaves, with enough left to feed, or, of course, give some away. 🙂
I’m on day 9ish. My starter seems active. It’s bubby and smells as it should. However, it’s not rising it 6 hours. It’s taking more like 12. I’ve been keeping it in the oven to stay warm. And have also been using 1/4 cup of whole wheat during feedings as you suggested. While it’s not rising in 6 hours, it is passing the float test! Am I ready to bake bread? First timer here, haha.
Is it doubling in 12 hours?
Yes, and I held off on feeding yesterday as it’s floating. Should I put in the fridge and try to bake this week?
Ideally you want to to double a little faster. But if you are anxious to try, give it a go. Your bread will probably take much longer to rise as well.
Okay. So should I just start feeding daily until it starts to rise in 6 hours? It seems to have stalled a bit and I’ve been using 1/4 cup of whole wheat.
I would, or at least a little closer? Also try the San Pellegrino.
Can I use the “discard” and begin feeding it separately in another jar to begin another starter?
For sure!
Thank you for the detailed recipe. I have a quick question. I am on day 7 and my starter has lots of bubbles but has only risen to 1/4 of it is size. It’s been 24 hours from my last feeding, should I be feeding it once it doubles in size or should I feed it regardless if it has doubled?
Thank you!
Hi Tina, So it may not double- and still be hungry. If the starter is runny enough to pour out of the jar, it has processed all the flour from the last feeding and should be fed. Read through the trouble shooting section to get that rise that you need to bake bread.
This seems so wasteful to only save and feed 1/2 cup every day. That amount you discard is so much😳
Why can’t I just continually feed the first mixture and just build upon that? I genuinely love to know because I would hate to throw out so much flour/starter every day.
In theory you could-but you’d be feeding it it double the volume of the starter. Each time this would be more and more flour. Which in the end is actually more using flour, than discarding and feeding only a part of the starter. But, you could halve the recipe if you like, right form the beginning and make a smaller batch?
OMG…so complicated 🙁
Hi Sue, sorry, my goal here was to make it as simple as possible- and to help people understand the process- and once you do, it really does become simple. 🙂