How to Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Create your own sourdough starter from just flour and water in just 7 days.
Equipment
- Large Glass Jar with a lid
- Food Scale
- Wood spurtle or spatula
Ingredients
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour (organic is always best)
- Filtered Water (room temperature)
Instructions
- Day 1: In a clean glass jar , mix together 120g unbleached all purpose flour and 120g room temperature filtered water. (120g flour is 1 cup and 120g water is 1/2 cup)
- Mix well: Use a wood spurtle or spatula to thoroughly combine the flour and water mixture until there are no dry lumps remaining.
- Cover and let it sit: Loosely cover the container with a lid, clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place it in a warm spot at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
- Wait and observe: Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 24 hours. During this time, wild yeasts from the environment and the flour will start colonizing the mixture, kick-starting the fermentation process.
- Day 2: Feed the starter: After 24 hours, you may notice some activity, such as bubbles forming on the surface. This is a good sign that the yeasts and bacteria are becoming active. Discard about half of the mixture, and then feed it with 120g flour and 120g room temperature water. Mix well. Cover. Leave on your counter for another day.
- Days 3-7: Repeat this process: Every day, repeat the process of discarding half of the starter and feeding it with 120g flour and 120g water. This helps establish a strong and healthy community of yeasts and bacteria. Your starter may begin to stink, do not worry, it is normal and the smell will improve as the starter becomes more mature. Optional: Days 5-7 you may discard and feed twice a day to really encourage your starter's growth.
- Watch for signs of readiness: As the days pass, you will notice the starter becoming more active, with increased bubbling and a pleasant, slightly tangy aroma. This is a sign that your sourdough starter is maturing and can be used to make bread. If your starter doubles in size in 6-8 hours, this is a good sign that it is ready to be baked with.
- Day 8: Start baking with your sourdough starter: Once your starter is active, you can use it to make delicious sourdough bread or other baked goods. Remember to reserve a small portion of the starter as a "seed" so you can continue feeding and maintaining it for future use.
Notes
Not every starter will develop in the same amount of time. There are several variables such as temperature, flour quality, etc that can effect the amount of time it will take for a starter to be mature enough to bake with. If your starter is not ready on Day 8, do not worry. You are not doing anything wrong, it is not "dead", and you do not need to start over. In fact, starting over new would just delay the process even longer.
Most likely, your starter just needs more time. Keep repeating the process until your starter has doubled in size.
If you feel that your starter is lagging, you can try energizing it a bit by doing twice a day discards/feedings starting at Day 5. To do this, you would just discard and feed exactly as you have been, but do it twice a day, making sure there is about 6 hours minimum in between feedings.
You want your starter to be similar to pancake batter. If it ever begins to become runny or watery, simply feed it more flour than water. For example, try feeding it 170g flour:120g water.
If your starter is still failing to become active, you may want to try a higher quality flour. I only use organic. If you have a grain mill, freshly milled will give you the highest quality.