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A bubbly, active sourdough starter in a small glass jar.
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How to Make Sourdough Starter

Learning how to make sourdough starter from scratch is a rewarding experience that allows you to bake your own sourdough bread right at home. This easy sourdough starter recipe is made with minimal flour, which means less discard to throw away.
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Prep Time 7 days
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 7 days
Servings 1 sourdough starter
Calories 52kcal
Author Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 55 grams whole wheat flour
  • 30 grams unbleached bread flour
  • 85 grams warm water 80-90°F

Instructions

  • Day 1: Mix together 5 grams of whole wheat flour and 5 grams of warm water in a small glass jar, making sure no dry flour remains. Cover loosely with a lid, cloth, or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
  • Day 2: Without discarding, add 5 grams of whole wheat flour, 5 grams of bread flour, and 10 grams of warm water to the jar. Stir until well combined and store covered at room temperature for 24 hours.
  • Day 3: Discard all except 5 grams of starter. Add 5 grams of whole wheat flour, 5 grams of bread flour, and 10 grams of warm water to the remaining starter and stir well to combine. Store covered at room temperature for 24 hours.
  • Days 4-7: Discard all except 5 grams of starter. Add 10 grams of whole wheat flour, 5 grams of bread flour, and 15 grams of warm water to the remaining starter. Stir well to combine, cover, and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
  • Maintenance: By day 7, your starter should be very bubbly and doubling in volume roughly 6-8 hours after feeding when stored around 75℉. If not, continue feeding 5 grams of starter with 10 grams of whole wheat flour, 5 grams of bread flour, and 15 grams of warm water until your starter is active and bubbly.
    When you're ready to bake bread, you can increase the amount of starter by keeping and feeding 25 grams of starter with 75 grams of flour (a blend of 50 grams whole wheat flour and 25 grams bread flour) and 75 grams of warm water, which will give you about 175 grams of active starter to work with. Just don't forget to keep a small amount to feed again!
  • Storage: If you bake often, store your starter at room temperature and feed it every 24 hours. If not, you may consider storing your starter in the refrigerator and only feeding it every 7-10 days. If you store it in the refrigerator, you will need to feed it for a day or two before baking with it to make sure it is nice and active.

Notes

  • Don't use chlorinated tap water. Chlorine can make it harder for the yeast and bacteria in your sourdough starter to work properly, which can lead to difficulties in getting your bread to rise properly.
  • Use unbleached flour. Bleached flour is treated with chemicals that make it look whiter and brighter, but these chemicals can also harm the good bacteria and yeast that you want in your starter.
  • Aim for a consistent temperature. Find the warmest spot in your kitchen to store your starter. If the temperature fluctuates a lot, it can be hard to predict when your starter is ready to use.
  • Keep it out of direct sunlight. Sunlight can harm the bacteria and yeast in your starter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sourdough starter | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Did you try this recipe?Let me know! Comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram @everydayhomemadebyashley.