Sourdough Starter Recipe
A step-by-step guide to making your own sourdough starter from scratch.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 50 grams flour*
- 50 grams lukewarm water
Instructions
Day 1: Mix
- In a clean glass jar, combine 50 grams flour and 50 grams water. Stir well until no dry bits remain. Scrape down the sides. Cover loosely with a lid or cloth (don't seal airtight).Let sit at room temperature (ideally 64–75°F / 18–24°C) for 24 hours.
Day 2: Stir
- After 24 hours, stir the starter thoroughly to redistribute moisture and yeast. Cover loosely and let sit another 24 hours.
Days 3-7: Keep stirring
- Every 24 hours, give the starter mixture another stir. You may see a few bubbles a couple days into the process that die off - this is normal. Cover loosely and wait another 24 hours, then stir again.When the mixture has a sudden significant increase in size (ideally doubling), it's ready to feed.
Feed
- Add another 50 grams flour and 50 grams lukewarm water to the jar. Stir well until smooth. Mark the starter’s height with a rubber band or marker. Cover loosely and watch over the next 6–12 hours.If the starter reacts to this feeding by rising significantly, looks airy and bubbly, and smells pleasantly sour, it's ready! Use to make bread or store in the fridge and feed again within a week.If the rise is weak or inconsistent, repeat this feeding process once every 24 hours until the starter reliably rises after feeding.
Notes
*See blog post above for tips on what type of flour to use.