3 Easy Steps to Create Your First Sourdough Starter

If you’re excited to dive into the world of sourdough, a great first step is to make your own starter from scratch. With two simple ingredients, you can trap wild yeast from the air and use it to make bread, cookies, bagels, pancakes, tortillas, and more.

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What is a Sourdough Starter?

A sourdough starter is the main leavening ingredient used in a sourdough recipe. The starter is made of live active bacteria and yeasts from fermented flour and water.

Unlike most recipes which include commercial yeast that you have to activate, a sourdough starter has wild yeast from the environment that creates the bubbles and rising effect in the food.

It’s important to note that we’re not doing anything new. People have been cooking with sourdough for thousands of years!

Before pre-made yeast was invented, families would mix flour and water together and allow the wild yeast bacteria to ferment inside a jar or container. The “sour” smell and taste that sourdough is known for comes from the fermentation process, or when the little active guys are eating up the flour and water in the jar.

Why Cook With Sourdough?

Health Benefits

It’s no secret that bread products from the grocery store are full of preservatives that allow them to stay on the shelves longer without spoiling. That’s great for the food companies, but not great for our digestive system.

The main antinutrient or preservative present in store-bought bread is called phytic acid. This acid blocks the nutrients that allow our bodies to digest bread properly, which is why many people feel bloated and gross after eating bread. Some people even go for a gluten-free lifestyle to avoid feeling that way.

But, with sourdough, the active yeast in the environment plus simple ingredients create a healthier bread that our bodies can digest and get nutrients from.

Convenience

You might be thinking, “There’s nothing more convenient than grabbing a loaf of bread from the store.” But hear me out.

What if you didn’t have to go to the store in the first place?

Sometimes our view of convenience looks like fitting more things into our busy schedule without feeling overwhelmed. But what if convenience looked like being able to create delicious food without relying on a grocery store?

Having a sourdough starter on hand gives you the confidence and convenience to cook almost any type of bread, whenever you want.

It Just Tastes Better

Seriously though, you can’t beat warm homemade bread with butter on top. The depth of flavor in sourdough bread is something you just have to taste for yourself.

And it’s not just bread. Bagels, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, donuts, cakes, and even cookies with sourdough in them are just delicious. I wish there was a better way to describe the flavor, but that’s all I got!

Sourdough Starter Glossary

When I first started with sourdough I found the terms were so confusing – it made the whole process feel much more intimidating than it really was! So to avoid that now, let’s define some common words related to sourdough.

• Sourdough – A natural yeast used in baking (literally “soured dough”)
• Starter – fermented flour and water with bacteria and yeast present inside a container that makes food rise
• Active – when the sourdough starter is bubbly and growing from the yeast
• Discard – sourdough starter that needs pre-made yeast to rise. It’s the part of your starter that you get rid of (either through baking or throwing away) before you feed your starter again
• Hooch – the grey/brown liquid that forms on the top of your starter when it needs to be fed (yeast waste 💩)

Sourdough Starter FAQ

How long does it take to make a sourdough starter?

Making a strong sourdough starter takes anywhere from 7-10 days.

Do you have to discard it every time?

Yes! To strengthen your starter you have to create a base amount that has active, growing yeast. This means you can’t keep all of the sourdough that you mix each day. After the 7-10 days you can use the discard in numerous recipes so it doesn’t feel as wasteful.

How do you know when the sourdough starter is ready?

4-8 hours after feeding, your starter should almost double in size and have active bubbles throughout. You can put a rubberband or hair tie around your jar before feeding to see how much your starter is growing.

The best way to test your starter is by making a loaf of sourdough bread. If your bread turns out flat or dense, your starter needs more time to grow.

Can I take a break from my sourdough starter?

Absolutely! You should commit to 7-10 days for making a sourdough starter from scratch, but after that, you can keep your starter in the refrigerator until you want to use it.

Can my sourdough starter die?

Technically no. But, if you see pink or orange mold on your starter, you should dump it and start over. Sourdough is very forgiving – I’ve actually left mine in the fridge for over a month and it’s been fine.

The best way to keep your starter alive is to try to think ahead about when you want to use your starter, keep a somewhat consistent schedule, and store it in the fridge when not in use.

Does it matter what kind of flour I use?

Yes and no. All-purpose flour our bread flour will work great. Whole wheat flour or even rye will work, but it’s the quality of the flour that matters. High-quality unbleached flour is best (bleached flour is a pretty white color but it’s stripped of nutrients). If you can afford King Arthur or better, then do it. If you’re just starting out, use generic brands and work with what you have.

The only issue I’ve seen is when people mix the types of flour they use. Beginning with bread flour and trying to move over to all-purpose flour can change the nutrients you’re giving to your starter which can affect rising and baking.

Ultimately, ANYTHING you make from scratch is going to be better than what you buy at the store full of preservatives. Don’t let the type of flour you have stop you from trying sourdough.

Sourdough Starter Recipe

Alright, let’s get to the good part. To make your sourdough starter you just need a few simple ingredients on hand.

• Wide mouth quart size jar with lid (I prefer Ball jars)
• Water
• Flour (use all-purpose unbleached like Gold Medal or King Arthur)
• Spoon
• Rubber band or hair tie
• Digital Scale (not necessary in the beginning but EXTREMELY helpful as you continue with sourdough)

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Step 1: Day 1

Mix one cup of flour with one cup of water in your Mason jar. Stir really well and scrape from the sides. Crack the lid on your jar and place on the counter for 24 hours.

Step 2: Days 2-6

The next day, dump (discard) half of the mixture from the container into the trash and repeat the process from day 1 (one cup of flour, one cup of water, and mix thoroughly) for days 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The consistency of your sourdough starter should resemble pancake or cake batter. This is where you can be flexible – add more flour or water one tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you need.

And, although it seems wasteful, you must discard your mixture each day as you build your starter.

Why? Because when you feed your sourdough starter, you have to offer more food (flour + water) than what is already in the jar each time. So theoretically, if you never discard, you would overflow your container within a couple of days and still be unable to use all the sourdough in the jar.

Also, most recipes only call for 1-2 cups of active sourdough so you don’t need to keep a large amount on hand when starting.

Note: Some people say it’s fine to dump the discard down the sink with lots of water, others say do NOT do it because it will clog your pipes. We live on a septic and I don’t want to deal with clogged pipes or plumbing issues so I just throw mine in the trash.

Step 3: Days 7-10

On days 7 -10 repeat the same process of discarding and adding more food, but this time, every 12 hours instead of 24.

By day 10 you should have a strong and active sourdough starter that will double in size and have lots of happy bubbles.

One trick to see if your sourdough starter is growing is to use a rubber band on the outside of your jar and line it up to where you’ve fed your starter. After 4-8 hours the starter should have almost doubled past that rubber band line and be bubbly.

Another trick I’ve heard of is getting a glass of room-temperature water and pouring a quarter-sized amount of your starter into the cup. If the starter floats then it’s healthy and active. If not, then it’s not ready for baking.

Caring for your Sourdough Starter

At this point, even though it’s not necessary, I feel like a HUGE pat on the back or a high-five is in order. Neither of which I can give you in real life, so 👏 👏 👏 to you.

Now that you have a strong starter you have two options:

• Occasional sourdough use – If you make 1-2 loaves of bread a week and discard pancakes on the weekend, or some combination in between (which is what I do!), keeping your starter in the fridge when you aren’t using it will be the best option. Just take it out, discard it a little, then feed it before baking. You won’t need to feed your starter as often if you store it in the fridge – the yeast slow down and don’t need as much food when they are cold.
• Everyday use – if you’re ready to go all-in with sourdough and bake more often (woohoo!), then keeping your starter on the counter/shelf is your best option. Just remember you’ll have to feed it almost every day to keep the yeast happy, either discarding it to the trash or using the discard in different recipes.

I also have an entire post about maintaining a sourdough starter + 5 fun recipes to try!

Oh and one last thing…you might want to name your starter.

My Google search favorites are Wheatney Houston, Bread Pitt, Clint Yeastwood, Doughlores, Alejandough, and Doughbi-Wan Kenobi.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this guide is a helpful start to your sourdough journey. If you have any questions about your sourdough starter or tricks that have worked well for you, be sure to leave a comment below.

If you decide to make a starter and share it on social media, feel free to tag us @circlecityhomestead