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!
Print
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
It was such a great moment 2 days ago when I did the float test and it worked. I am very happy to say I’ve been sharing my first loaves with family and everyone loves it. It has a beautiful chewy crunchy crust and nearly perfect inside. I am pretty happy with my first results and perseverance paid off. I want to improve my loaf though. The inside is just a bit too dense, spongy and was slightly sticky the first day. It has a mild flavor which I would like to improve on. At what point do I need further fermentation to get more sour into the dough? Thankyou for encouraging me along the way.
That’s excellent! It is definitely a wonderful feeling when everything starts working properly. It sounds like your loaves still might be a little bit underproofed. Try to make sure you are doing a full bulk fermentation, 4 hours is a good benchmark, and you want to do this at a fairly warm temperature. If you can find a place in your kitchen that stays around 78F then you’ll be in good shape. If you can’t find a place that warm, use warmer water for your mix (around 90F) and then keep the dough somewhere as warm as possible. At the end of bulk you really want to see some active dough with bubbles throughout and it jiggles in the bowl.
You can increase sourness in your bread by using my levain in the mix (20%+) or let it proof longer in the fridge (20+ hours). There’s a balance there as you can’t push fermentation too far (you’ll overproof), but the longer you push it the more sour your bread. A few tests and trials will help you determine how far you can push it!
Thankyou. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi again, So as I gain more knowledge and work through this I am finally understanding more fully terms and such. So I began a whole new batch and yesterday on day 6 I began twice a day feed. I gave it a second feed just after it fell a bit late last night when it was smelling sweet. I woke up in the night and noticed it had doubled. However I now have a new problem that I didn’t have before. The fermentation smell is nearly gone. Why is this?
That sounds great, looks like things are progressing nicely. You definitely should have a consistent rise and fall if your temps are consistent and your feed percentages (flour & water) as well.
I’m not sure what smell you’re referring to. Chances are you’ll find that same smell if you let your starter ferment a bit longer, I would say at that point it smells “vinegary” or “slightly sour” to me. Like you said, you’ll have that sweet floury smell in the beginning that eventually turns to a ripe fruit smell, then vinegar, and finally very acidic and sour and downright pungent.
It has gone through the vinegary sour smell then it went more sweet, not like in the beginning, more like apple. But now all scent is nearly gone altogether.
Am I looking for a certain scent before beginning the levain stage or is it more about the rise and fall and long fermentation?
A little bit of both, I use both indicators. With time you’ll almost be able to just look at it and tell but I find scent to really help. It will not smell sweet any longer, but more like ripe fruit like I mentioned. If you use your starter a little before this stage, or a little after, it’s totally fine, things will still work out. It’s just a good milestone to help gauge when things are ready.
The starter will still be risen up, with bubbles on top, and perhaps a little collapse in the center where it’s starting to fall.
In you comment below this one I replied with a link to my maintenance routine post, check that out! I have a bunch of pictures where you can see just where I use my starter.
Hi Maurizio, I live in Ontario Canada where our winters are very cold. I am new to making sourdough starter and am determined to get past the difficult stage until I succeed. I have had glitches along the way. I have read books and online instructions on how to make the best sour dough starter. I am finding that a few of you do things differently but all are successful. So I have 3 jars going with 3 sets of instructions. I just want to make sure of one thing. I’m on day 6 and finally see some good activity. On day 5 you say “feeding as usual”. But you don’t mention discarding. Do I continually discard on day 5, 6 and 7 before feeding. Can you direct me to instructions for keeping my sour dough starter on the kitchen counter while I experiment over the next weeks. Thanks so much for your help.
Sharon
Sharon, thanks for the comments! Yes, you continue to discard sourdough starter at *every* feeding. Here is a very recent post I made on maintaining my sourdough starter, it should give you some more insight into maintenance on your counter:
http://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-starter-maintenance-routine/
I hope that helps, let me know if you run into any issues but I’m sure you’ll get things up and running!
Hello, Maurizio, Wanted to let you know that it worked! Had my doubts around Day 4, but finally achieved starterdom. Used some to try a new recipe, Russian Peasant Bread (with coriander!) and it was delicious. Thanks for your encouragement; will do your SD with a young levin in coming days. And kudos to you for encouraging viewers to use bowl covers instead of plastic wrap!
EXCELLENT! I knew it would take hold, sometimes it just needs a little extra time 🙂 You’re welcome, and Russian Peasant Bread does sound delicious.
Those reusable bowl covers are a worthwhile purchase, less waste and just much easier to use in general.
Happy holidays Naomi!
Hi Maurizio, 6 days ago I have attempted to make the starter for the second time and it feels like it is not going good again. First time I ended up with a lumpy soup. This time, at day 6, I have just a couple of tiny bubbles and the smell is beginning to be very alcoholy. I follow your instructions very carefully but the starter doesn’t seem to grow and rise. Do you know if the starter will evolve if I will keep feeding it once a day until it creates more bubbles?
Hello, Natalia. An alcoholic smell is ok. Are you using whole grain rye flour as indicated? Do you notice your mixture separating into clear liquid on top with flour on bottom? Do you notice any other strange colors in your mixture (pink, green, etc.)?
Thank you Maurizio, I just noticed this morning, on day 7, that I have MUCH MORE bubbles so that means it’s not over yet 🙂 I am using 50% rye and 50% ap flour. My first starter was separating but this is pretty firm all the time. And I haven’t noticed any strange colors. I will be patient and continue doing what I need to do. Thank you for your answer!
You’re very welcome, glad it’s turning around. Stick with it!
I started a sourdough from KA but I wanted to try something from scratch before I read this article. Thanks for the elaborate step by step. Interesting info. I am going to try your procedure next, probably start this afternoon.
But I had already previously started a “Sponge” with some AP about a week ago and with active yeast. I had punched it down twice and then stuck it in the fridge. It rose and I punched it down again. Then next day I punched it again and decided to put it into a less cold fridge at 39F. The previous fridge was at ~33F. After two days at 39F it had thumbnail size bubbles on top, so I punched it/stirred it down and it definitely had this vinegary smell to it. So I cut it in half and mixed each cut with 1 cup bread flour and 1/2 cup water. Now it is back into the 39F fridge.
Then I read your blog post.
My question, do you think this is a way to also make a starter? It seems to be acquiring the smell. I am not in a hurry, I just want to see results, so I am wondering if you feel that maybe “cold and slow” might affect the results?
In a couple of days, when I check back on the two now in the fridge I think I will add WW to one and RYE to the other.
After that grows I want to cut and split it and add some Apple Cider Vinegar to one. Not much, less than 1/8 tsp and see the results. I am hoping to get a more vinegary flavor from it.
What about adding a little Turbanado sugar to it?
Do you have any thoughts? – Thanks!
I don’t have any experience using active dry yeast to make a sourdough starter. I’m not too sure how that strain of bacteria/yeast would interact with the wild variants, but I’m sure the stronger of the two would survive and things would eventually work out. I would recommend, though, trying to make one like my process above and see how the two compare. There is definitely a certain smell/taste to the commercial yeast products, you can pick it out right away. I love the complex flavors of a completely wild yeast.
Adding cider vinegar will help increase the acidity in your culture, but will eventually get replaced by water, of course. If you want your culture/bread to be more sour overall, you can always carryover more of your mature starter at each feeding. For your bread you can let it ferment longer in the fridge to build up more acidity, or use my levain in your final mix.
I’ve never added sugar, I would assume that might speed up fermentation (similar to adding anything starchy or sugary, like raisins/figs).
I hope that helps, thanks for the comments!
Maurizio Leo – Well I followed your process to making a sourdough starter and I tried two variants at the same time, a “Rye Blend” variant as well as a “White Wheat” variant. It definitely seemed to me and I also took some pictures that the Rye variant was producing more activity. Everything else went according to your instructions, including the rancid smell. But the next day, it was gone and I never smelled it again. In the end, I mixed the Rye and Wheat together and I have used the culture a few times in bread and it is good. I am trying an experiment. I have a small spare refrigerator and I am storing the sourdough cultures isolated in it. I took a cup or so of green coffee beans that I ground up with my bullet and I put the ground up green coffee in an open bowl in the fridge hoping that the ground coffee spores will eventually contribute to the sourdough starter.
I have the other sourdough that I created from the dry yeast, as I explained earlier in a different building location. I have split it into two cultures and I have turned them probably at last 15 times, just adding 1 cup of AP flour and 1/2 cup distilled water as in a normal sourdough starter. I have kept both containers in the same fridge as well at around 39 – 40 degrees. I have turned the mix everyday now for the last 4 days in a row and today I mixed one cup each of starter from each (2 cups total) and added 4 cups of AP, 60% water, 2% salt and 2% dry yeast. It’s been sitting warming up for the last couple of hours and the dough smells amazingly malty, sweet and nutty. I can’t wait to make a couple of Boules of it this afternoon.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the update! Sounds like your two cultures are both doing well. As expected the rye variant will have more activity due to the increased amount of nutrients available to your starter present in rye flour — this is the reason why I recommend creating a starter with rye flour.
I just love the smell of dough as you described, that subtle malty and sweet smell… Incredible. They should make a candle with that scent 🙂
Thanks again and I hope you have a happy holiday!
I know that we have to incorporate the same amount of flour and water , and know it is my first time to know that the starter from yesterday should have the same gram. Helpful blog , beautiful recipe really thank u very much .
Thanks Donna, I appreciate that! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
Hi! I’m trying to learn more about sourdough starters. Can you explain the purpose of using the rye flour? And is there any substitute for the all purpose flour? I’ve seen a lot of different recommendations on flours and I am just trying to get a better grasp. Thank you!! Your recipe and explanations are so helpful!
Hi, Laura! Rye flour is packed with nutrients (more so than regular wheat) that will help get your starter off the ground. It’s worth using and I always use rye flour when starting a new starter.
You can use other flour besides all purpose, what you really want is a flour that isn’t too high in protein (hence all purpose, which is typically around 11%). If you can only use bread flour (higher protein), that’s fine, but AP is a better choice. You can also use whole wheat flour here instead, just know that fermentation rates will increase as WW has more nutrients, like rye.
I hope that helps! Good luck, let me know how it goes.
Thank you! I think I might try with bread flour, but we will see how that goes. Does this mean i need to take different steps in creating my starter since fermentation rates will increase?
Nope, follow the same steps just keep an eye on fermentation. Everyone will have to adjust feeding times based on their local environment and flour, so it’s normal if your times change from mine listed above, but you can still follow the guide closely. Just be observant and flexible, if it looks like things are fermenting incredibly fast then you might need to feed sooner, and vice versa. Let me know how it goes!
Hey there! My starter seems to be progressing well. I’m on day 4 using rye/apf and it looks great! There are bubbles on the sides and bottom. One thing I did notice is that there are no bubbles on the top and it seems that a crust develops on top in between feedings. Any thoughts on that? Sorry for all of the questions!
Thanks!
Laura
That’s great to hear! It may be that it’s just drying out on top, you could stir your starter halfway through the time between feeding and then feeding again. This way no flour will ever be exposed to air for too long. Are you keeping your jar slightly covered as well? I don’t keep it air tight (the lid will pop off) but I keep a loose fitting glass top on.
Hope that helps! Keep at it, you’ll have a strong sourdough starter in no time.
Okay I will definitely give that a try! Thank you so much for all of your insight! This is such a fun process. It’s like science 🙂
Indeed it is! You’re welcome — happy baking Laura!
Hi Maurizio,
Thank you for your very informative post and easy-to-follow steps. It has definitely given me the motivation and confidence I need to begin a sourdough starter. I’m currently on Day 2 but my starter seems to be super active. I left the lid ajar, and it shot right out of the jar and went all over my countertop (the starter was slightly under the halfway mark when I fed it). It smells very vinegary, almost pungent. I gave it a stir and gave it a feeding, even though had only been 9 hours since I last fed it. Am I doing this right? Would increasing the frequency of the feeds help in this situation? Would appreciate any advice I can get.
Hi, Pamelia! Sounds like you’re off to a great start. Sometimes that activity in the beginning can be a “false alarm” and you’ll see bubbles and activity that will subside, only to return a few days later. However, this may not be the case for you (as each person’s environment is different), and you might be moving along quicker than typical. Just make sure to follow the steps above, discard a large portion of your starter each time you feed, and feed with fresh flour + water. That vinegar smell is normal, and good, but if it starts to smell overly acidic then you might want to feed earlier or give it a bit more flour and water. Like you said, if you feed earlier you’ll avoid that excess acid buildup in your starter, which will in the end make your bread less sour.
I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
Thank you for your reply, Maurizio! I’ve been following the steps and it seems that you’re right – my starter’s hyperactivity appears to be a false alarm… after a few days of feeding, my starter is suddenly not rancid-smelling anymore. However, what concerns me is that there is almost no sign of activity now, not even a bubble or two! Contemplating if I should discard the starter and start over. Any suggestions?
This is normal. My suggestion is to continue following the regiment for another week and see if you spot any signs of activity. It’s a good sign that the initial activity came and then left. If you don’t see any activity in a week then I would stay start anew, but you should see something in a week or so!
Hi Maurizio,
Thanks so much for the detailed instructions! I would love your help with a few things about starter maintenance (I’m a newbie — I have been using the Tartine country bread recipe for the past month, with 100% hydration for my starter). Would you be able to take a look at my process and advise? We keep our house pretty cool in the winter (around 62 degrees) and I bake 1 to 2 times a week. I am using 1/3 rye, 1/3 ap white, and 1/3 wheat. Each morning, I keep about 25 g of the starter and add 30 g flour mix and 30 g room temp (62 degree) water, and then cover with a towel (should I be using something less porous like your glass top suggestion?). The starter shows good activity each day, but it’s slow, which I would expect with using cool water and storing it in a cool house and feeding it just once daily. The night before I bake, I start the levain, so the starter has only 12 hours or so before I feed it to bake. Does this seem like an okay method? Ought I feed it more frequently, or use warmed water, or something else? I like the idea of only having to discard once a day, but I’m not sure if I’m taking good care of the starter. My loaves have been coming out well with pretty decent oven spring (my sense is that not yet having a dutch oven cooker combo and still learning the proper shaping technique have more to do with this than anything, but I could be wrong) and a decent amount of holes (it’s not dense, but it certainly isn’t see through). Do you have any tips for me? I appreciate your time!
You’re welcome! You don’t need to have a sealed top, in fact mine is not sealed it’s just resting on top. A towel works just fine.
Feeding it more frequently does not necessarily mean you will get more activity. There are theories abound about feeding a few times, or only a single time, before building your levain. The real key is you want to use your levain when it’s had enough time to generate sufficient activity — I would say 12 hours should be enough but then again 62F is pretty cold! I’ve never kept my starter at this low of a temperature, ideally you want at least above 65F. You’ll have to observe it for a week or so to see how long it takes to get to it’s “peak” (that point before it starts to fall), once you see how long that takes you can judge when to use your levain. At 72F or so you should be able to use your levain after 5-6 hours. If you use warmer water then that essentially speeds things up. You could play with using 75F or 85F water and see how that affects the timetable.
It’s ok if you feed once a day, especially at those temperatures. When you bake, though, I’d recommend feeding 2x a day two days before to reduce the acidity buildup in your starter, it will help yeast activity increase.
I hope that helps, let me know if anything is unclear!
Hello. This is a wonderful site and I love all the tips! I have made the starter and its rises and falls beautifully, also it’s predictable. I made this recipe, I had a beatiful crust, and amazing oven lift. My problem is that I had large holes at the top, and dense twords the bottom. A common problem with over-fermentation? Also, my loaf is very gummy and chewy. Any suggestions?
Missy, that’s great! Sounds like you’re off to an excellent start. I will sometimes also get a dense area near the bottom middle of my loaves. I usually attribute this to shaping as the middle is usually the place that takes the most “compression” when you shape your loaves. To get rid of that it just takes time and practice, to develop that light touch when shaping but still have a taut enough skin on the outside to create a nice crust and high rise. One other thing: when you slice your bread make sure you let it cool completely and try not to push down as you cut. I’ve noticed, with me at least, if I cut this way I’ll get a dense section at the bottom where the knife has sort of pressed down and compacted the bread.
If your bread is gummy/chewy it could be a few things but I typically attribute this to undercooked loaves. Make sure you bake things out fully and the inside doesn’t look raw or discolored. Your loaves should be around 212ºF inside, you could use an instant read thermometer for a while until you get a hang for how things should feel and look. It could also be due to the flour you are using. If your flour has a high protein percentage (around 14% or higher) this can lead to a more gummy interior.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions — happy baking Missy!
Hi,
Thanks for the very detailed descriptions, I am going to start today.
All over the process, besides when feeding the starter, the jar is being kept closed?
Many Thanks.
Thanks so much! Yes, I keep a lid on the jar, but it’s not sealed tightly. Gasses can push up through the lid if things get too pressurized inside. The lid here is essentially a glass top that is just resting at the jar opening. I hope that helps, happy baking!
I am just starting my first starter according to your well illustrated guidance. As I progress in the daily process, do I continue to remove 40 gr. of starter on each and every feeding? Eventually, this leaves only 40 gr. at the end of the process, hardly enough to do a bake. What is the feeding schedule for ripe starter to get to viable amounts?
Yes, you want to remove a large portion of the starter at each feeding. It is possible to continually build your starter up and include everything from the feeding before, but this will result in a very, very active starter with significant acidity. Follow the steps above for maintenance and your starter will do very well, when you want to bake, however, you’ll need to build a “leaven (levain)”. A leaven has much more flour and water, enough to suit the recipe at hand. In all my recipes here I list out the leaven ingredients which include a small portion of your starter. Think of the starter as an ongoing, living thing that never gets modified. The leaven is a small offshoot of the starter that’s built up to use only a single time for that next bake.
I hope that makes sense, please let me know if you still have questions!
Hi Maurizio,
Your instructions are clear and the pictures are great. However, I am not sure whether we still have to discard
40g on the 6th day when we start to feed it twice a day, and then later, thrice a day.
When do we stop discarding? How many grams of starter do we have at the end of the 7th or 8th day.
Will the jar be big enough if we stop discarding at the end of the 5th day and keep feeding 2-3 times a day.
Do you know what I mean?
I am so sorry for being so confused and for being such a nuisance.
I am going to start making a jar of starter using your recipe, even though I already have a jar using 100% rye following the weekend bakers website. I find the 100% rye generates a really sweet smell and the starter is really dry and not soapy at all. Never smelly or cloudy.
Thank you,
Susan
Susan – thanks! You always discard. Each time you feed your starter your want to discard some portion of it (so you only have a small amount of “mature” starter left), and then feed that small portion with fresh flour and water. The jar will always be big enough because you discard constantly and only a small portion of the starter is carried over to the next feeding.
I hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio,
Thank you for your reply.
Let’s say that after the 8th days, I need to use my starter to make a bread.
Let’s assume that I have 40g of starter in the jar, and I need 40g to make the bread. As I am using ALL the starter in the jar, I will not have any starter left for my next bread?
Another separate issue: When you discard, am in right to say that after you have discarded HALF of my jar of 100g of the starter, and now have only 50g left, I must now feed with 25g flour and 25g water? so that I now again have 100g of starter.
Is this right?
I know that this must sound very silly to you, but can you please let me know if the above is correct or have I got it all wrong?
Thanks,
Susan
If you need more starter to make your levain (remember, the levain is the “preferment” we make and let ferment for some number of hours before mixing to make our bread, typically 20% or so in the final mix) than you have in your jar, just feed with more flour + water the day before to cover the amount needed for your levain build. For example, if your levain recipe requires 40g starter, and you have only 40g in your jar, feed your mature starter the day before with 60g or 80g flour + water.
If you keep 50g starter then i would actually feed with a bit more flour and water, perhaps 50g mature starter, 150g flour and 150g water. Or, you can reduce this to 20g mature starter 100g flour and 100g water — this is what I’m currently doing in my kitchen.
Maurizio, thank you so much for taking the time to share all your knowledge, I am learning and comprehending a lot more about the starers, finally mine is starting to have all these precious bubbles, thank you so much again!!! and also congratulation on your beautiful and gorgeous loaves you bake, many blessings to you!!!!!
You are very welcome, glad my tips have shed some light on things! Thanks for stopping by and happy baking!
Hi Maurizio, just a quick question when you say all purpose flour is that plain four or white bread flour? cheers Luke
Hi, Luke! When I say all purpose I specifically mean *not* bread flour but flour that has a lower protein percentage (11-13%). Your typical King Arthur All Purpose or something similar is perfect. Let me know if you have any other questions — cheers!
Maurizio, Gracie for this great post. I am on day 4 and the starter is going well but it is been two days where it gets more liquid and I keep adjusting it to make it firmer. Is this normal ? When should I start worrying? Also, we are gluten free so I did my starter with 50% brown rice flour and 50% sorghum flour . Is that a good mix ?
You’re welcome! You can make it as firm or liquid as you want, really. Typical hydration ranges are anywhere from 60% (stiff) to 100% (liquid). Each along the way has slightly different characteristics (and chemistry) but they all work just fine. The key is to get to know how it behaves; how long until it needs refreshment? How much seed amount at each feeding so it can “last” until you can feed again? etc.
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with brown rice flour and sorghum but I’d say if you notice fermentation going it’s just fine!
Hi Maurizio, Thanks for this wonderful blog. I have an issue about storing the starter in the fridge: been through your blog and also to many other sites but cant come to a standard process that I can follow to have my starter stored properly. I bake on weekly basis.. Could you please give more details on the weights : after feeding the starter several times for baking, how much should I keep to store? what’s the process to have it ready to store ? need this in weights please . thanks again
Muna — you’re welcome glad you’re liking the blog! With regard to your question, the end weight of the starter you store in your fridge can really be any amount you’d like. It depends on when you’ll be able to refresh your starter next. For example, if I’m storing my starter in the fridge each week you should be fine with 60 to 80grams of total weight (carryover starter from last feeding + water + new flour). I’d say start with 80 grams this week and see how your starter looks when you take it out of the fridge on Thursday or Friday. Does it look like it’s consuming all your food (new flour and water) before you take it out at the end of the week? Some signs will be heavy acidic smell, no life to the starter and possibly some alcohol-looking liquid at top. If so, up it to 100grams and see the result the next week.
The key is the storage weight will be different based on your unique starter, just observe how it behaves and adjust the amount as necessary. Personally mine slows down quite a bit in the fridge so 80g is plenty for me (my fridge is typically at 38ºF).
I hope that helps, let me know if you still have questions!
A late thank you 🙂 thought you didn’t see my question and just saw your reply, appreciating so much your detailed feedback.
Hi there. I am in day four with my starter following your instructions and I was wondering if I am supposed to continue removing all of the starter until it is jar weight plus the 40 grams of starter? That is what I understand but what I want to know is that I like to bake a lot and I bake two or three loves at a time so can I just leave the starter in and just feed the water and flour to it so that I can increase the amount I have all together?
You can remove as little or as much as you want so long as you know the result. If you leave more mature starter at each feeding and feed with the same percentage of flour & water know that your starter will consume the food at a faster rate as there is a higher ratio of yeast/bacteria to flour/water (food). Make sense?
I like to keep my starter at the same percentage of mature-to-new food and if I’m going to bake more I just scale everything up until I have the required amount of levain for the next day’s bake.
I hope that helps, let me know if it’s unclear!
Hi there. Thanks for such detailed instructions. First off, I have hard water in my house and we run it through a brita filter. Will either of these things inhibit the starter from growing? Also, what do you do with the starter that you remove when you feed it? Can I just leave that in and add more each time to get a big batch of starter? Thank you!
You’re very welcome, glad you’re finding them useful! No, hard water will not inhibit your starter formation, don’t worry about that. However, high chlorine levels can cause issues, I typically fill a large jug of water and let it sit overnight before using it to feed my starter. This will help the chlorine dissipate some.
You must remove some of your starter at each feeding otherwise the entire mass will become overly sour and the acidity level will inhibit your starter from growing (assuming you aren’t feeding with a lot more flour each time). Think about your starter as a collection of bacteria and yeast that consume the flour and water you feed it, if you don’t discard some when you feed with fresh flour/water the population will grown far too fast for the amount of food.
If you feel like discarding some is a “waste” of good food, it’s not really as your new family member has just eaten and that’s their leftovers! However, you can check out my post on things to do with your leftover starter, I have some great recipes there!
http://www.theperfectloaf.com/my-top-3-leftover-sourdough-starter-recipes/
Hope that helps!
Hi there. Thanks for such detailed instructions. First off, I have hard water in my house and we run it through a brita filter. Will either of these things inhibit the starter from growing? Also, what do you do with the starter that you remove when you feed it? Can I just leave that in and add more each time to get a big batch of starter? Thank you!
You’re very welcome, glad you’re finding them useful! No, hard water will not inhibit your starter formation, don’t worry about that. However, high chlorine levels can cause issues, I typically fill a large jug of water and let it sit overnight before using it to feed my starter. This will help the chlorine dissipate some.
You must remove some of your starter at each feeding otherwise the entire mass will become overly sour and the acidity level will inhibit your starter from growing (assuming you aren’t feeding with a lot more flour each time). Think about your starter as a collection of bacteria and yeast that consume the flour and water you feed it, if you don’t discard some when you feed with fresh flour/water the population will grown far too fast for the amount of food.
If you feel like discarding some is a “waste” of good food, it’s not really as your new family member has just eaten and that’s their leftovers! However, you can check out my post on things to do with your leftover starter, I have some great recipes there!
http://www.theperfectloaf.com/my-top-3-leftover-sourdough-starter-recipes/
Hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio,
I will be going on vacation for two weeks, during which time I will not be able to feed my starter. My starter always bounces back after a week in the fridge, but I think that two weeks is pushing it. My starter is 100% hydration, using 50/50 AP/rye. I have heard that if I double the feed before I put it in the fridge, I should be fine for two weeks (my last feeding should have 40 g starter + 80 g water and 80 g flour).
Thoughts?
Elie,
Giving some extra flour and water is a good idea if you’re going to be gone a bit longer. I’ve done two weeks with no problem so I don’t see you having an issue. Double up your feeding and you’ll be just fine.
Another approach is to reduce the amount of water you’d normally feed with, say, by 25%. The stiffer the starter the better it can adapt to longer intervals between refreshment (within reason).
Hope that helps, have a great vacation!
Thank you!
Hi Maurizio,
I will be going on vacation for two weeks, during which time I will not be able to feed my starter. My starter always bounces back after a week in the fridge, but I think that two weeks is pushing it. My starter is 100% hydration, using 50/50 AP/rye. I have heard that if I double the feed before I put it in the fridge, I should be fine for two weeks (my last feeding should have 40 g starter + 80 g water and 80 g flour).
Thoughts?
Elie,
Giving some extra flour and water is a good idea if you’re going to be gone a bit longer. I’ve done two weeks with no problem so I don’t see you having an issue. Double up your feeding and you’ll be just fine.
Another approach is to reduce the amount of water you’d normally feed with, say, by 25%. The stiffer the starter the better it can adapt to longer intervals between refreshment (within reason).
Hope that helps, have a great vacation!
Thank you!
Hi Maurizo…I’m on day 1 of my starter. I’ve tried a number of times and haven’t really been successful. This is my first try with apw/rye, so I’m hoping for better success. I’m in Melbourne Australia (originally a New Yorker!) and it is winter here. The house is about 68 degrees most of the time. I have it in a non-drafty area and I’ve heated up a towel in the dryer to wrap around it. Fingers crossed!
Hi, Lucy. With my steps here you’ll get a starter going for sure. 68F is a bit on the cold side so expect things to take a bit longer (if you’re not using the heated towel trick all the time). Just remember the warmer the temperatures the higher the fermentation activity.
Keep me posted, we’ll get your starter up and going!
Day 7…but as you suggested, things are slow. We had a very warm weekend so days 5-6 really got things moving. Day 6 I started twice a day feeds. It’s looking good, I may try a bake soon. I do not have a cast iron baking dish, I was going to use a stone. Should I adjust the hydration to suit this or just go with it?
You won’t need to adjust your hydration, but you’ll be missing out on steam in your oven without the Dutch oven inside! If you don’t enclose the dough you’re baking inside a pot like this then you won’t get optimal rise out of your dough.
There are a few tutorials online for steaming your oven when baking (I’m working on a writeup about this), some use a really hot pan in the bottom of the oven and toss water in right when you load your dough. Others use a garden sprayer to saturate the oven right as they load.
I think the dutch oven method is the easiest and produces some great results!
I have a covered casserole that I will try. I started my twice a day feedings and now things have slowed down. On day 7 it passed the float test, but today it failed! It seems to only have small bubbles on the bottom. I am not able to bake for 2 more days. So I’m going to attempt 3 feeds today and tomorrow try to build my levain. Hoping for the best but fearing another sourdough fail! I won’t give up!
We will get you up and running, don’t worry. Be sure you don’t do too many feedings per day, you want your starter to have sufficient activity before discarding a large portion of it. Think of it this way: if you’re waiting for yeast and bacteria to consume the flour (sugars) you’ve fed it and colonize the entire mass, if you discard too much, and too often, you’ll have a very small starting population each time you feed. Make sense?
Just observe your starter and take note of how it’s behaving, if it rises and then falls, right when it falls is the optimal time to do a feeding.
I didn’t give up and all of a sudden (with 2 feeds a day) it took off. So today I have followed your recipe for Tartine Country Loaf…it is now in the fridge waiting for tomorrow’s bake! I will let you know how it goes.
Awesome! Excited to hear how it turns out 🙂
It was AMAZING! This weekend I’m going to try my hand at cranberry walnut bread. My husbands loves a fruit loaf!
Great news!! That walnut/cranberry loaf is one of my favorites 🙂
Hi Maurizo…I’m on day 1 of my starter. I’ve tried a number of times and haven’t really been successful. This is my first try with apw/rye, so I’m hoping for better success. I’m in Melbourne Australia (originally a New Yorker!) and it is winter here. The house is about 68 degrees most of the time. I have it in a non-drafty area and I’ve heated up a towel in the dryer to wrap around it. Fingers crossed!
Hi, Lucy. With my steps here you’ll get a starter going for sure. 68F is a bit on the cold side so expect things to take a bit longer (if you’re not using the heated towel trick all the time). Just remember the warmer the temperatures the higher the fermentation activity.
Keep me posted, we’ll get your starter up and going!
Day 7…but as you suggested, things are slow. We had a very warm weekend so days 5-6 really got things moving. Day 6 I started twice a day feeds. It’s looking good, I may try a bake soon. I do not have a cast iron baking dish, I was going to use a stone. Should I adjust the hydration to suit this or just go with it?
You won’t need to adjust your hydration, but you’ll be missing out on steam in your oven without the Dutch oven inside! If you don’t enclose the dough you’re baking inside a pot like this then you won’t get optimal rise out of your dough.
There are a few tutorials online for steaming your oven when baking (I’m working on a writeup about this), some use a really hot pan in the bottom of the oven and toss water in right when you load your dough. Others use a garden sprayer to saturate the oven right as they load.
I think the dutch oven method is the easiest and produces some great results!
I have a covered casserole that I will try. I started my twice a day feedings and now things have slowed down. On day 7 it passed the float test, but today it failed! It seems to only have small bubbles on the bottom. I am not able to bake for 2 more days. So I’m going to attempt 3 feeds today and tomorrow try to build my levain. Hoping for the best but fearing another sourdough fail! I won’t give up!
We will get you up and running, don’t worry. Be sure you don’t do too many feedings per day, you want your starter to have sufficient activity before discarding a large portion of it. Think of it this way: if you’re waiting for yeast and bacteria to consume the flour (sugars) you’ve fed it and colonize the entire mass, if you discard too much, and too often, you’ll have a very small starting population each time you feed. Make sense?
Just observe your starter and take note of how it’s behaving, if it rises and then falls, right when it falls is the optimal time to do a feeding.
I didn’t give up and all of a sudden (with 2 feeds a day) it took off. So today I have followed your recipe for Tartine Country Loaf…it is now in the fridge waiting for tomorrow’s bake! I will let you know how it goes.
Hello Mihir! Bread flour will not have the same effect as rye flour, in fact, bread flour might actually work against you when creating your starter. If you don’t have rye flour, use as whole grain (100% whole wheat is ideal) of flour as you can find.
I keep my starter in my kitchen on the counter, depending on the season. I have never noticed any strange smells from my starter once you get it established (that super sour smell goes away). I don’t seal the jar shut but I do have a glass lid gently resting on the top to let any gasses escape. If you store it in the refrigerator it will slow down fermentation to a crawl so I do not recommend this unless you are storing for extended periods without baking.
Hope that helps!
Hello Mihir! Bread flour will not have the same effect as rye flour, in fact, bread flour might actually work against you when creating your starter. If you don’t have rye flour, use as whole grain (100% whole wheat is ideal) of flour as you can find.
I keep my starter in my kitchen on the counter, depending on the season. I have never noticed any strange smells from my starter once you get it established (that super sour smell goes away). I don’t seal the jar shut but I do have a glass lid gently resting on the top to let any gasses escape. If you store it in the refrigerator it will slow down fermentation to a crawl so I do not recommend this unless you are storing for extended periods without baking.
Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Please can I get a recipe for the bread once the starter is ready?
Sure — any of the recipes on my site use the starter outlined in this post. Have a look at the “Archive” at the top of this page and pick one that looks good to you.
A good place to start would be this one: http://www.theperfectloaf.com/tartine-sourdough-country-loaf-bread-recipe/
Happy baking!
Please can I get a recipe for the bread once the starter is ready?
Sure — any of the recipes on my site use the starter outlined in this post. Have a look at the “Archive” at the top of this page and pick one that looks good to you.
A good place to start would be this one: http://www.theperfectloaf.com/tartine-sourdough-country-loaf-bread-recipe/
Happy baking!
Hi thank you very much for this great blog and information on making your own sourdough starter.I’m on Day 7 ,starting the 3 a day feedings, everything is going great following your directions.My question is there a way to double the amount of starter at this stage? ie could I do a feeding without discarding half of the existing starter ? I’d like to have a larger amount than the 160 g according to your recipe.Thanks so much
You are very welcome, thanks for the comments! You can easily double your starter by adding more flour & water to get to your desired weight at the next feeding. For example, if you want to double everything, just double your mature starter percentage (meaning you will keep more of this without discarding), flour percentage and water percentage at your next feeding.
You can always easily scale up or down your starter to meet whatever baking demand you might have. Hope that helps!
Hi thank you very much for this great blog and information on making your own sourdough starter.I’m on Day 7 ,starting the 3 a day feedings, everything is going great following your directions.My question is there a way to double the amount of starter at this stage? ie could I do a feeding without discarding half of the existing starter ? I’d like to have a larger amount than the 160 g according to your recipe.Thanks so much
You are very welcome, thanks for the comments! You can easily double your starter by adding more flour & water to get to your desired weight at the next feeding. For example, if you want to double everything, just double your mature starter percentage (meaning you will keep more of this without discarding), flour percentage and water percentage at your next feeding.
You can always easily scale up or down your starter to meet whatever baking demand you might have. Hope that helps!
That sounds exactly like what you want to have happen: that frothiness on top with an alcohol-ish smell to it. I think you’re on the right track with that batch, keep feeding it according to my schedule up there and you’ll have a strong starter in no time.
And yes, sitting to a nice warm radiator is a wonderful spot for your yeast and bacteria culture — they love warm temperatures!
That sounds exactly like what you want to have happen: that frothiness on top with an alcohol-ish smell to it. I think you’re on the right track with that batch, keep feeding it according to my schedule up there and you’ll have a strong starter in no time.
And yes, sitting to a nice warm radiator is a wonderful spot for your yeast and bacteria culture — they love warm temperatures!