sourdough starter

Sourdough starter requires tender loving care and lots of patience. Treat it like a pet... give it love and don't let it die.

Don't get discouraged. No matter how much someone can try to explain it to you, it's ultimately a trial and error-process, and you'll develop tricks to make things easier. My mom taught me how to make my own starter, eventually walking me through the bread-making process... however, our techniques are not the same.

Making sourdough starter will take about 5 days, but it could take longer depending on your kitchen's conditions (temperature & humidity). Each day you will "feed" your starter with flour and water. As time goes on, you will notice a pungent sour smell emitting from your starter, this is good. Hopefully resulting in bubbles and rise each day.

To "feed" your starter means to add more flour and water. Sourdough is alive, so to feed it, you are allowing the live yeast and bacteria within it to continue to ferment and stay active.

ingredients & tools

unbleached bread flour
filtered water
glass jar/bowl
kitchen scale (grams)

day 1

add 100 grams of filtered lukewarm water and 100 grams of unbleached bread flour.
Stir vicariously, scraping down the sides until combined. It will resemble a sticky thick batter.
cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)
let sit for 24 hours

day 2

inspect your starter – a few tiny bubbles is great, but it might be too early, so don't worry if you don't see any.
feed your starter – in an empty glass jar, add 100 grams of starter, 100 grams of water, and 100 grams of flour.
the excess starter left behind in your previous jar is called "discard." This can be used in a recipe (once your starter is healthy), or you can throw it out.
cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)
let sit for 24 hours

day 3

inspect your starter – you should start to see a little more activity (bubbles and growth), it might even start to smell a little sour.
feed your starter
let sit for 24 hours

day 4

inspect your starter – by now, your starter should look very bubbly, and have a strong sour odor. When you stir it, it should feel loose and airy.
feed your starter
let sit for 24 hours

day 5

feed your starter
let sit for 12 hours
how do you know if your starter is ready to be used?
- float test! Fill a cup with water and drop in a spoonful of starter. If the sourdough floats, it's ready!

maintaining your starter

Keeping it alive:
- in a new jar, add:
  - 50 grams sourdough starter
  - 50 grams flour
  - 50 grams water
how often do I need to feed my starter?
- sourdough starter does not need to be fed every day
- take your starter out of the fridge and feed it 6-12 hours before use.
where do I store my starter?
- a healthy starter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks without being fed, or on your countertop if you are consistently baking
what if I forget about my starter?
- chances are, it will be okay. feed it and see what happens.
what is the black liquid on top of my starter?
- it's hooch. sourdough starter has naturally occurring alcohol and an unbalanced starter can produce excess alcohol, which looks like a greyish liquid sitting on top of your starter. This means it's hungry.
- notice how much liquid is sitting on top and how dark the color is. If there is a small amount and the color is not yet dark grey/black, then mix in it before you discard half of your starter. If there is a large layer of very dark liquid, pour it out before feeding your starter.

31441322-53E7-4BCD-A304-780269A11B57_1_1

sourdough starter

ingredients & tools

unbleached bread flour

filtered water

glass jar/bowl

kitchen scale (grams)

day 1

add 100 grams of filtered lukewarm water and 100 grams of unbleached bread flour.

Stir vicariously, scraping down the sides until combined. It will resemble a sticky thick batter.

cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)

let sit for 24 hours

day 2

inspect your starter – a few tiny bubbles is great, but it might be too early, so don't worry if you don't see any.

feed your starter – in an empty glass jar, add 100 grams of starter, 100 grams of water, and 100 grams of flour.

the excess starter left behind in your previous jar is called "discard." This can be used in a recipe (once your starter is healthy), or you can throw it out.

cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)

let sit for 24 hours

day 3

inspect your starter – you should start to see a little more activity (bubbles and growth), it might even start to smell a little sour.

feed your starter

let sit for 24 hours

day 4

inspect your starter – by now, your starter should look very bubbly, and have a strong sour odor. When you stir it, it should feel loose and airy.

feed your starter

let sit for 24 hours

day 5

feed your starter

let sit for 12 hours

how do you know if your starter is ready to be used?

float test! Fill a cup with water and drop in a spoonful of starter. If the sourdough floats, it's ready!

maintaining your starter

Keeping it alive:

in a new jar, add:

50 grams sourdough starter​

50 grams flour

50 grams water

how often do I need to feed my starter?

​sourdough starter does not need to be fed every day​

take your starter out of the fridge and feed it 6-12 hours before use.

where do I store my starter?

​a healthy starter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks without being fed, or on your countertop if you are consistently baking

what if I forget about my starter?

chances are, it will be okay. feed it and see what happens.

what is the black liquid on top of my starter?

it's hooch. sourdough starter has naturally occurring alcohol and an unbalanced starter can produce excess alcohol, which looks like a greyish liquid sitting on top of your starter. This means it's hungry.​

notice how much liquid is sitting on top and how dark the color is. If there is a small amount and the color is not yet dark grey/black, then mix in it before you discard half of your starter. If there is a large layer of very dark liquid, pour it out before feeding your starter.

50 grams sourdough starter

sourdough starter does not need to be fed every day

a healthy starter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks without being fed, or on your countertop if you are consistently baking

it's hooch. sourdough starter has naturally occurring alcohol and an unbalanced starter can produce excess alcohol, which looks like a greyish liquid sitting on top of your starter. This means it's hungry.