If you had told me many years ago that I could make enticingly crunchy, tender, and healthy bread at home with only a few elemental ingredients, I would not have believed you.
I would have claimed that baking bread requires a professional mixer, a specialized oven, and a list of ingredients so long your eyes start to glaze over. But now I perform this alchemy daily in my home kitchen: transforming three basic ingredients into wholesome sourdough bread. How does one begin the journey of making naturally leavened bread at home? It starts with, well, making a sourdough starter from scratch.
A healthy sourdough starter means great bread.
Despite all the mysticism and lore about creating the concoction, a sourdough starter is merely a naturally fermenting mixture of flour and water. Add water to dry flour, let it sit on the counter for a few days, and you’ll see nature weave life into a once lifeless lump: bubbles will appear and the mixture will rise.
This natural fermentation can be harnessed and (once it is stable) controlled to produce bread so flavorful and healthy that it’s hard to go back to anything else.
I created my sourdough starter years ago (using this sourdough starter recipe), and it’s the same one I use to this day. It’s a spoiled brat now, to be sure, thanks to all my coddling, but in exchange for my attention and flour, it stays on schedule. Besides, when I’m baking, it does the heaviest lifting (bread nerd joke, sorry). Initially, it was the quintessential rebellious child. Sometimes it wouldn’t show any fermentation activity, and at other times it was utterly unruly. Back then, I didn’t realize what it needed to thrive. I didn’t see how vital timely refreshments (also called feedings) were or how much temperature impacts fermentation.
The key to raising a well-adjusted starter is to observe its needs, give it space to grow, and adjust the refreshments to encourage maximum fermentation activity. And a healthy starter means great bread.
But first, let’s quickly look at what a sourdough starter is.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
At a high level, a sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that hosts a stable blend of beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts. This mixture is continually maintained with regular refreshments (or feedings) and is used to leaven and flavor new bread dough. The starter is the cornerstone of successful sourdough baking, and especially for a home baker with changing environmental conditions in the kitchen, learning how to care for and use one is the key to bread with the best flavor, texture, and keeping qualities.
A Few Tips Before We Begin
Water that’s high in chlorine or chloramine (disinfectants used by some cities to clean tap water) can impede fermentation. The night before you want to make your starter, fill a large jug with tap water and let it sit out uncovered overnight to allow any chlorine to dissipate. If your city uses chloramine instead of chlorine, letting a jar sit out overnight will not work. In this case, you’ll have to use bottled water or filtered water (if you are concerned, you can test your water with over-the-counter test kits to determine whether there are additives or other issues). Alternatively, you could use bottled spring water until you get your starter fermenting reliably, then try switching back to tap water with a portion of the starter to see if it’s able to handle the tap water (but don’t use all of it just in case it doesn’t work).
After you mix the flour and water in the jar, be sure to keep the jar lightly covered during the rest of the process. Either a porous cloth or a lid resting on top of the jar will work well. Use a container with enough headspace for the mixture to rise—I like to give at least 5-inches of headspace. Additionally, it’s a good idea to place your jar in a bowl while it’s resting in case the mixture overflows.
During the first couple of days, there’s often a surge in fermentation activity that then drops off dramatically; this situation is probably caused by other yeast and bacteria that are initially present but eventually die off. When this happens, many first-timers think that it has “died,” and they start over. Don’t be fooled by this lapse of activity; continue with the schedule and eventually, the desired yeast and bacteria will move in and stabilize the starter.
The entire process is exceptionally temperature-dependent. Instead of a typical cooler room temperature, I find a warm temperature of around 80°F (26°C) helps kickstart activity since this is near the temperature at which the bacteria and yeast are most active. A home dough proofer (which I highly recommend) and a yogurt maker are great tools for maintaining such an environment. If not, a home oven, turned off, with the light on the inside (and a thermometer to monitor the temperature), or a microwave with a bowl of warm water inside, will both work well.
For even more tips on this whole process and many things related to sourdough starters, check out my Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions page →
Helpful Tools to Make a Sourdough Starter
You can see a rundown of all the tools I use for baking sourdough, vetted over years of baking, over at my favorite sourdough baking tools page. Here, I list what I consider the necessary tools to get started:
Weck glass jar
Have at least two clean jars on hand. I like these Weck jars (#743, 3/4 liter jars) best because they taper out towards the top, making it easy to stir, and they don’t have any hard-to-clean lips or edges. Also, using the glass lid without the provided rubber seal and clips provides just enough of a seal to keep moisture and heat trapped inside.
I recommend using glass jars because you can easily see the fermentation as it progresses. It can also help to place a rubber band around the jar at the height of your starter after mixing so you have a visual guide for how high it rises between refreshments. Two more reasons I like these jars: they’re high quality and very economical. They are canning jars, so you can use them for many other things around the kitchen (jam, homemade pesto, dried fruit, cereals, and so on).
Silicone spatula
I use a small, firm spatula to do my feedings. It’s sturdy and easy to clean with a sponge, and if things get messy, you can run it through the dishwasher.
Scale
A kitchen scale is indispensable and guarantees accuracy when measuring the amount of flour needed for each starter refreshment. Measuring flour by volume is inherently imprecise as the amount of flour packed into a measuring cup can vary. Further, it’s a good idea to get used to using a scale for weighing ingredients, as this method is essential for improving your baking consistency.
Rye flour
Using whole grain (“dark”) rye flour helps expedite the fermentation process. In comparison to white flour, rye flour is teeming with extra nutrients that help kickstart the entire process. If you don’t have rye flour, a good quality organic whole wheat will also work well.
Unbleached, all-purpose, white flour
With my starter of 10+ years, and outlined in my post on how I feed (refresh) my starter these days, I typically refresh it with 70% all-purpose flour (or bread flour) and 30% whole rye flour. I like this mix because you get the fermentation boost from the whole-grain flour and the white flour’s increased gas-trapping ability and gluten strength. This helps me spot the signs of fermentation throughout the day and is a good compromise, using just enough whole grains without my starter getting overly acidic too quickly.
Thermometer
An instant-read thermometer will help monitor the temperature of your starter and ensure that it’s in the optimal range for increasing fermentation activity.
My Free Sourdough Starter Quicksheet
My sourdough starter quicksheet is a free, one-page printable guide to feeding, maintaining, and using my sourdough starter. Download it, print it, and keep it in your baking notebook for quick reference!
Starter Refreshment (Feeding)Schedule
In the beginning, your starter refreshments will occur just once a day. As your culture becomes more active, you’ll increase this to twice a day. Because of the frequency of these feedings, one of my goals is to help you set things up so it’s quick and easy to do your feedings and move on with your day. Once you get the hang of things, you only need about 5 to 10 minutes per day to keep your starter going–totally manageable.
A sourdough starter is very resilient. If you forget to feed it one day or feed it several hours after it needed a refreshment, don’t worry, in almost all cases it will spring back.
The following sourdough starter recipe schedule will provide you with a reliable and robust sourdough starter in 6 to 9 days. Once you have the culture stable, it will last indefinitely as long as you refresh it regularly. If you don’t plan to bake frequently, you can toss the starter in the fridge and feed it only once a week. (I’ll discuss this in more detail later in this post.)
Your schedule will follow the natural rise and fall of your starter. As soon as you feed it, the yeast and bacteria in your culture will begin to metabolize the sugars in the flour, creating gasses (among other things) as a byproduct. These gasses cause the starter to rise throughout the day as seen above. Once they subside, then the starter falls.
Daily Refreshment Process
At each refreshment, we will perform the following quick steps:
- Stir your starter a little bit with your spatula
- Place a clean jar on your scale and scoop in some portion (outlined below) from the jar you just stirred down
- Add fresh flour and water; mix well to incorporate completely
- Cover the jar loosely and let rest until the next feeding
That’s it! Once you get your process down, it should take no more than a few minutes each day.
Sourdough Starter Recipe: Making an Incredible Sourdough Starter from Scratch
Day One
Initially, I like to use two jars for this process: each time you refresh, swap in a clean jar. Starting on Day 4, you can use the same jar: discard down and add fresh flour and water.
I first like to weigh the jars I’m using (without the lids) to find their empty weight. Then, take a permanent marker and write the jar’s weight on the bottom. This way, we know the baseline weight of the jar so we can quickly figure out how much starter to keep during each refreshment.
In the morning, place a clean, empty jar on the scale and tare (the “tare” button on your scale will zero it out after you place your jar on top. This will allow you to measure the flour and water your place in your jar and exclude the jar’s weight). To that jar, add 100 grams whole grain rye flour and 125 grams water and mix until all dry bits are incorporated. If it’s cool in your kitchen, warm the water to 80°F (26°C) before mixing. Lightly cover the jar and set it in a warm place–80°F to 85°F (26°C to 29°C) is ideal–and out of direct sunlight for 24 hours.
Day Two
You may or may not already see some fermentation activity. As mentioned above, this potential initial surge of activity is typical and should subside around Day 3. What you can see below is how my initial mixture expanded significantly (in fact it bubbled out of the jar; this is why setting the jar in a bowl is a good idea). Don’t be discouraged if the surge disappears by the third or fourth day. Stick to the schedule, and it will come back!
Place a second, empty jar on the scale and tare so that it reads 0 grams. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture that has been resting for 24 hours. Next, add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams of water. Again, if it’s cold, warm the water to 80°F(26°C).
Mix well until all dry bits are incorporated, cover, and place in the same warm spot for 24 hours. Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar and clean it in preparation for the next day.
Day Three
In the morning, you may start to see more activity, or you may see none. You can see below that the initial surge of action I had on Day 2 disappeared. However, my mixture started to show the beginning signs of beneficial yeast and bacteria taking hold: some bubbles on the top and at the sides, rose to some degree, and it started to take on a sour aroma.
Regardless of what signs your mixture is presenting, don’t fret and stick to the schedule. Remember, if it’s cold in your kitchen, warm your water to 80°F (26°C) to help speed things along.
If a layer of clear liquid (“hooch”) forms on the top of your mixture just stir it back in and keep with the schedule.
Place a new, clean jar on the scale and tare. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture that rested overnight and add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams water. Stir until well incorporated. Cover the jar and let it rest for 24 hours.
Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar and clean it in preparation for the next day.
Day Four
This day is the first day of the process that has two refreshments in a single day: one in the morning, and one approximately 12 hours later.
In the morning, you should start to see signs of fermentation activity if you haven’t already, and begin to see them again if you experienced the surge-and-drop that I described above. There will be bubbles scattered on the sides and top, and the level of the mixture might have risen and fallen a little (evidenced by streaks on the sides of the jar).
Refresh in the same way that you did on Day 3. Place a clean jar on the scale and tare. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture from the jar that fermented overnight, add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 12 hours.
Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar. From here on, simply use the same jar each day (no need to switch to a clean jar) by discarding the contents down and adding fresh flour and water as instructed.
After this 12-hour rest during the day, discard the contents to 75 grams and refresh again with the same ratio of ingredients. Let the new mixture rest for 12 hours (overnight).
Day Five and Six
For Days 5 and 6, continue to discard down the contents of the jar and then refresh with the same ratio of ingredients as you did on Day 4, twice a day. You will see fermentation activity increase more and more. If you’ve written the weight of the empty jar on the bottom as I indicated on Day 1, you should know exactly how much the resulting weight of the jar plus carried over starter will be—discard down to this weight.
Keep using the same jar for these refreshments.
Day Seven and Onward
In the morning on Day 7, discard what’s in the jar down to 20 grams of the mixture. To this, add 30 grams rye flour, 70 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 12 hours during the day. In the evening (after about 12 hours), discard the jar contents down to 20g, add the same ratio of ingredients as earlier in the day, and let rest 12 hours (overnight).
At this point, you should see the height of your starter rise and fall in the jar predictably each day. This periodic behavior is a good indicator that it is strong enough for you to use for your first loaf of bread. If your starter is still struggling to show activity, continue the refreshment schedule with the same ratio of ingredients for another day–or even several more days–until things pick up. The process of stabilization can sometimes take longer, depending on the flour used and the environment (especially if it’s cool in your kitchen). Be patient and stick to the schedule!
Once you get the hang of your starter and its feeding schedule, feel free to adjust the ratio of ingredients. For example, in warmer months I’ll reduce my mature starter carryover to 10g to 20g depending on the temperature. To read more about how I change these ratios and maintain my starter, check out my comprehensive sourdough starter guide page which includes my current feeding schedule, an in-depth FAQ, and more.
The starter will continue to develop flavor and strength over the next week and into the future. With an active starter, you can now use a portion of it when it is ripe. A starter is ripe when it has risen, is bubbly on the surface and at the sides, has a sour aroma, and has a looser consistency than when first refreshed.
Having issues? Check out my list of the 21 most common sourdough starter problems (with solutions) →
What is the Best Flour to Feed My Sourdough Starter?
I get asked this question often. Once your starter is rising and falling predictably, it’s okay to switch your refreshment flour to suit your preference. You can continue with a mixture of rye and all-purpose, change to 100% all-purpose white flour, or even switch to using 100% whole wheat.
There is no right or wrong flour to use when feeding a starter.
Each flour will affect the starter in a different way, changing how fast it ferments, how acidic it becomes in the same timeframe, and eventually, the final flavor profile. There is no right or wrong flour to use when maintaining your starter; it’s up to you and your starter!
Next Steps For a Healthy Sourdough Starter
After your starter rises and falls predictably, review my sourdough starter maintenance routine for all the steps I do to keep my starter healthy. You can adjust your feeding schedule based on your baking frequency. If you can bake almost every day, you’ll want to feed your starter once daily to keep it ready-to-use shape. If you want to bake only on the weekends, you can put your starter in the refrigerator to slow down its activity.
You can also scale down your starter and maintain a smaller one. Scaling down your starter will mean less flour and water needed for each refreshment (to save ingredients). See my guide to maintaining a smaller sourdough starter for a recipe and process.
What If I Need a Break From Maintaining My Starter?
Maintaining a sourdough starter should always be on our terms, not the other way around. Maintaining a starter indefinitely can be daunting, but there are ways to put your starter on pause if you need a break from baking for a while. Remember, the refrigerator is our friend to slowing fermentation, and there are even ways to stop all fermentation activity altogether (and it can stay this year for years!).
How Can I Save Sourdough Starter Discard?
Once your starter is rising and falling predictably each day, and only then, to ensure you have the right mix of suitable bacteria and wild yeasts in the culture, you can save the discard. I keep a jar in my fridge where I collect all discards and keep them for up to 2 weeks. Then, when I want to make pancakes, waffles, or another discard recipe, I can use starter from my sourdough starter discard cache at a moment’s notice.
Final Thoughts
These days, refreshing my sourdough starter is a liturgical part of my day. It takes minutes to provide my starter with fresh flour and water. In return, my starter produces flavorful and healthy bread. I like to think it’s me making the bread; it’s me controlling fermentation, it’s my hands mixing and shaping the dough. But the reality is, I’m just a small cog in nature’s machinery. All I need to do is lend a helping hand and stay out of the way. Happy baking and buon appetito!
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Sourdough Starter Recipe
- Prep Time: 7 days
- Total Time: 168 hours
- Yield: 1 sourdough starter
- Category: Sourdough, Baking, Bread, Starter
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sourdough starter recipe will help you create your own sourdough starter from scratch at home in seven easy steps. Your starter is the cornerstone of great bread—once you have it showing consistent signs of fermentation each day, which takes on average 5 to 7 days, you’re ready to start baking sourdough bread!
Ingredients
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 400g whole-grain rye flour
- 800g water
Instructions
- Day One
To a clean jar, add 100g whole rye flour and 125g warm water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Two
To clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day One (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Three
To a clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day Two (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Four
On day four, you will give the mixture two feedings. In a clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day Three (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix and let rest for 12 hours. In the evening, after 12 hours, repeat the discarding and feeding you did in the morning. Let the mixture rest overnight. - Day Five and Six
For days five and six, continue to discard down the jar contents and then feed with the same ratio of ingredients as Day Four, twice a day. You can use the same jar for these feedings. - Day Seven and Onward
In the morning on Day Seven, discard the jar’s contents down to 20g of the mixture and add 30g whole rye flour, 70g all-purpose flour, and 100g water. Repeat this feeding twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, indefinitely.
Notes
You don’t have to use a new, clean jar each time you feed your starter, but I find it’s helpful to keep track of the weight of the jar so you know how much you’re carrying over.
If you use my method for creating a starter, tag @maurizio on Instagram and use the hashtag #theperfectloaf so I can take a look!
Sourdough Starter Creation FAQs
Why do you need a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a continually maintained mixture of wild yeast and suitable bacteria used to seed fermentation in new dough for bread, pastry, and more.
How long does it take for a sourdough starter to be ready?
In general, I’ve found it takes about 7 days from when you first mix flour and water to when a sourdough starter is ready to be used to bake bread.
Is a homemade sourdough starter safe?
A well-maintained sourdough starter can live virtually indefinitely. The high-acid environment of the sourdough starter helps stave off any unwanted pathogens. However, if you see any signs of traditional mold (pink, white fuzzy, green), it’s best to discard the entire starter and start a new one.
Should I make or buy a sourdough starter?
While buying a sourdough starter is very easy online, it’s a very easy process to do at home! Plus, creating your own starter exposes you to the signs of fermentation, what steps you need to perform to maintain your starter, and gives you a chance to get to know the feeding (refreshment) process.
How long does it take for a sourdough starter to peak?
Some bakers use the term “peak” to refer to either the point at which a starter is ready to be used or needs feeding, or it can refer to the physical peak height of the starter in the jar. I find judging a sourdough starter’s readiness based solely on the height it has risen to may lead to using it at an incorrect time. After all, the height of a starter is simply a display of the strength and other characteristics of the flour. To determine when your starter is ready to be fed (or used for baking), look for a combination of signs: some rise, bubbles on top and at the sides, a sour aroma, and a loose consistency (it should loosen the longer it ferments). From there, use the timeframe for fermentation as a guide: at about 72-78F (22-25C) with 30-50% whole grain flour and 20% ripe starter (the seed, or inoculation), it might be ready after 12-16 hours.
Why doesn’t my sourdough starter have big bubbles?
It’s okay if your starter doesn’t have big bubbles. Large bubbles can be the result of the flour you’re using and the hydration. What’s more important overall, is to see strong signs of consistent fermentation: some bubbles, consistent rise each day, a sour aroma, a loosening in texture.
Why is my sourdough starter not rising?
It’s worrisome if you don’t see any rise in your starter, you should see some. Usually, no rise is a sign it’s not fermenting properly and needs more time to establish. Continue with the feeding schedule outlined in my guide on how to make a sourdough starter and it should begin fermenting after a few days.
What’s Next?
If you’re looking for something to make with the discarded sourdough starter that you’re generating every day, have a look at my sourdough waffles, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough banana bread.
If you need a high-level look at each step of the bread-making process, read through our Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread.
2,663 Comments
Hello. I am interested in making a starter. However, is it possible to do so if my kitchen/ oven only reaches around 20 degrees Celsius? I don’t have anywhere warmer to leave my starter. Will it still work?
Thanks.
Barbara — yes, definitely possible, it just might take more time to get things established (or not, it’s hard to say). What you can do is warm the water you’re using for these mixes to 26°C to help speed things along a bit more. But keep with it, if you don’t see much activity the first several days don’t get discouraged, just keep with the schedule.
Hi, first of all thanks for the great instructions! Here on quarantine, I decided it was finally time to try this. On day 1, my starter rose beautifully. Day 2, it rose quickly after feeding and then collapsed. A dark layer formed and it didn’t seem to have much activity. Day 3 saw no rise but some bubbles. I just did my first feeding on Day 4, but I am wondering if I need to start over? Should I have fed again on Day 2 after it rose and not let it sit with the dark layer? Thanks!
Hey, Thomas! Don’t start over, keep with the schedule and keep feeding it. It’ll eventually come around and start rising and falling predictably each day.
Happy to report back that it has come around! Hopefully keeps up and I can try baking later this week. Thank you!
This is a fantastic help to starting my SD journey. I’m on Day 9 of my sourdough starter from scratch. I was following your guideline, but ran into trouble when I switched to 50/50, rye and all purpose the rise and activity severely reduced. I’m using the oven with the light on to regulate the temperature and keep a jug of water in there to make sure it stays warm also so I don’t think that was the problem. I found out the all purpose flour i was using was bleached and I switched to whole wheat and voila rise and activities came back strong. I’m was lucky enough to find some non bleached APF when I had to get some essentials. This afternoon, I’m going to switch the 50% wheat to 50% non bleached APF. Has anyone else experienced this?
I’ve never used bleached white flour and I always recommend avoiding that when creating a starter! Glad you found some other flour and are back on track. Happy baking, Kevin!
This is a standard problem with sourdough starter. More often it is recommended to wait longer to introduce APF, as its harder for an non-established starter to struggle to process the APF until it has built up enough natural yeast to digest the processed APF. Adjust the amount of APF to help if you feel your starter is struggling. The reason you use Rye flour to make a starter is it goes through less processing and has more natural wild yeast.
Would it be possible to use this starter to make dry yeast? I am not sure if that’s the right term in English. I mean the kind of yeast that you would use to make bread that only needs a couple of hours to rise.
I like taking my time to make bread, but some times I cannot plan two days of baking
Thanks (especially for your amazing website)
Hey, Juan! No, the strains of wild yeast we’re cultivating here are different than those used in commercial yeast, I’m afraid. It’s definitely possible to make sourdough bread in one day, though! Check out my pan loaves on my Recipes page, many of them start in the morning and finish in the evening or afternoon. Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio! What a great site. I started my starter from scratch thanks to you. I couldn’t get my hands on any rye flour thanks to the lockdown, so I used 100gms of APF. The first two days were great, but the 3rd and 4th has seen no activity except for some bubbles. There has been no rise. What should I do? Did the APF have anything to do with it?
Thanks, Dilshad! See my reply to @lilywieczorek:disqus below — stick with it and it’ll eventually happen. Keep it warm and don’t get discouraged 🙂
Keeping the faith! Thank you!
I thought that wheat was our master; Soil prep, seed, water, weeding, feeding and harvesting. It looks like a new master will rule: wild yeast, wow complicated. Enjoy everyone!
A bit of extra work, but worth the results. I might be biased, though 🙂
Hi! So I’m new to the sourdough world, but fairly experienced with baking. I tried the King Arthur sourdough starter recipe, but it failed. So I came onto your website and tried this recipe. The first days were great! I had a lot of rise overnight of the second and third days (one day later than the recipe said it would happen, but oh well) and everything seemed great. I’m on day four today, and when I checked on my starter to feed it this morning it looked dead! There were no bubbles whatsoever and it had only risen a tiny bit (less than a cm). Nothing changed from the previous days, and I’m wondering if I managed to kill it somehow?
That’s very very common. Stay at the 4th day feeding regiment (same flour) and keep with it for a few days. Try to keep the mixture warm as well, 78-80F if you can, this will help speed up the process. Don’t get discouraged, stick with it and it’ll eventually take hold!
I was s reading this recipe and it calls for flour water and salt I see how much flour and water in recipe but not salt ?
There’s no salt called for at this stage of the process, we’re just creating the sourdough starter itself here.
Thank you. I didn’t think so but my beet kvass needs salt as does my other fermented foods I make. The first sentence on this page says it needs three ingredients flour water and salt so it confused me when reading how to.make as it never mentioned salt again.
My starter without salt is doing great smells nice and sour and has risen like you noted. Am using king Arthur rye flour which seems to really be working awesome. I hope to recreate my mother’s finnish sourdough rye bread using this starter. Then hope to start using this more in my baking. Am excited thank you these guidelines seemed to be much more in tune with my other fermenting ways.
Ah, I see where the confusion came from — sorry about that! Glad my site is helping. I, too, have many fermentation projects going on here in the kitchen… So many that I’ve had to cut back 🙂 Happy baking, Anna.
So glad you do this site and share. I do lots of fermenting and love it. This is the first time making sourdough without using packaged yeast. Love to ferment and try new things. Still have lots of sauerkraut, both red n green cabbage still very crunchy… we have a second fridge where i keep it, plus all my pickles done in Crock and transferred to fridge just love fermenting, kraut chi is my favorite my son and his wife agree nice n spicy and crunchy. The boom “art of fermentation” by Katz is great, but this site really helped with the starter. Thank you again.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Anna, I really appreciate that. Fermentation is a “bug” once we get, we can’t seem to get rid of, huh? 🙂 Have fun and I’m happy to help!
@AnnaThompson ohhhhhh … your mother’s Finnish sourdough rye bread?! Sounds interesting! Can you share the recipe?
I’m so glad someone else had this question. I got started today and I’ve been biting my fingernails (figuratively, of course!) all day and rereading the instructions to see if I missed the salt somewhere! 🙂
No salt needed anywhere! Sorry for the confusion, I’ll update the post 🙂
No salt is needed in this at all! Sorry for the confusion, I’ll update the post to make that clear 🙂
Thanks for this great site. I’m a novice (I used to have a starter, but that was 30 years ago, so I’m a beginner), and just assembling my equipment. The one thing I don’t have is a warm enough kitchen. There is no place that approximates 75°in the winter — we have an old drafty farmhouse and keep the heat low, so we’re never much over 65. Do you have any suggestions on a device I can use as a reliable warming station to keep my starter cozy? I’ve looked at baby formula warmers, but I don’t know if they will fit a quart mason jar.
Hands down, this dough proofer is the way to go!
Wow. Looks like the ticket! I was thinking about making yogurt as well. My birthday is coming up too, so I’ll pass along the tip. Thanks so much!
You’re very welcome — and happy birthday!
Your site is amazing. I’m taking the plunge and making my first starter. Due to the current situation in the world, I cannot find any rye flour. I have strong white bread flour and a very small amount of wholemeal-about 250g.
Can I start it off with wholemeal and then just add white?
Also, do I have to cover the mixture tightly with a lid or just with a tea towel?
Thanks so much!
Aliya
Thank you! Yes, substitute the rye out for your wholemeal flour. I wouldn’t tightly screw on a lid, just let one rest on top, if you don’t have a lid, use a towel. The key is to let any gasses escape but prevent unwanted stuff (and too much air) from getting in. Happy baking, Aliya 🙂
Thanks so much Maurizio
Good morning! Today is baking day! Can’t wait to see how my loafs have turned out. My question for today is about my starter going forward. Because I won’t be baking everyday I followed your reduced starter and left it in a corner on my counter. My home is always on the cool side as the AC is always on. The temperature falls between 60 – 62 degrees which I think will slow down the process enough that I won’t have to put it in the frig. How often should I feed it?
Feed once you notice it start to fall from it’s height in the jar. That’s the cycle: discard, feed, it will rise, then fall — once it falls give it a feeding. Check out my starter maintenance routine post for pictures and details. I hope your bake turns out wonderful, enjoy!
I just took it out of the oven. Had to take it out a little early as it looked like the top was starting to burn. My loaf doesn’t have a nice high dome so I’m a little bummed out about that.
Don’t worry about it, they’ll get better each time! Enjoy, next time you’ll have one loaf under your belt and will be ready to tackle 🙂
HI, im on day 4 and still havent seen any rise or fall? is this bad and must i start again? I am seeing some activity with a few bubbles at the top and sides
Don’t start again. Keep with the schedule, I would still use a little rye flour in each feeding, perhaps 25% or so. If you don’t notice significant activity over the next few days, switch back to just one feeding per day and continue to use rye flour. Be sure to keep it warm, 80F, if you can!
Maurizio, great site with a lot of commendable detail! I’ve found it immensely helpful to course correct some of my issues. I’m curious about your twice daily starter feeding schedule. Similar to you, I started my sourdough journey following Chad’s Tartine Bread book which calls for a once daily feeding in the morning. Why do you prefer a twice daily schedule? Is your inoculation percentage lower and could the inoculation percentage be increased for a once daily schedule? TIA, Theresa
Thanks, Theresa! I find my starter just doesn’t last a full 24 hours before falling and sitting there for too long. I have a feeling it’s because his temperatures are probably very cool out in San Francisco vs. my hot and dry climate here in Albuquerque. I also find 2x a day refreshments adds a little more vigor to my starter, which is desirable. My inoculation is low, usually around 5-10% depending on temperature. It would be hard for me to stretch it to 1x refreshment per day, but if I went down even farther and tried to keep it a little cooler, it would be possible. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the response and it totally makes sense. I’m based in San Francisco and my inoculation is around 50% so makes more sense now why the once daily feeding works for me. Appreciate it.
Well….I just had goof #2. I need to learn to read ahead of where I’m at!! At 3 1/2 hrs into the bulk fermentation, I was reading the next steps and realized that I should have been doing a pull and stretch during this time. Ok, I did my first pull and stretch and will wait 30 minutes for the second. This procedure is going to take me 1/2 hour past the 4 hr time limit. My question now is how long should I wait from my last pull and stretch to complete the bulk fermentation?
You could condense those, do them every 15 minutes instead, and this way you’ll end on time. Should work out just fine.
Hey Maurizio – Thanks for all the detail you put into this blog! I’m on day 7 following your guide (this is my third rodeo after 2 failed attempts). I’m getting predictable rise and fall, however, it’s occurring too quickly. This morning I fed the started at around 7am, and it’s already falling at 3:30-4ish pm. The ambient temp is hovering between 80-83F (the starter is on the shelf above our overhead oven light). Should I move it away from the heat source AND reduce the amount of starter I’m carrying over, or just try one at a time? Thanks!
You’re welcome, Chris. Your thoughts are correct: either one, or both, will do what you’re looking for. I typically like to keep my starter in the same place all the time this way temperature is mostly predictable, then I adjust the amount of starter I leave in the jar at each refreshment to lengthen (by leaving less) or shorten (by leaving more) the interval between feedings. I would do one at a time and see the effects — it’s ok if it falls by the time you get to the next feeding, in fact, a little fall is good. Hope that helps!
My starter is perfect! However, I just now made a mistake and I’m hoping it will turn out ok. I’m on day 8 and getting ready to make my bread. I refreshed my starter like I did on day seven not having read about the Levain Build. I already have my dough mixed and waiting the hr to add the rest. Since I didn’t do the Levain Build will my bread be ok using the Levain from the normal starter? I’m hoping so.
Hey, Barbara! You can definitely use some of your starter but it needs to be mature and ripe. If you just fed your starter and threw away the discard, sadly it won’t be sufficient to leaven your dough. What you can do, though, is just wrap up the dough in the bowl (airtight) and place it in the fridge. Then when your starter is ripe, use some of it and continue with the process. You could also just pick this whole thing up tomorrow and make a levain, if you’d like.
Thank you Maurizio. My starter is mature and ripe. I refreshed it at 8 am and at 1 Pm it was perfect so I’m moving ahead! Thank you so much for all this detailed information. I have tried starters in the past and they all ended up down the sink. I can’t wait for tomorrow to bake a loaf. With the other loaf, can I make bread bowls?
Excellent, that’ll work very well then. Sure, that sounds delicious to me (although I’ve never done that!). Have fun and enjoy!
Hi. I have been following your schedule for starter, although did not have rye flour. Not being able to shop due to the current COVID-19 shutdown, I substituted Whole Foods 365 organic whole wheat flour for the rye. On day 4, changed ratio to 40% WW and 60% A/P.
I see activity—small bubbles—regularly, but no noticeable rise and fall. I am on day seven. Should I keep up the feeding until there is an increase in volume? Is that the indicator that the levain is ready to use?
Note— temp in the house is around 68 daytime, 65 at night and I use 80 degree water when feeding.
Those are good adjustments, Dian. I hope by now it’s picked up with more and more activity, but yes, you should see some margin of rise and fall each day with that flour mixture. That’s pretty cool in the house, but warming the water should help. I’d also recommend leaving that water out before using it to allow any chlorine to dissipate. Stick with the process, it’ll eventually start rising and falling much more!
I am on day 1 and after sitting for 24 hours it separated and has a brown liquid on top and I didn’t see much bubbles, is that normal?
Yes, that’s happened to many readers. Just keep an eye out for signs of mold, which is what we don’t want: pink, green, black colors, white fuzzy stuff — typical of what you’d see on any molded food. It doesn’t sound like this is happening to you, though, but I like people to always be on the lookout. If the separation continues to happen, you could stir your mixture halfway between your refreshments so it stays homogeneous. Keep at it!
Hey! I just came across this recipe and of all I’ve read this is super clear! My starter already be going nuts, I’ll see how day 2 goes… I only have one question! Should it be in an air tight container or just with the lid loosely on top will do? Thanks!
Glad to hear my post is helping! I like to keep the lid just loosely on top to prevent anything from going inside while also allowing any excess gas pressure a place to escape. Happy baking, Victoria!
Fermentation produces CO2 and will build pressure inside the sealed vessel – not safe. Also, high pressures can stress the critters possibly altering performance.
hi!
I’ve followed a similar recipe to this starter (Joshua Weissman). I am on day 9 and finally saw some bubbles rising to the top that looks much like yours but still no rise. Initially, on day 2, I had a lot of rise and bubbles which I know is normal. I am still going on with feeding it. I tried the float test and it sort of floated but then sank if the piece was too big. only small drips would float. Today when I fed it, i separated the mature starter into 2 jars and added 35g of starter, 50g each of rye and unbleached all purpose flour. In 1 jar i did 100% hydration so 100g water and the other i did 85%. I hope i will see some rise tomorrow!
Right on, Jessica. It sounds like things are definitely progressing for you, keep with the feedings (keep using a bit of rye if you have it, too) — it sounds like you’re really close.
Hi! I just came home with 150g of starter from Tabor Bread, the best bakery in Portland, Oregon. This will be my first attempt with naturally yeasted bread making, so they suggested your site. What a great resource! However, I’m not sure where I should begin. Does it make sense for me to start with the “Day 7 and Onward” instructions from the Scratch Starter page so I can make sure the starter is happy in its new home, or is there some other process you would recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Rich
I’ve been to Tabor, what a fantastic bakery! Awesome to hear they recommended my website.
Check out my sourdough starter maintenance routine for a step by step process on how I keep my starter healthy.
From there, check out my Guides page which has more info on starters and other parts of the process.
Have fun with it and happy baking!
Hi! I am probably on day 9 and there’s very little life. Just a few bubbles. Although it smells great. I used einkorn and all purpose flour. I switched to a larger wider jar yesterday, wondering if mine was too narrow and now there is even less life today so clearly that was dumb. Is it still salvageable or am I just wasting flour at this point? Also, I started saving the leftover in the fridge. Can I use that to make a regular yeast bread maybe? Thank you!!
I’d keep going with it. It really helps to have whole wheat or rye, but I know that’s not even at the store right now. Try to keep it warm and keep with feeding it 1x per day, it will eventually take hold. Sorry for the frustration!
Because there’s no fermentation activity in your starter, I likely wouldn’t both saving up that discard, but if you did want to, you could add it to your doughs that will be baked in the oven — it’ll just act as flour + water 🙂
Okay thank you! It had a lot of activity in the beginning (overflowed first day) but then seemed to calm down.
Yes, that’s extremely common. Keep with it!
Thank you!!! I have hope again!! Stay safe.
@maurizioleo:disqus Hi! – thanks for your help! First time starter maker here. Excited to see some action, I took temperatures throughout my apartment and found it pretty cool. The warmest spot was the oven, while off, at a reasonable 78 degF (+/-2deg). It seemed great day one and day two, at least before I went to bed. The starter had a light crust on it this morning. Is it no longer useful? I left the oven light on last night which I suspect increased the temperature too much overnight. I also used a wide mouth bowl rather than small mouthed jar yesterday. Please advise. I’d rather start over now than wait the next 5 days to find I have a non-viable starter. Thanks!
I’m sure it’s just fine, a crust won’t hurt anything. I’d give it a normal feeding and proceed as usual. To avoid that crust, be sure to keep it covered. Let me know how it goes!
How do you dispose of your discard? I’m guessing that dumping it down the drain wouldn’t work because it’s such a sticky substance, but I also don’t want to pour it directly into the trash for fear of leakage. And to pour it into a separate bag before putting it into the trash seems wasteful. Any advice? Can’t wait to try the bread!
Now’s a great time to start composting!
I keep a sealed compost bin in my kitchen and scoop it right into there with all my other food scraps (as @disqus_jGHxNlAMUd:disqus said below!). I also keep a jar in my fridge to hold some discard and use this on the weekend to make sourdough waffles with all the discard. Last resort is into the trash can. Hope that helps 🙂
Can this be made using gluten-free flour?
Very likely but I don’t have any experience in that, sorry!
what i cannot still understand IS the amount of sheer,willful wasting of the flour mix–yeah,sure…..give it to someone else–think most can be bothered to continue this form of a chain letter ?
better to simply grab a piece of your risen dough and use that within a day or so as your leavening .
Yes, that’ll work too! It all depends on what you’re baking, how much you’re baking, and what your preference is.
Hello!
I followed your instructions religiously and have encountered some issues. Everything went swimmingly the first two days – Day 2 saw massive growth and bubbles. However, after Day 2 there was little or not growth and bubbles. I was using rye flour as my flour, the Weck jar you recommended, and slightly warmed my water (since my kitchen is on the chilly side/per your suggestion). I read through the comments/your replies and saw you suggested to continue feeding because the starter might be a late bloomer. However, once Lucille Boule moved on the twice daily feedings, nothing. I kept her in the microwave (thinking it was an environment with a somewhat consistent temp) and was very careful not to nuke her. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
It’s normal to see a burst of activity in the beginning (possibly with lots of bubbles) only to see a decline the day(s) after. Stick with the starter creation process of feeding and discarding and it will eventually take hold. That initial activity is most likely a bacteria we don’t want to stick around in the long run, it will eventually die off when the bacteria/yeast we do want acidifies the culture to the point where other bacteria cannot survive. Keep with it!
Hello!! I am on day 6… and seeing very little action. Some bubbles almost immeasurable rise and fall during the 12 hr feeding cycle currently very wet loose. I am using whole wheat and AP flour that’s all that is available in my pantry/grocery store during these times. Also letting it in a small warm pantry using 80 degree water.
Should I start over with rye flour when I can get my hands on some?
Thank you,
Samantha
Hi, I’m also on day 6 and though I saw a substantial rise and fall during days 2-3, for the last 2 days I am now seeing a nearly imperceptible rise and fall. My starter shows some bubbles on the top, but it does not look bubbly on the sides the way it did before. It does smell yeasty, but I’m unsure how I should proceed for using it to bake bread, as I genuinely don’t know when it is most active. Is this to be expected? Should I start again? Samantha, did you try using yours to bake bread and if so, did it work?
I am having the exact same issue (day 5 though). I started with whole wheat flour and then had to switch to unbleached bread flour when I ran out. The first several days I saw a lot of activity but now that I am feeding twice daily, I don’t seem to see the rise & fall I would expect. I’ve kept mine mostly at 80 degrees using a sous vide machine on and off throughout the day.
Drew, see my suggestions to Samantha above!
See my suggestions to Samantha above!
Hey Scarlett! I have not attempted any baking yet. Still just nurturing and feeding.
Good luck!!
If you can get some rye flour, yes, that’ll help for sure. But whole wheat will also work. Be sure to leave your water out in an open container overnight in case you have high chlorine levels in your water (common in cities). Other than that, it sometimes just takes a bit longer to get things going. Switch to just one feeding per day and use some whole wheat or rye and keep that up until you see more and more fermentation activity build. It will happen eventually!
Hi there, I’m a beginner and your website is great. I had a great first two days, then forgot to feed on day 3…and fed twice on day 4…and then fed once on day 5…and not much happening. I’m realizing that while my starter is in a nice cozy spot in the kitchen, I don’t remember it on schedule. So I am going to link feeding the dog with feeding the starter, since both need to happen about 12 h apart. Hoping that helps. Meanwhile, here it is, day 6, and not much activity in my glass jar. Advice? Throw out and start over? Start feeding once/day or twice/day? So very much want to bake delicious gorgeous loaves as pictured on your site!
Good plan, to form a habit it sometimes helps to join two things together. See the comment above where I gave some advice to Samantha!
Hello!
I am new here and just started my first sourdough starter. I am beyond excited and frustrated at the same time. I have two questions though: I am on Day 3 now and when I wanted to the feeding, I saw some water inbetween the dough parts. Is it some bad sign? Also, how should my starter smell like? Because mine is kind of unpleasant and funky and I am not sure what I did wrong. Measurements were right, temperature same as stated above.
Maybe these details will help: I used tap water that is really hard here in Berlin, Germany. Also, do I leave my starter outside? always? Do I put my new feeding in a new jar every day?
Thanks for your help! Would try another batch, if you recommend it!
Kind regards, Annie
Ah and the protein content of my unbleached apf is around 9,8 I think.
That’s very low protein for a flour used in bread. If you can find something around 10% that would work a bit better! Generally, though, it’s ok to see some liquid on top. You can also stir your starter halfway between your refreshments — this won’t cause any problems at all and will keep things more incorporated.
Alright, I will look into it and give it another try, if not, multiple. Thank you for the tips!
Maurizio… First, your site is great and I have learned quite a bit. As an engineer as well, I appreciate the precision and how you approach the whole process.
So I began a sourdough starter earlier this morning and used your recommendation of fermenting at 80F. I put it in a Brod and Taylor box and set it for 80. The starter was your day one mix of all rye flour and water which I did at 8 this morning. At 8 this evening, I was curious about the temperature of the starter relative to that of the box setting so I did a quick read with my thermopop. I was surprised to see that the starter temperature was 84 with a box setting of 80. A quick search online revealed that a fermentation process is actually exothermic, meaning heat is generated during fermentation, which explains the 4 degree difference. I didn’t recall seeing that on your site, were you aware of that? That being said, TheArtisan.net, where I learned this states that temperature “variations of relatively wide magnitude have only a nominal effect on final bread quality as long as the minimum fermentation time exceeds 3 hr.”
I’m wondering, for all rye and water, if your target is 80 should you set the box for 76 to account for heat generated as it ferments, or not worry about it as TheArtisan points out and keep the box setting at 80. Although wide variations in temp will lead to inconsistent fermentation times and possibly different end results. I was curious on your thoughts.. thanks!
Mark
Thanks for the kind words, Mark, glad to hear my site has helped. That’s correct, fermentation is an exothermic process, but I’d be surprised to see a temperature increase of 4°F — in practice I rarely see that dramatic of an effect (and perhaps I’d only expect it in a very large mass kept in a sealed container).
I have noticed with the B&T proofer that the temperature at the very center of the unit is quite hot compared to the extremes (the heating element is in the middle). Test this yourself: if you have an ambient temp thermometer stick it in the middle and let it sit there for an hour or so and check the temp. For me it’s sometimes a few degrees hotter. Lately I’ve been reducing the temp on my B&T a few degrees to compensate.
Hope that helps!
Thank you, that’s very helpful. I do have the jar in the middle of the box and perhaps I’ll move the jar off-center. I’ll play around and see if there is a spot where the starter temperature gets close to the box setting.
I like to keep mine in the center, I just keep the thermometer nearby and eventually you learn to adjust. If you have a large bowl or baking pan in there it’s not as big of a deal since the larger surface area disperses the heat some, but that small starter or levain jar…
So overnight I placed the jar just off-center to the right and the starter temp pretty much matched the box setting at 77. On another note, the starter more than doubled in volume with a few bubbles visible. Overall a great start.
Right on. Well that’s great! Have fun, I know you will 🙂
6+ hours into day 2 feeding, the starter is well over 2x height when I first fed it this morning, lots of small bubbles on the side of the jar. Is it possible that I need to start 2x daily feedings now and not wait to day 4?
Possible, but I would honestly wait. That surge in activity is common but not what we’re after. Waiting to feed won’t harm anything, either.
I love your website, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I’m on day two, and I didn’t get an initial surge of activity. I know you said it may or may not happen. If I continue to see no activity, how long should I keep going with this one before trying again?
You’re welcome, JC! Keep with the schedule, even if you don’t see any activity on that second/third day (which is very normal). Stay at the step with a mix of rye flour and white flour and feed it once or twice a day in the ratios listed. Keep up with that until you notice some activity shown in the later steps, then pick up at the day after the one you stopped at. It will happen, sometimes it takes a little longer at one of the days than others.
Keep with it!
I ended up with a huge surge of activity on day 3; my starter tripled in volume within 4 hours of feeding on day 3, and had a nice odor of overripe fruit. By that evening it had fallen completely. I debated feeding it then, but decided to stick with the schedule and not start twice daily feedings until day 4. The morning of day 4 it was totally flat and had developed a strong vomit smell. I’ve been feeding twice a day since then, and I’m still seeing zero signs of fermentation (on day 6 now). No bubbles, no rising, and the vomit smell is still present (though not as strong since it seems to get diluted with each feeding). I’m wondering if I should switch back to feeding once a day until I see fermentation pick back up? Or stick with the twice daily schedule? Or chuck it and start over?
Thanks so much for the guidance! Babying this starter is giving me something to do while social distancing at home.
Yeah, mine smelled like vomit after day 2, started to smell sweeter on day 3 and now smells like barf again. Blech. Not sure what that means. I’ll be watching your thread with hopes of good news.
Hi –
The starter is great and rises predictably. Now what? Just put it in the fridge? And feed it in anticipation of baking?
That’s great to hear! Check out my starter maintenance routine for one approach to caring for your starter. From there, you can use it to bake once a week, bake every day, or bake even less than that. Head to my Guides page and check out the Schedules and Starter sections for more on this!