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.
2,657 Comments
Good morning! So I made a mistake. Today is day 4 of my starter. Instead of keeping 75 grams of starter, I took out 75grams and fed the leftover starter (almost 200 grams if my calculations are correct) 50 grams rye, 50 grams all purpose and 115 grams water.
What do I do?
Thank you in advance
Josiane
Just pick back up with day 4. It'll work out just fine!
Hello I’m a bit confused the Starter recipe starts with
400g Rye
300g AP
But when I count the grams from feeds for 7 days it
exceeds the total g on both Rye and AP listed at top of recipe .
I just completed Day 4 and noticed
Am I wrong or are the numbers off ?
Day 1 100g Rye
Day 2 50g Rye
Day 3 50g R
Day 4 50gx2 R (100g )
Day 5 50gx2 R (100g)
Day 6 50gx2 R (100g)
Day 7 30g R
This works out to 530g R
Or am I reading it wrong ?
Help please
It is the same gif the AP Flour it’s a bit off if I read wrong
Hello! Making my 1st starter from scratch and following your plan meticulously . Im on day 7 and have not seen any rising since earlier on. I will keep on with the 2x day feeding and 4th ratios. Wondering if adding any yogurt might help? I live at high altitude (8150). Thanks in advance!
How did you end up handling this? I'm in a similar boat. Lot of activity days 1-3, and then not much aside from air bubbles since then (no rise)
Hi there! I'm new to the sourdough world and I just baked my first loaf without creating a levain first because honestly, I didn't think it would turn out or be any good, but I ended up surprising myself and it turned out better than I thought it would. I still have much to learn, but I'm looking forward to improving my sourdough bakes! I got my first starter from a local bakery, so I'm back to square one creating my own starter from scratch!
Because I'm not too knowledgeable on this, I'm just a little confused on the Day Five and Six steps…
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.
What does it mean exactly to "discard down the jar contents". I'm on Day 3 and your instructions have been wonderful.. I just need a little more guidance. Thank you!
I'm about to create this starter to replace my original one. I noticed that you maintain your starter at a 1:5:5 ratio. Can I use a 1:5:5 ratio in a recipe that is based on 1:1:1 or do I need to make adjustments to the recipe? What I've been doing is converting my 1:1:1 ration to a 1:5:5 when finished baking on the Saturday and reducing the temperature to 50 degrees on my Sourdough Home. It continues to grow slowly until Wednesday when I increase the Sourdough Home temperature to 78 degrees and convert it to a 1:1:1 ratio and feed it until I have enough for my pizza dough mix on Thursday. I maintain a small amount at 1:1:1 on Friday for the bread mix (typically your everyday sourdough recipe) on Saturday and then convert it back to 1:5:5, lower temperature in Sourdough Home until the next Wednesday. It seems to work alright again, but I don't fully grasp when concept of baking with a ratio other than 1:1:1. Thanks.
Could I substitute the rye for whole wheat?
Yes absolutely Lisa.
Hey! I have a question! First three days my sourdough starter was rising perfectly, with the written proportions, perfectly bubbly. It had very strong sour aroma of almost vomit to be honest, three days in a row it was rising very high and then falling down, full of bubbles and the texture.
And then since day 4, I’m now in the end of day 6, it’s not rising at all. It has a better aroma, sweet sourish smell. It has a runny texture, thick, but no bubbles and no signs of rising for three days..
I keep feeding it as mentioned in the recipe, Seven day is coming up and I’m not sure if I shall down it to 20 and then continue with your recipe or shall I continue with 75 g of started and 50-50 flour for couple more days?
What should I do to understand my the behavior of my starter? It’s my first time doing it so I would really appreciate some advice, please.
Thank you!
Ana, it's completely normal to see a burst of activity in the beginning (with lots of bubbles) only to see a decline in the days after. This initial activity is most likely from bacteria we don't actually want long-term in our starter – they'll eventually die off as the environment acidifies and the beneficial microorganisms take hold.
Stick with the feeding and discarding process as outlined, and your starter will eventually come around. If your kitchen is on the cooler side, try warming the water you're using to feed your starter to around 80°F (27°C). Also, make sure you're keeping your starter in a warm spot if possible.
I'd recommend continuing with the daily feedings at the ratio specified in the recipe. This consistency is important for establishing the culture. After day 7, you can move to the maintenance feeding schedule even if it's not super active yet – sometimes it takes 2-3 weeks for a starter to really stabilize.
Let me know how it progresses!
This is very helpful, thank you! And it's better to move to the 20 g carryover and 70/30 ratio on day 7 (vs sticking with 75g and 50/50) even with minimal activity? I have small air bubbles in the side and top and a pleasant sourdough smell, but it's not rising in between refreshes
Hi there after changing from 75g of carryover to 20 g I went from my starter doubling in 25 hours to very little rise at all should I go back to 75g or wait longer to feed it?
Oops that should say doubling in 12* hours
Have you seen how I feed mine , Chelsea?
I am on day two of starter making and it stinks, I am assuming its the rye flour, is it normal? to me it smells like really strong dirt with a bit of sitnky garbage smell
The hydration levels specified here are way too low. Use twice as much water by weight as flour or equal volumes of both. The starter will begin to activate much sooner often in few hours.
Hi! I am on day 7 and am wondering how I would transition to feeding once a week and keeping in the fridge. Also curious why it’s 50/50 ap to rye and not all rye? Does it matter? Thanks!
Hi and thanks!
I'd like to start by just keeping my finished starter in the fridge, and feeding it every 2 weeks or so. I see your instructions for PAUSING the starter in the fridge. My question is: Do I simply pull it out , discard and feed it every 2 weeks, let it sit out an hour, then put back in fridge? Basically, rinse and repeat these instructs?:
Here are my steps for storing a sourdough starter in the fridge:
Start with your ripe (unfed) sourdough starter and give it a feeding (discard ripe starter, add fresh flour and water). It can help to reduce the hydration, but it’s not mandatory. For instance, with my 100% hydration sourdough starter, I will typically feed it with 20% less water than normal to stiffen it.
Place the lid on top and seal it shut. Set a timer for 1 hour.
After an hour of room-temperature fermentation, place the jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks without feedings.
Also, my finished starter ratios are 100g flour, 100g water. Are you suggesting I drop the water 20% to 80g when planning to store in fridge, with that last feed? This would move it from 100% hydration (by your calc below) to 80%. Yet you indicate it should be lower – 45-65%? So I'm a bit confused there, on what water amount to use – seems I might drop it from 100g to 50g.
What is a stiff sourdough starter, exactly? By stiff, I’m referring to a starter with less water than flour, usually between 45 and 65% hydration. For example, if a starter has 100g of flour, it will have only 50g of water.
Thanks!
I'm on day three of building my sourdough starter, but on day five, I’ll be away from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, and I’m not sure what to do.I used to have a mature starter, and from my experience, feeding it with a 1:3:3 or 1:5:5 ratio worked well and extended the fermentation time. But can I do the same with a new one? Or should I feed it and put it in the fridge instead?
I probably won’t get an answer before Saturday, but maybe I’ll be lucky. 😉
Hi, I started my starter 3 days ago before finding this page with 50% unbleached bread flour and 50% water and have been feeding it with a 2:1:1 ratio. Am I able to use this same starter and continue with the bread flour and adjust to your measurements or do I need to start over completely?
Hey! No need to start over – you can absolutely continue with your existing starter and transition to my feeding schedule. Just gradually move to a 1:1:1 ratio with your next feeding.
Check out my starter maintenance guide for more tips: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/how-do-i-feed-my-sourdough-starter/
Keep with your daily feedings and it will come around! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
How much of the starter do I use to create my loaf? I know I need to leave some starter so that I can keep feeding it to make subsequent loaves of bread. How much should I bake and how much should I leave behind?
I talk about it in every recipe here at The Perfect Loaf. Follow my steps in the recipe directions, typically making what's called a "levain," which will tell you exactly how much starter to use.
Hi! Once the starter has been established after a week or so, can i feed it only once a day or do i have to keep feeding it twice a day?
That's right, Adela, you can switch to 1x a day if you'd like. I talk a bit about feeding 1x a day, here .
Can you use just the rye + water discard for recipes or should you only use the discard recipe you use on the 7th day and beyond?
Only once your starter is rising and falling the same each day. Discard the starter leading up to that.
Can you use just the rye flour and water discard for recipes, or should you use the day 7 + on discard for recipes?
On day 3 i accidentally put the bread in the wrong bottle with a seal. It was going great and rising and everything, Then after it got pressurized it sort of died down and stopped rising as of tommorow the 23rd i will be on the sixth day, what should i do?
my bad i meant as of the 24th
If I'm understanding you correctly, the starter doesn't need to be exposed to air, should have been okay! I would continue feeding it on the counter. Keep it warm if the kitchen is cold right now.
Thank you for the detailed information!
i just started my sourdough starter today but it was quite thick? It didn't fall off the spatula. Is this normal?
krista
That's totally fine, Krista. You could add a little more water if you want it thinner (but not mandatory).
Hi! Thank you so much for the detailed information!
i just mixed my day one today but it seems quite thick, it sticks to the spatula and doesn't fall off. Is that how thick it should be?
krista
Do you put a lid on the jar?
I do, yes!
Hey Mauricio! First of all, thanks for putting all of this content together and making it accessible! That’s greatly appreciated. I am on day 4 of a restart. I tried your recipe but with whole wheat flour. It wasn’t taking hold so I switched to rye flour and it still wasn’t working. I got so frustrated by nothing seeming to work after 3+ weeks that I threw away what I had, took a break, and started over. I now have the brod & Taylor home and I keep it set to 82 (it’s consistently about 4 degrees below what it says it should be at, so really 78) and I’m using KAF bread flour and rye flour. I see the initial burst of activity followed by the slump, but I’m just worried that it’s going to pan out like the last time and never really start to rise. If I get to day 7 and it’s still not rising, but it has bubbles, should I drop the carryover to 20g or should I keep carrying over 75g until it “matures”? Also, is this process really only something you need to go through once until the starter stabilizes and then it should be easier? Or am I going to have to put this much effort in every time I pull it out of the fridge?
Hi Maurizio! I am on day 5 of my stater process and things seem to be going great! I was wondering if you had any suggestions on the best way to monitor the rise & fall of the starter if you can't be at home to check on it?
Draw a line on the jar or put a hair band where it started.
I put a rubber band around the jar (you can see it in some of the photos above) indicating its height.
Happy New Year!
Have you ever used a crockpot to proof the starter? If so, any tips? I have read the details on the proofer and it sounds a lot like a slow cooker.
Hey there, HNY! Yes, you can definitely do that. Just be sure it doesn't get <i>too</i> hot in there.