How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Sharing is caring!

Welcome to the wonderful world of sourdough! You must be here because you want to learn how to make a sourdough starter. Well, you’ve come to the right place!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Follow along as I share my secrets on how I make the thriving starter and tips on how to maintain it. The process is not a hard one, but it takes time a good memory to remember to feed it each day.

I’ve always loved sourdough bread. I love the crispy, tangy flavor and when I found out it may have some health benefits over other types of bread, I was all in!

Ingredients

The ingredients are simple. All it takes is flour, water and a jar (and a bit of patience!) and you’ll have your own sourdough starter soon! It takes about a week to get a good starter going, but you’ll get best results with baking after a couple weeks (or slightly more, depending on your home).

What Type of Flour Works Best?

The beauty of sourdough is that you can use multiple kinds of flour to create a successful starter. You can use all-purpose, whole wheat, rye, etc. My favorite bread is organic all-purpose or whole wheat. I would not recommend enriched flour.

Does any Water Work?

The type of water you use can make a difference, believe it or not. It is recommended to use filtered water. Do not use distilled water.

What other items are needed to make a sourdough starter?

You’ll want to use a glass jar or bowl to mix the ingredients and store your starter in. I’ve used a mason jar or a plain jar I’ve had on hand. To measure the flour and water, I started with just using a measuring cup, however, as I continued along my sourdough journey, I bought an inexpensive small digital kitchen scale to measure in grams and to be more exact. Then, when mixing your ingredients, it is important to use a wooden spoon. Avoid using a metal one as it can react with the natural yeast.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Day 1: Today is the day! First, take a clean jar, set it on your digital scale and add 50g flour and 50g of filtered water. Then, stir with a wooden spoon and loosely place a lid on top. Set it aside for 24 hours. I like to mark the side of my jar with a dry erase marker at the top of the starter.

Day 2: After 24 hours, stir your starter. There is no feeding today, just a stir and set back aside.

Day 3: Remove half of the starter from the jar and discard it (you’ll be able to use your discard down the road, but I would throw this away the first couple of weeks). Add 50g of flour and 50g of water. Stir well and set aside again. Be aware of the smells that come from the jar. This is normal.

Day 4: Again remove half of the starter from the jar (discard it) and add 50g of flour and 50g of water. Stir well with a wooden spoon and set aside. 12 hours later, repeat the process. Today is the first day of feeding twice per day.

Day 5: Remove half of the starter from the jar (discard) and add 50g flour and 50g water. Stir well and repeat the process 12 hours later. Keep marking the side of the jar with a dry erase marker or use a rubber band. This is the point where you’ll really begin to notice changes.

Day 6: Just like the previous two days, you’ll discard half the starter, feed it with 50g flour and 50g water and stir. This will again be repeated 12 hours later.

Day 7: Keep feeding your starter two times a day the same way you have been. You’ll keep up this process until it is consistently doubling a few hours after feeding it. Once it has doubled a few days in a row, it’s time to try baking with it. I would wait until the starter is two weeks old for best results.

Once your sourdough is ready, try these recipes: Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls, Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins