Sourdough Starter Recipe

Learn how to make a sourdough starter with this easy recipe for beginners. All you need is flour and water, a little time and then use your 'wild yeast' to make bread and more!

Total Time: 7

Servings: sourdough starter

Equipment

1 Glass Jar

Ingredients

To begin your starter

½ cup (55 g) rye flour , whole wheat or pumpernickel
¼ cup (50 g) filtered room temperature water

To feed your starter

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose unbleached flour , or bread flour
¼ cup (50 g) filtered room temperature water

Instructions

Establish a feed time: Before you begin this process, establish the time you will feed your starter every day that works well with your schedule (you will feed about every 24 hours).
Day one: Add 1/2 cup (60 g) rye flour (or whole wheat) and 1/4 cup (50g) water to a glass jar. Stir until combined. Cover loosely with a lid and keep in a warm spot (ideally 75-80°F) for 24 hours.
Day 2, 3,4,5: Remove half of your starter from the jar. Add 1/2 cup (60 g) of all purpose flour and 1/4 cup (50 g) water. Mix well and cover. Each day the yeast will continue to grow and more bubbles should appear.
Day six: Place 100 grams of your starter in a new jar. Then add about 2/3 cup (100 g) of all purpose flour and 1/3 cup (75 g) water to feed your starter. Mix well and cover. Place a rubberband or piece of tape on the jar to measure the growth. Today it should double in size.
Day seven: Today your starter should be nice and active. If it isn't, you can give it one more day and add in half rye flour. About four hours before you'd like to begin baking give it one last feed. Once it has doubled in size and is very bubbly you can use this starter to bake with.
*Make sure to leave 1/4 cup starter in the jar and feed again so you'll always have starter.
Store: Feed your starter and you can leave it on the counter if you plan to use again the next day or you can store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to activate it again.

Notes

A name: Give your starter a name (it makes it more fun)! The starter I have that's been passed down I named Ina and my new starter is named Joy (after my grandmas).

Timeline: The overall process will take about 7-10 days depending on the climate. An ideal temperature for a starter is 75-80°F.

Starter struggling? Make sure to feed into a new jar and store in a warm place. If it continues to struggle, try feeding with half rye flour. Also, make sure your starter is not watery. Scoop off any hooch (dark water) and keep the starter thick (like pancake batter).

Storing: Unless you'll be baking with your starter daily, keep your starter in a covered jar in the fridge. This puts the fermentation on a slow simmer, and you only need to feed it when you're ready to bake (try to feed at least 1-2 times a month).

Nutrition