If you haven’t already started your own sourdough starter, I can’t recommend it enough! It’s super simple and oh-so-rewarding. Your starter is the foundation of creating the perfect sourdough treats. The bubbling and rising you see in the jar will put a smile on your face like a kid in a candy store! Enjoy the process with your sourdough, as it makes it that much more fun. You can name your starter if you want. I went with ” Jane Dough” because she is overlooked in the fridge and is unrecognizable most days. But every time I feed her, she comes to life, and I feel a little over-the-top proud.
The easiest way to begin your sourdough journey is to receive a bit of starter from a friend who already has an active and thriving one. If you don’t have any friends—or at least none with a sourdough starter—don’t worry! You can create one on your own. It’s not complicated and is quite straightforward. This Sourdough Starter Recipe is about as simple as it gets. All you need are water, flour, and a bit of time to get your sourdough starter going. In about a week, you’ll have a starter of your own.
How to make your own starter
Making your starter is as simple as mixing flour and water and waiting patiently. I suggest using smaller quantities to conserve ingredients; you can start with a larger amount but just be sure to keep the ratio at 1:1:1.
What you will need to get started
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- warm water
- a glass jar
- cloth cover, coffee filter, or loose-fitting lid
- a mixing utensil
- optional: dry eraser marker or rubber band
Day 1: mix 1 tablespoon warm water with 1 tablespoon flour. mix well. let rest for 24 hours. You likely won’t see much activity the first day, but I like to mark the start level with a rubber band or dry eraser marker.
(you can also weigh your ingredients on a scale instead of measuring cups)
Day 2: Discard half, leaving 1 tablespoon of starter from jar, mix with 1 tablespoon of warm water, and 1 tablespoon of Flour. mix well, let rest for 24 hours. Again, you can mark your starting level and watch for any rise, though there likely won’t be much change.
Day 3- 6: Repeat day 2 instructions. Each day your starter should become more and more active. you should be seeing a definite rise and fall of your starter.
Day 7: don’t discard any starter. there should be about 3 tablespoons of starter. Mix 3 tablespoons warm water and 3 tablespoons flour with your stater. mix well. let rest 12 hours. Discard about half, leaving 1/4 cup starter. mix starter with 1/4 cup warm water and 1/4 Flour. mix well. let rest 12 Hours. starter should be doubling from starting level and be bubbly.
Day 8: discard starter, leaving 1/2 cup. mix starter with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of Flour. Today is important to mark your starting level and watch for rise. This will tell you whether or not your starter is ready to bake with. Once your starter has doubled, takes around 4 hours depending on the temperature of your house, you are ready to bake!
Tips and tricks for your starter
- Start out by feeding your starter with equal parts flour, water, and starter. 1:1:1 ratio. once your starter is thriving and active you can feed it different ratios 1:2:2, 1:4:4 for different result and a slower fermentation.
- Use warm water, but not hot. This will Help keep Your starter warm and help it ferment better.
- Place the starter somewhere with a consistent room temperature of 70°F to 75°F. Anything cooler may cause trouble getting it to ferment properly, anything warmer will cause it to ferment quickly and become more active, then it will need to be fed more often.
- Use unbleached all-purpose flour to maintain a healthy starter.
Understanding your starters needs to keep it happy and healthy!
Sourdough starter is the key to delicious sourdough bread. The key to a starter is Wild yeast. Yeast is an essential ingredient in breadmaking. Yeast is a living microorganism that feeds on carbohydrates and releases carbon dioxide and alcohol. Wild yeast is what you are cultivating and feeding in a form we can use for baking; we call it your starter.
What to do now that your starter is established?
This tends to be where people get overwhelmed. It can feel like a child that you have to maintain and care for constantly. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t need to be that complicated if you don’t want it to be. Here are a few ways to care for your starter.
Leaving your starter out on the counter
If you want to leave your starter out on the counter, then you have to feed it regularly to maintain a healthy starter. Typically, feeding it once a day is enough, but if it’s warmer than 75 degrees or you have a large starter, you may need to feed it twice a day. If you feed your starter and don’t use it, it will continue to grow.
Keeping your starter out on the counter tends to be the most common way to store it. However, this is what makes it so high maintenance and the reason people often want to quit. Knowing you need to feed your starter and then needing to bake with it so that it doesn’t get out of control. Or discarding some of your starter feels wasteful. If you are going to bake daily or several times a week, then this option will work just fine for you. Otherwise, it’s putting pressure on yourself for no good reason. Your starter should be a blessing to you, not a burden.
Storing your starter in the fridge
This is the simplest way to store your starter if you don’t use it quite so frequently. You simply, after feeding it and using what you need for baking, then throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it again. Then, take it out of the fridge and feed it again. Some people say you need to maintain it and feed it weekly, which is still easier than daily. However, you don’t really need to. I have left mine in the Fridge for over a month, and it came back to life just fine!
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Knowing when your starter needs fed
When you see a layer of clear or black layer of liquid form on top of your starter, it’s hungry and needs to be fed. This is just an alcohol by-product called hooch. It is completely harmless; you can simply pour it off or stir it in. Depending on how much hooch there is, it can make your starter a bit more on the sour side.
Knowing if your starter has molded
Though mold growing in your starter is uncommon, it can happen. This means there is something wrong with your starter. If left unattended for too long or left in contaminated or unfavorable conditions, it may cause your starter to mold. It’s vital to know when mold is present and to be able to recognize what mold looks like.
You will notice mold on your sourdough starter immediately. You may see blackish or whitish spots growing on the surface or pinkish-orange streaks. Anything fuzzy-looking is not good. A moldy sourdough starter will also have a funky, unpleasant smell – not like the typical yeasty smell of a healthy sourdough.
If you find that your starter has molded, throw it out. Some people say you can save a starter that only has the start of mold, but I wouldn’t recommend it! Mold poisoning is a thing, and it’s not worth it. I would just start over fresh.
Thats it!
You have created your very own sourdough starter. Yay! Now it’s time to get baking. I hope you enjoy it!
Looking for tools to help you get started?
Let me show you some of my favorite tools for sourdough.
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Meet Marissa
Hello, friends! I’m Marissa, a stay-at-home mom with two feral, energetic kids. I spend my days chasing after my little ones and our chickens, baking, and learning how to garden. I’ve developed a passion for baking for my family, and I’ve decided to share my journey and the recipes I love with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!
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