Creating a sourdough starter from scratch captures wild yeast and bacteria from flour and air, forming a natural leavener for bread and baked goods. This process takes about 7 days with daily attention, yielding better flavor and digestibility than commercial yeast. Patience rewards with a tangy, bubbly culture ready for baking.
This beginner friendly guide simplifies the process with a proven 7-day schedule, essential tools, and troubleshooting tips drawn from real experiences. No fancy equipment needed just flour, water, and consistency yield a lively starter for endless bakes. Follow along to master this timeless skill and elevate your home baking.
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What is Sourdough?
Sourdough refers to a natural fermentation process powered by a lively sourdough starter, where wild yeast and beneficial bacteria team up to leaven bread and baked goods. Unlike commercial yeast, a sourdough starter captures microbes from flour and air, producing lactic acid and carbon dioxide over time for that signature tangy flavor and airy crumb. This ancient method transforms simple ingredients into flavorful loaves, pancakes, or pizza crusts through slow, patient fermentation.
At its core, a sourdough starter acts as the living heart of sourdough baking a thick, bubbly mixture of flour and water fed daily to keep the yeast and bacteria thriving. Maintaining your sourdough starter builds strength, breaking down phytic acid for better digestibility while creating those irresistible bubbles that make sourdough bread so special. Once active, your sourdough starter opens doors to endless recipes, from crusty artisan loaves to quick discard treats.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
A sourdough starter is that magical, bubbly concoction of flour and water alive with wild yeast and bacteria, serving as the natural powerhouse for all your sourdough baking adventures. At its simplest, your sourdough starter begins as equal parts flour and filtered water mixed together daily, capturing airborne microbes and those naturally present in the flour to create a thriving culture. This sourdough starter isn’t just a leavener, it’s a living entity that ferments dough slowly, producing the carbon dioxide bubbles that give sourdough bread its signature open crumb and irresistible rise.
Think of your sourdough starter as the beating heart of homemade sourdough magic, fed consistently to grow strong and tangy over about a week. A healthy sourdough starter doubles in size after feedings, fills with tiny bubbles throughout, and smells pleasantly yeasty rather than off putting, signaling it’s ready to transform basic loaves, pizza dough, or even pancakes. Nurturing your sourdough starter rewards you with better digestibility from broken down phytic acid and flavors you can’t get from store bought yeast, making every bake feel like a personal achievement.
Why bake with Sourdough?
Baking with sourdough delivers unmatched tangy flavor from natural fermentation, plus superior digestibility as the sourdough starter breaks down phytic acid in flour. Beyond taste and health perks like easier gluten tolerance, nurturing a sourdough starter brings pure joy through the slow, rewarding ritual of creating fluffy, artisanal loaves at home.
Flavor:
Unlike many bread products you will find in the grocery store, sourdough bread has a signature tang that is full of rich flavor. This is due to the fermentation process.
Once you take that first bit of sourdough, don’t be surprised if you can’t ever go back to ordinary bread.
Health:
During the long fermentation process, your sourdough starter will feed on the flour (yes, like a living thing!), specifically breaking down the phytic acid naturally found in flour.
This makes digesting sourdough bread a much easier process. Many with gluten intolerances, except those with celiac, are able to enjoy sourdough bread because of this reason.
Pure Enjoyment:
Lastly, there is just something so fulfilling and magical about making sourdough bread from scratch. It is wild witnessing two very basic ingredients, flour and water, become the catalyst of your delicious and beautiful bakes.
There is something comforting about the whole process. Mixing, stretching, and seeing the dough rise from start to finish. Making sourdough forces you to step away from the hustle and bustle of your life and purposefully slow down. It’s a step into the past as we practice passed-down traditions.
Baking with sourdough has captivated my heart and I hope it will yours as well.
All About the Tools:
Jars
Wide mouth glass jars like mason or Weck styles make the perfect home for your sourdough starter, offering easy access for stirring and clear visibility to watch those bubbles form. Glass won’t react with the acidic sourdough starter, keeping your culture pure and healthy over time.
Mixing Tool
A simple kitchen spoon, rubber spatula, or wooden utensil works great for thoroughly incorporating flour and water into your sourdough starter without scratching the jar. Choose something that reaches all corners to ensure even mixing and no dry flour pockets.
Kitchen Scale
A digital kitchen scale is non negotiable for sourdough starter success, providing precise gram measurements that volume cups can’t match due to packing variations. This accuracy keeps your feedings consistent at 1:1:1 ratios for a strong, predictable rise.
Rubber Band
Stretch a rubber band around your jar at the post feeding height to visually track your sourdough starter’s doubling, a key sign of readiness for baking. It’s a cheap, simple trick that helps beginners gauge activity without guesswork.
All About the Ingredients
Flour:
Start your sourdough starter with organic rye or whole wheat flour for their high natural yeast and bacteria content that kickstarts fermentation quickly. From day 3, switch to unbleached all purpose or bread flour to build a robust sourdough starter: always use fresh flour since expired batches weaken activity.
Water:
Filtered, room temperature water protects your young sourdough starter from chlorine in tap water that can kill microbes, with lukewarm temps speeding up the process in cooler homes. Once established, some bakers experiment with tap, but filtered keeps your sourdough starter thriving reliably.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch: Daily Schedule
Sourdough Starter Recipe
Day 1:
On the first day, grab your kitchen scale and weigh out your clean jar of choice. First things first, it is important to note how much your jar weighs before adding your first ingredients as it will be helpful information throughout the sourdough starter-making process.
Next, add 60g (1/2 cup) of organic rye flour or whole wheat flour and 60g (1/4 cup) of room-temperature, filtered water to your jar.
Stir until all of the flour and water has been incorporated. Be sure to scrape all of the sides so that no flour is left behind. The consistency should be thick, like pancake batter, almost pasty.
Cover with a tea towel, plastic wrap, or a loose canning lid. You want to make sure that you cover the sourdough starter to prevent extra bacteria or insects from getting into your starter, but you also want to cover it loosely to allow CO2 to escape.
Leave your starter in a warm spot for 24hrs.
Day 2:
The next day, scan your sourdough starter for signs of fermentation. You might notice small bubbles on top and throughout your homemade sourdough starter. That is a sign that the fermentation process has begun! If you do not see any bubbles, that is okay. The tiny bubbles may have come and gone while you were sleeping.
Keep your sourdough starter covered and in a warm place for another 24 hours.
Day 3:
Today will be the first time you will feed your sourdough starter. To do so, you will need your kitchen scale, organic all-purpose flour or white bread flour, and room-temperature, filtered water. Weigh your sourdough starter and discard half of the new starter (about 60g).
Believe me, I’m not too fond of waste, but this is necessary in order to cultivate a healthy starter. In a few days, you will be able to use and save that discard for yummy recipes like sourdough pancakes or banana bars. But for now, discard half of the starter. Trust the process.
Mix equal parts water and flour (60g of each) into your jar and mix thoroughly with your remaining starter. Again, the texture will be thick and pasty, a little bit like peanut butter. Add more water if necessary.
Cover loosely and leave in a warm spot for another 24 hours.
Days 4-6:
For the next couple of days, repeat the exact same process described on Day 3. You will start to notice more activity from your sourdough starter. Place a rubber band on the outside of the jar to track how much it grows each day.
Feed the starter again when you noticed it has fallen back to its mixing height. Depending on the temperature of your environment and the ingredients used, this could mean 1-2 feedings a day.
Something you might notice during the next few days is a dark and pungent-smelling liquid on top of your sourdough starter. Don’t be alarmed, your starter is not ruined. This is known as hooch and it is a sign that your starter is hungry.
If you have brown liquid, or hooch, on top, you have two options. You can either remove the dark liquid or stir it in your starter. Some prefer stirring in the hooch to add a more sour flavor to their dough. I go back and forth. You choose!
Day 7:
Now you should begin to notice that your starter is rising at least double its size with plenty of bubbles on top and throughout. The texture should look light and puffy, but not runny. A bubbly and active sourdough stater’s aroma should be pleasantly sweet and yeast-smelling, not sour or like gym socks.
When all of these clues are present, you are ready to bake bread!
If not, don’t worry. It is quite common for some starters to need more time to develop a strong culture of bacteria. Continue to discard and feed your starter for another few days up to two weeks. Whatever you do, don’t give up.
Is My Sourdough Starter Ready?
The infamous question for every beginner sourdough baker….”How do I know if my starter is ready?”
What makes this question so frustrating is there is no exact timeframe for when a starter is ready to use. Instead, you will gauge if a sourdough starter is ready to use by some telltale signs. This sounds intimidating at first, but trust me, the more you practice and bake with sourdough, your confidence will grow as you grow to know your starter.
Here are some go to signs of what an active starter will look like:
- The starter has doubled in size (I track this growth by putting a rubber band on the outside of my jar)
- You can see plenty of bubbles on top and all throughout the starter. Some may be small or large, either is great a sign!
- Your starter has a pleasant yeasty smell to it, not super sour or pungent.
If all of these are present, then your starter should be all set to bake homemade bread!
If you are still a bit unsure, one test that I have used in the past is the float test. To do so, fill a drinking glass with lukewarm water and drop a spoonful of your sourdough starter in the cup. If your starter floats, it is ready to use! If it sinks to the bottom of the cup, then allow your starter more time to ferment.
Troubleshooting:
Temperature:
Sourdough starters are huge fans of warm environments. When placed in a warm location, around 70 degrees, sourdough starters will feast on the flour and water and double in size quickly.
If your home tends to be on the cooler side, you might want to place your starter near a fridge or in a cabinet. Another good way to create a warm location for your starter is to place it in your OFF oven with the oven light on.
Now be careful with this practice, because many of the starters have accidentally been forgotten about and burnt to a crisp. It would be a good idea to put a sticky note on the oven reminding you it’s in there before preheating!
Ratio:
If you read about sourdough long enough, you will hear about hydration levels. This is another way of communicating the amounts of flour and water in your starter. The most common starter ratio is a 1:1 ratio, meaning equal amounts of flour, water, and starter.
Quick glance:
- 60 grams of flour or 1/2 cup of flour
- 60 grams of water or 1/4 cup of water
- 60 grams of starter or 3 heaping Tablespoons
How to Feed and Maintain Your Sourdough Starter:
You made it through the entire process of developing your own bubbly starter, but you’re wondering, “Now what?”
Maintaining your sourdough starter to survive and thrive for years to come is quite simple. There are two main practices.
Refrigerator:
If you are someone who might want to try a new bread recipe once a week, I suggest you place your starter in the refrigerator. Being in a chilled environment will slow down the feeding process of the starter. This way you will only need to feed it once every week or every two weeks.
For example, if I want to make a loaf of bread on Thursday evening, I will pull my sourdough starter out of the fridge that morning and feed it. Throughout the day it will warm to room temperature and become bubbly and active again just in time for me to make my bread dough that evening.
Once I’ve used the needed amount of starter, I will discard until I have 30 grams of starter (save the discard for yummy discard recipes like Sourdough Discard Banana Bars with Vanilla Glaze or Sourdough Blueberry Buckle) and feed it the same amount of flour and water. Mix it all up and put it back in the fridge.
Countertop:
Now if you plan on making sourdough treats more often, keeping your sourdough starter on the kitchen counter may be a better option for you.
Since the starter will be kept at room temperature, it will feed on the flour much faster than the sourdough starter in the fridge. Therefore, you will need to feed your starter more frequently – typically every 12-24 hours. Keep it covered loosely and in a location with ambient temperature.
How to Use Your Sourdough Starter:
Here are some of my favorite beginner recipes for sourdough!
- Easy Sourdough Bread for Beginners
- Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Sourdough Biscuits
- Sourdough Pancakes
For More Guidance:
Do I have to Discard Half of my Starter?
Yes, discarding half your sourdough starter before each feeding is essential during the first 7-14 days to build a healthy, active culture without overwhelming flour needs. Without discard, your sourdough starter grows exponentially starting at 60g, it could demand over 300g flour daily by day 5, becoming unmanageable and weakening the yeast balance.
This practice isn’t wasteful; it concentrates microbes for faster fermentation while keeping portions small. Save discard after day 7 for pancakes, crackers, or bars early discard goes to compost as bacteria stabilize. Trust the process for a thriving sourdough starter that bakes reliably.
How to Use Your Sourdough Discard:
Here are some of my favorite sourdough discard recipes!
- Sourdough Discard Pie Crust – Sweet or Savory Pies
- Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Discard Banana Bars with Vanilla Glaze
- Sourdough Blueberry Buckle
Happy sourdough making!
Can I use bread flour in my sourdough starter?
Yes, from day 3 onward, unbleached bread flour works excellently alongside all purpose for feeding your sourdough starter, providing higher protein for stronger gluten development.
What if my sourdough starter isn’t bubbling by day 3?
How do I store sourdough discard?
Is the float test reliable for readiness?
Warnings:
- Avoid using boiling or very hot water when feeding your sourdough starter; excess heat can kill the wild yeast and bacteria and stall fermentation.
- Do not seal the jar tightly; cover loosely so CO2 can escape while keeping dust and insects out.
- Avoid metal containers or reactive metal utensils for long-term contact with your sourdough starter, as acidity can affect both flavor and culture health.
- Do not leave your starter in the oven as a warm spot and then preheat the oven by mistake; always remove it before turning the oven on.
- Do not skip discarding in the early days; letting the sourdough starter grow unchecked dilutes its strength and can lead to off smells or potential spoilage.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
- Organic Rye Flour
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Filtered Water
Instructions
Day 1:
- On the first day, grab your kitchen scale and weigh out your clean jar of choice. First things first, it is important to note how much your jar weighs before adding your first ingredients as it will be helpful information throughout the sourdough starter-making process. You can write this information on my Free Printable – How to Make a Sourdough Starter, as you track your sourdough starter-making journey!
- Next, add 60g (1/2 cup) of organic rye flour or whole wheat flour and 60g (1/4 cup) of room-temperature, filtered water to your jar.
- Stir until all of the flour and water has been incorporated. Be sure to scrape all of the sides so that no flour is left behind. The consistency should be thick, like pancake batter, almost pasty.
- Cover with a towel, plastic wrap, or a loose canning lid. You want to make sure that you cover the sourdough starter to prevent extra bacteria or insects from getting into your starter, but you also want to cover it loosely to allow CO2 to escape.
- Leave your starter in a warm spot for 24hrs.
Day 2:
- The next day, scan your sourdough starter for signs of fermentation. You might notice small bubbles on top and throughout your homemade sourdough starter. That is a sign that the fermentation process has begun! If you do not see any bubbles, that is okay. The tiny bubbles may have come and gone while you were sleeping.
- Keep your sourdough starter covered and in a warm place for another 24 hours.
Day 3:
- Today will be the first time you will feed your sourdough starter. To do so, you will need your kitchen scale, organic all-purpose flour or white bread flour, and room-temperature, filtered water. Weigh your sourdough starter and discard half of the new starter (about 60g).
- Believe me, I’m not too fond of waste, but this is necessary in order to cultivate a healthy starter. In a few days, you will be able to use and save that discard for yummy recipes like sourdough pancakes or banana bars. But for now, discard half of the starter. Trust the process.
- Mix equal parts water and flour (60g of each) into your jar and mix thoroughly with your remaining starter. Again, the texture will be thick and pasty, a little bit like peanut butter. Add more water if necessary.
- Cover loosely and leave in a warm spot for another 24 hours.
Days 4-6:
- For the next couple of days, repeat the exact same process described for Day 3. You will start to notice more activity from your sourdough starter. Place a rubber band on the outside of the jar to track how much it grows each day.
- Feed the starter again when you noticed it has fallen back to its mixing height. Depending on the temperature of your environment and the ingredients used, this could mean 1-2 feedings a day.
- Something you might notice during the next few days is a dark and pungent-smelling liquid on top of your sourdough starter. Don’t be alarmed, your starter is not ruined. This is known as hooch and it is a sign that your starter is hungry.
- If you have brown liquid, or hooch, on top, you have two options. You can either remove the dark liquid or stir it in your starter. Some prefer stirring in the hooch to add a more sour flavor to their dough. I go back and forth. You choose!
Day 7:
- Now you should begin to notice that your starter is rising at least double its size with plenty of bubbles on top and throughout. The texture should look light and puffy, but not runny. A bubbly and active sourdough stater’s aroma should be pleasantly sweet and yeast-smelling, not sour or like gym socks.
- When all of these clues are present, you are ready to bake bread!
- If not, don’t worry. It is quite common for some starters to need more time to develop a strong culture of bacteria. Continue to discard and feed your starter for another few days up to two weeks. Whatever you do, don’t give up.
Notes
- Here are some go-to signs of what an active starter will look like:
- The starter has doubled in size (I track this growth by putting a rubber band on the outside of my jar)
- You can see plenty of bubbles on top and all throughout the starter. Some may be small or large, either is great a sign!
- Your starter has a pleasant yeasty smell to it, not super sour or pungent.
- If all of these are present, then your starter should be all set to bake homemade bread!
- If you are still a bit unsure, one test that I have used in the past is the float test. To do so, fill a drinking glass with lukewarm water and drop a spoonful of your sourdough starter in the cup. If your starter floats, it is ready to use! If it sinks to the bottom of the cup, then allow your starter more time to ferment.
- How to Feed and Maintain Your Sourdough Starter:
- You made it through the entire process of developing your own bubbly starter, but you’re wondering, “Now what?”
- Maintaining your sourdough starter to survive and thrive for years to come is quite simple. There are two main practices.
Refrigerator:
- If you are someone who might want to try a new bread recipe once a week, I suggest you place your starter in the refrigerator. Being in a chilled environment will slow down the feeding process of the starter, so you will only need to feed it once every week or every two weeks.
- For example, if I want to make a loaf of bread on Thursday evening, I will pull my sourdough starter out of the fridge that morning and feed it. Throughout the day it will warm to room temperature and become bubbly and active again just in time for me to make my bread dough that evening.
- Once I’ve used the needed amount of starter, I will discard until I have 30 grams of starter (save the discard for yummy discard recipes below!) and feed it the same amount of flour and water. Mix it all up and put it back in the fridge.
Countertop:
- Now if you plan on making sourdough treats more often, keeping your sourdough starter on the kitchen counter may be a good option for you.
- Since the starter will be kept at room temperature, it will feed on the flour much faster than the sourdough starter in the fridge. Therefore, you will need to feed your starter more frequently – typically every 12-24 hours. Keep it covered loosely and in a location with ambient temperature.
More Recipes:
