Go Back
hand holding jar of sourdough starter

How to Start a Sourdough Starter

Learn how to start your very own sourdough starter from scratch! Sourdough starter is so versatile, and it is much healthier than regular bread!
Prep Time 5 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Clean Jar
  • 1 Tea Towel
  • 1 Spoon for Stirring
  • 1 Rubber Band for holding tea towel on jar

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour all purpose
  • 1 cup water filtered

Instructions

  • Day 1: Put your water and flour into your clean jar. Stir vigorously until the mixture is well combined. Cover with rubber band and tea towel and set aside on your counter for 24 hours.
  • Day 2: Remove half of mixture and discard into the trash (or feed to your chickens) and add 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water to the mixture. Stir until well combined and then cover and sit on your counter for 24 hours.
  • Days 3-5: Repeat day 2 process
  • Days 6-7: On these days, do the same process, but feed every 12 hours instead of every 24.
  • By day seven it should be ready to bake with. If it is not bubbly and doubling in size, it is not ready yet. Keep repeating the process from day six and seven until it is ready.

Notes

How to Maintain Your Sourdough Starter:
Once your starter is active, you will need to keep up on maintaining it if you want to have it for years and years!
In the Refrigerator
  • Storing it in the fridge slows down fermentation, so you don't have to feed it as often. Once a week is enough. I like to keep mine sealed in the fridge, so it doesn't get contaminated. If you put a sealed lid on it, it is less likely to go bad quickly.
  • If you plan on using it for baking, pull it out of the fridge and feed it the day before you plan on baking with it! That will ensure it's active and ready to bake with!
On the Counter (daily use):
  • At room temperature, the bacteria in the starter will be very active. So make sure you feed it daily or it will likely mold.
  • I would only keep it on the counter if you plan on baking with it daily. Otherwise you are going to have a lot of starter, and discard that will need to be used up!