If you had told me many years ago that I could make enticingly crunchy, tender, and healthy bread at home with only a few elemental ingredients, I would not have believed you.
I would have claimed that baking bread requires a professional mixer, a specialized oven, and a list of ingredients so long your eyes start to glaze over. But now I perform this alchemy daily in my home kitchen: transforming three basic ingredients into wholesome sourdough bread. How does one begin the journey of making naturally leavened bread at home? It starts with, well, making a sourdough starter from scratch.
A healthy sourdough starter means great bread.
Despite all the mysticism and lore about creating the concoction, a sourdough starter is merely a naturally fermenting mixture of flour and water. Add water to dry flour, let it sit on the counter for a few days, and you’ll see nature weave life into a once lifeless lump: bubbles will appear and the mixture will rise.
This natural fermentation can be harnessed and (once it is stable) controlled to produce bread so flavorful and healthy that it’s hard to go back to anything else.
I created my sourdough starter years ago (using this sourdough starter recipe), and it’s the same one I use to this day. It’s a spoiled brat now, to be sure, thanks to all my coddling, but in exchange for my attention and flour, it stays on schedule. Besides, when I’m baking, it does the heaviest lifting (bread nerd joke, sorry). Initially, it was the quintessential rebellious child. Sometimes it wouldn’t show any fermentation activity, and at other times it was utterly unruly. Back then, I didn’t realize what it needed to thrive. I didn’t see how vital timely refreshments (also called feedings) were or how much temperature impacts fermentation.
The key to raising a well-adjusted starter is to observe its needs, give it space to grow, and adjust the refreshments to encourage maximum fermentation activity. And a healthy starter means great bread.
But first, let’s quickly look at what a sourdough starter is.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
At a high level, a sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that hosts a stable blend of beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts. This mixture is continually maintained with regular refreshments (or feedings) and is used to leaven and flavor new bread dough. The starter is the cornerstone of successful sourdough baking, and especially for a home baker with changing environmental conditions in the kitchen, learning how to care for and use one is the key to bread with the best flavor, texture, and keeping qualities.
A Few Tips Before We Begin
Water that’s high in chlorine or chloramine (disinfectants used by some cities to clean tap water) can impede fermentation. The night before you want to make your starter, fill a large jug with tap water and let it sit out uncovered overnight to allow any chlorine to dissipate. If your city uses chloramine instead of chlorine, letting a jar sit out overnight will not work. In this case, you’ll have to use bottled water or filtered water (if you are concerned, you can test your water with over-the-counter test kits to determine whether there are additives or other issues). Alternatively, you could use bottled spring water until you get your starter fermenting reliably, then try switching back to tap water with a portion of the starter to see if it’s able to handle the tap water (but don’t use all of it just in case it doesn’t work).
After you mix the flour and water in the jar, be sure to keep the jar lightly covered during the rest of the process. Either a porous cloth or a lid resting on top of the jar will work well. Use a container with enough headspace for the mixture to rise—I like to give at least 5-inches of headspace. Additionally, it’s a good idea to place your jar in a bowl while it’s resting in case the mixture overflows.
During the first couple of days, there’s often a surge in fermentation activity that then drops off dramatically; this situation is probably caused by other yeast and bacteria that are initially present but eventually die off. When this happens, many first-timers think that it has “died,” and they start over. Don’t be fooled by this lapse of activity; continue with the schedule and eventually, the desired yeast and bacteria will move in and stabilize the starter.
The entire process is exceptionally temperature-dependent. Instead of a typical cooler room temperature, I find a warm temperature of around 80°F (26°C) helps kickstart activity since this is near the temperature at which the bacteria and yeast are most active. A home dough proofer (which I highly recommend) and a yogurt maker are great tools for maintaining such an environment. If not, a home oven, turned off, with the light on the inside (and a thermometer to monitor the temperature), or a microwave with a bowl of warm water inside, will both work well.
For even more tips on this whole process and many things related to sourdough starters, check out my Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions page →
Helpful Tools to Make a Sourdough Starter
You can see a rundown of all the tools I use for baking sourdough, vetted over years of baking, over at my favorite sourdough baking tools page. Here, I list what I consider the necessary tools to get started:
Weck glass jar
Have at least two clean jars on hand. I like these Weck jars (#743, 3/4 liter jars) best because they taper out towards the top, making it easy to stir, and they don’t have any hard-to-clean lips or edges. Also, using the glass lid without the provided rubber seal and clips provides just enough of a seal to keep moisture and heat trapped inside.
I recommend using glass jars because you can easily see the fermentation as it progresses. It can also help to place a rubber band around the jar at the height of your starter after mixing so you have a visual guide for how high it rises between refreshments. Two more reasons I like these jars: they’re high quality and very economical. They are canning jars, so you can use them for many other things around the kitchen (jam, homemade pesto, dried fruit, cereals, and so on).
Silicone spatula
I use a small, firm spatula to do my feedings. It’s sturdy and easy to clean with a sponge, and if things get messy, you can run it through the dishwasher.
Scale
A kitchen scale is indispensable and guarantees accuracy when measuring the amount of flour needed for each starter refreshment. Measuring flour by volume is inherently imprecise as the amount of flour packed into a measuring cup can vary. Further, it’s a good idea to get used to using a scale for weighing ingredients, as this method is essential for improving your baking consistency.
Rye flour
Using whole grain (“dark”) rye flour helps expedite the fermentation process. In comparison to white flour, rye flour is teeming with extra nutrients that help kickstart the entire process. If you don’t have rye flour, a good quality organic whole wheat will also work well.
Unbleached, all-purpose, white flour
With my starter of 10+ years, and outlined in my post on how I feed (refresh) my starter these days, I typically refresh it with 70% all-purpose flour (or bread flour) and 30% whole rye flour. I like this mix because you get the fermentation boost from the whole-grain flour and the white flour’s increased gas-trapping ability and gluten strength. This helps me spot the signs of fermentation throughout the day and is a good compromise, using just enough whole grains without my starter getting overly acidic too quickly.
Thermometer
An instant-read thermometer will help monitor the temperature of your starter and ensure that it’s in the optimal range for increasing fermentation activity.
My Free Sourdough Starter Quicksheet
My sourdough starter quicksheet is a free, one-page printable guide to feeding, maintaining, and using my sourdough starter. Download it, print it, and keep it in your baking notebook for quick reference!
Starter Refreshment (Feeding)Schedule
In the beginning, your starter refreshments will occur just once a day. As your culture becomes more active, you’ll increase this to twice a day. Because of the frequency of these feedings, one of my goals is to help you set things up so it’s quick and easy to do your feedings and move on with your day. Once you get the hang of things, you only need about 5 to 10 minutes per day to keep your starter going–totally manageable.
A sourdough starter is very resilient. If you forget to feed it one day or feed it several hours after it needed a refreshment, don’t worry, in almost all cases it will spring back.
The following sourdough starter recipe schedule will provide you with a reliable and robust sourdough starter in 6 to 9 days. Once you have the culture stable, it will last indefinitely as long as you refresh it regularly. If you don’t plan to bake frequently, you can toss the starter in the fridge and feed it only once a week. (I’ll discuss this in more detail later in this post.)
Your schedule will follow the natural rise and fall of your starter. As soon as you feed it, the yeast and bacteria in your culture will begin to metabolize the sugars in the flour, creating gasses (among other things) as a byproduct. These gasses cause the starter to rise throughout the day as seen above. Once they subside, then the starter falls.
Daily Refreshment Process
At each refreshment, we will perform the following quick steps:
- Stir your starter a little bit with your spatula
- Place a clean jar on your scale and scoop in some portion (outlined below) from the jar you just stirred down
- Add fresh flour and water; mix well to incorporate completely
- Cover the jar loosely and let rest until the next feeding
That’s it! Once you get your process down, it should take no more than a few minutes each day.
Sourdough Starter Recipe: Making an Incredible Sourdough Starter from Scratch
Day One
Initially, I like to use two jars for this process: each time you refresh, swap in a clean jar. Starting on Day 4, you can use the same jar: discard down and add fresh flour and water.
I first like to weigh the jars I’m using (without the lids) to find their empty weight. Then, take a permanent marker and write the jar’s weight on the bottom. This way, we know the baseline weight of the jar so we can quickly figure out how much starter to keep during each refreshment.
In the morning, place a clean, empty jar on the scale and tare (the “tare” button on your scale will zero it out after you place your jar on top. This will allow you to measure the flour and water your place in your jar and exclude the jar’s weight). To that jar, add 100 grams whole grain rye flour and 125 grams water and mix until all dry bits are incorporated. If it’s cool in your kitchen, warm the water to 80°F (26°C) before mixing. Lightly cover the jar and set it in a warm place–80°F to 85°F (26°C to 29°C) is ideal–and out of direct sunlight for 24 hours.
Day Two
You may or may not already see some fermentation activity. As mentioned above, this potential initial surge of activity is typical and should subside around Day 3. What you can see below is how my initial mixture expanded significantly (in fact it bubbled out of the jar; this is why setting the jar in a bowl is a good idea). Don’t be discouraged if the surge disappears by the third or fourth day. Stick to the schedule, and it will come back!
Place a second, empty jar on the scale and tare so that it reads 0 grams. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture that has been resting for 24 hours. Next, add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams of water. Again, if it’s cold, warm the water to 80°F(26°C).
Mix well until all dry bits are incorporated, cover, and place in the same warm spot for 24 hours. Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar and clean it in preparation for the next day.
Day Three
In the morning, you may start to see more activity, or you may see none. You can see below that the initial surge of action I had on Day 2 disappeared. However, my mixture started to show the beginning signs of beneficial yeast and bacteria taking hold: some bubbles on the top and at the sides, rose to some degree, and it started to take on a sour aroma.
Regardless of what signs your mixture is presenting, don’t fret and stick to the schedule. Remember, if it’s cold in your kitchen, warm your water to 80°F (26°C) to help speed things along.
If a layer of clear liquid (“hooch”) forms on the top of your mixture just stir it back in and keep with the schedule.
Place a new, clean jar on the scale and tare. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture that rested overnight and add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams water. Stir until well incorporated. Cover the jar and let it rest for 24 hours.
Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar and clean it in preparation for the next day.
Day Four
This day is the first day of the process that has two refreshments in a single day: one in the morning, and one approximately 12 hours later.
In the morning, you should start to see signs of fermentation activity if you haven’t already, and begin to see them again if you experienced the surge-and-drop that I described above. There will be bubbles scattered on the sides and top, and the level of the mixture might have risen and fallen a little (evidenced by streaks on the sides of the jar).
Refresh in the same way that you did on Day 3. Place a clean jar on the scale and tare. Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture from the jar that fermented overnight, add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 12 hours.
Discard the rest of the mixture in the first jar. From here on, simply use the same jar each day (no need to switch to a clean jar) by discarding the contents down and adding fresh flour and water as instructed.
After this 12-hour rest during the day, discard the contents to 75 grams and refresh again with the same ratio of ingredients. Let the new mixture rest for 12 hours (overnight).
Day Five and Six
For Days 5 and 6, continue to discard down the contents of the jar and then refresh with the same ratio of ingredients as you did on Day 4, twice a day. You will see fermentation activity increase more and more. If you’ve written the weight of the empty jar on the bottom as I indicated on Day 1, you should know exactly how much the resulting weight of the jar plus carried over starter will be—discard down to this weight.
Keep using the same jar for these refreshments.
Day Seven and Onward
In the morning on Day 7, discard what’s in the jar down to 20 grams of the mixture. To this, add 30 grams rye flour, 70 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 12 hours during the day. In the evening (after about 12 hours), discard the jar contents down to 20g, add the same ratio of ingredients as earlier in the day, and let rest 12 hours (overnight).
At this point, you should see the height of your starter rise and fall in the jar predictably each day. This periodic behavior is a good indicator that it is strong enough for you to use for your first loaf of bread. If your starter is still struggling to show activity, continue the refreshment schedule with the same ratio of ingredients for another day–or even several more days–until things pick up. The process of stabilization can sometimes take longer, depending on the flour used and the environment (especially if it’s cool in your kitchen). Be patient and stick to the schedule!
Once you get the hang of your starter and its feeding schedule, feel free to adjust the ratio of ingredients. For example, in warmer months I’ll reduce my mature starter carryover to 10g to 20g depending on the temperature. To read more about how I change these ratios and maintain my starter, check out my comprehensive sourdough starter guide page which includes my current feeding schedule, an in-depth FAQ, and more.
The starter will continue to develop flavor and strength over the next week and into the future. With an active starter, you can now use a portion of it when it is ripe. A starter is ripe when it has risen, is bubbly on the surface and at the sides, has a sour aroma, and has a looser consistency than when first refreshed.
Having issues? Check out my list of the 21 most common sourdough starter problems (with solutions) →
What is the Best Flour to Feed My Sourdough Starter?
I get asked this question often. Once your starter is rising and falling predictably, it’s okay to switch your refreshment flour to suit your preference. You can continue with a mixture of rye and all-purpose, change to 100% all-purpose white flour, or even switch to using 100% whole wheat.
There is no right or wrong flour to use when feeding a starter.
Each flour will affect the starter in a different way, changing how fast it ferments, how acidic it becomes in the same timeframe, and eventually, the final flavor profile. There is no right or wrong flour to use when maintaining your starter; it’s up to you and your starter!
Next Steps For a Healthy Sourdough Starter
After your starter rises and falls predictably, review my sourdough starter maintenance routine for all the steps I do to keep my starter healthy. You can adjust your feeding schedule based on your baking frequency. If you can bake almost every day, you’ll want to feed your starter once daily to keep it ready-to-use shape. If you want to bake only on the weekends, you can put your starter in the refrigerator to slow down its activity.
You can also scale down your starter and maintain a smaller one. Scaling down your starter will mean less flour and water needed for each refreshment (to save ingredients). See my guide to maintaining a smaller sourdough starter for a recipe and process.
What If I Need a Break From Maintaining My Starter?
Maintaining a sourdough starter should always be on our terms, not the other way around. Maintaining a starter indefinitely can be daunting, but there are ways to put your starter on pause if you need a break from baking for a while. Remember, the refrigerator is our friend to slowing fermentation, and there are even ways to stop all fermentation activity altogether (and it can stay this year for years!).
How Can I Save Sourdough Starter Discard?
Once your starter is rising and falling predictably each day, and only then, to ensure you have the right mix of suitable bacteria and wild yeasts in the culture, you can save the discard. I keep a jar in my fridge where I collect all discards and keep them for up to 2 weeks. Then, when I want to make pancakes, waffles, or another discard recipe, I can use starter from my sourdough starter discard cache at a moment’s notice.
Final Thoughts
These days, refreshing my sourdough starter is a liturgical part of my day. It takes minutes to provide my starter with fresh flour and water. In return, my starter produces flavorful and healthy bread. I like to think it’s me making the bread; it’s me controlling fermentation, it’s my hands mixing and shaping the dough. But the reality is, I’m just a small cog in nature’s machinery. All I need to do is lend a helping hand and stay out of the way. Happy baking and buon appetito!
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Sourdough Starter Recipe
- Prep Time: 7 days
- Total Time: 168 hours
- Yield: 1 sourdough starter
- Category: Sourdough, Baking, Bread, Starter
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sourdough starter recipe will help you create your own sourdough starter from scratch at home in seven easy steps. Your starter is the cornerstone of great bread—once you have it showing consistent signs of fermentation each day, which takes on average 5 to 7 days, you’re ready to start baking sourdough bread!
Ingredients
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 400g whole-grain rye flour
- 800g water
Instructions
- Day One
To a clean jar, add 100g whole rye flour and 125g warm water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Two
To clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day One (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Three
To a clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day Two (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix ingredients and keep somewhere warm for 24 hours. - Day Four
On day four, you will give the mixture two feedings. In a clean jar, add 75g of the mixture from Day Three (discard the rest), 50g whole rye flour, 50g all-purpose flour, and 115g water. Mix and let rest for 12 hours. In the evening, after 12 hours, repeat the discarding and feeding you did in the morning. Let the mixture rest overnight. - Day Five and Six
For days five and six, continue to discard down the jar contents and then feed with the same ratio of ingredients as Day Four, twice a day. You can use the same jar for these feedings. - Day Seven and Onward
In the morning on Day Seven, discard the jar’s contents down to 20g of the mixture and add 30g whole rye flour, 70g all-purpose flour, and 100g water. Repeat this feeding twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, indefinitely.
Notes
You don’t have to use a new, clean jar each time you feed your starter, but I find it’s helpful to keep track of the weight of the jar so you know how much you’re carrying over.
If you use my method for creating a starter, tag @maurizio on Instagram and use the hashtag #theperfectloaf so I can take a look!
Sourdough Starter Creation FAQs
Why do you need a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a continually maintained mixture of wild yeast and suitable bacteria used to seed fermentation in new dough for bread, pastry, and more.
How long does it take for a sourdough starter to be ready?
In general, I’ve found it takes about 7 days from when you first mix flour and water to when a sourdough starter is ready to be used to bake bread.
Is a homemade sourdough starter safe?
A well-maintained sourdough starter can live virtually indefinitely. The high-acid environment of the sourdough starter helps stave off any unwanted pathogens. However, if you see any signs of traditional mold (pink, white fuzzy, green), it’s best to discard the entire starter and start a new one.
Should I make or buy a sourdough starter?
While buying a sourdough starter is very easy online, it’s a very easy process to do at home! Plus, creating your own starter exposes you to the signs of fermentation, what steps you need to perform to maintain your starter, and gives you a chance to get to know the feeding (refreshment) process.
How long does it take for a sourdough starter to peak?
Some bakers use the term “peak” to refer to either the point at which a starter is ready to be used or needs feeding, or it can refer to the physical peak height of the starter in the jar. I find judging a sourdough starter’s readiness based solely on the height it has risen to may lead to using it at an incorrect time. After all, the height of a starter is simply a display of the strength and other characteristics of the flour. To determine when your starter is ready to be fed (or used for baking), look for a combination of signs: some rise, bubbles on top and at the sides, a sour aroma, and a loose consistency (it should loosen the longer it ferments). From there, use the timeframe for fermentation as a guide: at about 72-78F (22-25C) with 30-50% whole grain flour and 20% ripe starter (the seed, or inoculation), it might be ready after 12-16 hours.
Why doesn’t my sourdough starter have big bubbles?
It’s okay if your starter doesn’t have big bubbles. Large bubbles can be the result of the flour you’re using and the hydration. What’s more important overall, is to see strong signs of consistent fermentation: some bubbles, consistent rise each day, a sour aroma, a loosening in texture.
Why is my sourdough starter not rising?
It’s worrisome if you don’t see any rise in your starter, you should see some. Usually, no rise is a sign it’s not fermenting properly and needs more time to establish. Continue with the feeding schedule outlined in my guide on how to make a sourdough starter and it should begin fermenting after a few days.
What’s Next?
If you’re looking for something to make with the discarded sourdough starter that you’re generating every day, have a look at my sourdough waffles, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough banana bread.
If you need a high-level look at each step of the bread-making process, read through our Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread.
2,657 Comments
I love this blog and learned a lot already. One thing still confuses me. I have a few recipes that call for 55g to 75g of starter to use. If I use this starter and always discard, so that the weight stays at 80g, how am I getting enough starter to bake 1 or 2 breads and have enough starter (40g) left to continue with the starter mixture.
You can just scale up your starter the day before you need more for a particular bake. Keep the percentages of everything you use to feed your starter the same just increase the quantity. For example, if you feed your starter 100g water, 100g flour and 20g starter but you need much more the next day just scale it up so you have, for example, 200g water, 200g flour and 40g flour. This keeps the percentage of each the same but increases the quantity.
Hope that makes sense!
Yes, it does make a lot of sense. Thank a lot!
Thanks so much for your maintenance guide! My current starter is three-days-old. I started with King Arthurs starter and have been feeding it once a day with APW according to your guidelines. I would like to switch to a 50/50 Rye/APW feeding mixture and I’m wondering how I should proceed. Any insights? Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! You can switch very easily, just change to the new flour gradually over the course of a few feedings and you should be fine. Sometimes I’ll switch immediately and you’ll find your starter is a very resilient thing, it will be fine! If you are unsure (no reason to be) you could always create a small starter off to the side with the new flour just in case. Like I said, I usually just switch over 1-2 feedings.
Happy baking!
Hi, thanks for the amazing article Maurizio! How do I know exactly when to switch from feeding every 24 hours to feeding every 12? Thanks! -Alex
You bet! You want to switch to more feedings when it looks like your starter is strong enough and needs it. If it starts to ferment faster than it did before, showing strong signs of rising and falling, then you can bump up to more feedings. Hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio,
My starter looked good on Day 7 and I used it for baking a loaf of bread although it is still young. The texture is so soft and my girls like it for sandwich.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210027872227722&set=pcb.1409234552482250&type=3&theater
Thank you so much.
Esther
Your link looks like it expired but that is really great to hear! Glad the bake turned out well for ya 🙂
Hi Mr. Maurizio, Your Blog is a Great thing…..I have been studying it intensely the past two weeks. I am in Hainan Island China…A warm Humid climate in Summer and a bit cooler and still Humid in Winter. Right now it is 18-22 degrees C. but still warm enough to culture my starters in my “kitchen”. I have learned alot since I began to make Sourdough Bread just a few weeks ago as it is impossible to find any good bread on the Island! That said, I am on my 4th batch with different Mixes of Flour on each one. I have some Bob Mills Stone Ground Whole wheat, Golf Medal All purpose, as well as Gold medal Bread Flour. I Also have some Chinese Wheat and bread Flours that seem to perform somewhat similar. I am also getting some Bob Mills Rye flour in a day or so. I have the Weck Jars and all the other tools that do work perfectly. After creating 4 different mixes of starters all about the same time. I have been successful in baking some pretty Tasty Bread so far! the 50/50 Stoneground wheat and Golf Medal Bread flour is a good one. I am about to do a Chinese Wheat 25% and Chinese Bread Flour at 75% to see how it goes. My Question is after mixing my Starter into the Flour mixes at the right proportions, I get a pretty sticky dough that does not want to “firm” up. During Bulk fermentation, I have done the stretch and folds like you said but my dough does not want to firm up. It tends to go a bit flat until I put it into the fridge for the overnight fermentation. I have tried to add a bit more flower and also cut back on the hydration to see if it helps and it did some but still does not look like yours in the photo in the 50/50 whole wheat/bread flour recipe. Should the dough hold its shape after bulk? I still am getting a nice loaf nevertheless but I guess I want more stiffness too. I have been using a round steel coated cake pan with good results. Thanks for any comments you might have and I am a new Fan now!!! Roger
Hi, Roger! Thanks so much for the kind words and it’s great to talk to someone out in China! The dough really shouldn’t be super firm by the end of bulk, it’s still going to be sticky and it will spread. You can see in my photos here that the dough does get much stronger and smoother by the end of bulk, though. It should kind of show edges to it and when you tug on it with your hand it should show some strength and elasticity (it will want to return back to its shape when you pull on it, resisting you). Usually reducing hydration in the recipe helps those who have dough that is too weak by the end of bulk or it’s too wet. Since you are in a very humid environment I would definitely recommend lowering the hydration on your next try.
But again, the dough will still spread around by the end of bulk. When you preshape the dough it should hold it’s shape in a round on the counter for a number of minutes, slowly relaxing outward. When it’s relaxed you then shape it fairly tight into a boule and place it in the basket. That boule shape does need to be tight enough! This way when you bake it in the morning it doesn’t just spread in the oven.
I hope this helps and thanks again for the comments!
Hi Maurizio, I have been doing sourdough bread for few months, but my sourdough starter wasn’t strong enough to give me a good bread. Now then I am using your method for making a new batch of starter. I started it on Monday morning this week and kept it in a place which was around 20 degree Celsius . On Day 4 (yesterday on Thur ), it has the sign of active and almost double the volume. However, on Day 5 this morning, the place I kept it for has drop down to 17 degree Celsius, and the starter looked less active than the day before. as I need to go to work, so feed it as it should be. if it doesn’t go bubbly like yours tomorrow on Day 6, should I start feeding it once or twice a day?
Thanks
Esther
I wouldn’t go up to 2x a day if the activity in your starter doesn’t demand it. Feed your starter when it needs it, that is when it rises to its peak height and is just about to start falling down. 20c, and definitely 17c, is pretty cold so you might not see very strong activity. If you can find a place in your kitchen that’s 23-24c you’ll really see stronger growth in your starter.
So to sum up: feed it as much as necessary based on the activity you observe. When it rises to its peak height, smells more sour and looks very bubbly, it needs a feeding. If you see this happen only once a day then feed it once. If it happens in the morning and happens at night then do two feedings.
Hope that helps!
Got it. Many thanks.
Hi Maurizio, my Day 6 starter look bubbly eventually after taking your advice placing it in a warmer place. And looking forward start feeding it twice a day. Need not say that Can’t wait to see its mature status for the very first attempt using your recipe. But an question here , when you said retard in the refrigeration for 15-16 hours in 38 degree F for final proof in most of your recipes, well, 38 degree F is just about 4 degree C. For this temperature, will the dough still be able to “grow” ? as it sounds like the starter is likely under coma or sleeping may be.
Cheers.
Esther
At 38F you will not see much rise in the dough, as you said it’s quite cold. Your dough will still ferment, however, but it will be at a very reduced rate. Acidity will continue to build up in the dough adding flavor which is what we are going for during this time!
You can always proof your dough on the counter if you’d rather do that instead. Just note you won’t have some of those complex sour notes in the final bread and it will only take 3-5 hours (depending on how warm it is in your kitchen) to fully proof your dough.
Hi Maurizio,
As I am still new for baking sourdough bread, I normally mark on the container to show me the bulk fermentation up 50%, and finger poke test for final proof which I’m still not able to get it right. I am going to study your detailed recipes for beginner over and over again , and keep my finger cross for a nice bake myself. Lol
Sounds good! A lot of this comes down to practice and experience, you will get there for sure. My best piece of advice is to stay observant to each part of the process: watch the dough and how it’s developing, how it looks and smells. Also, try to keep as many things consistent bake-to-bake as possible and only change one thing at a time that way you can determine if something works or it does not work!
Happy baking 🙂
I’m sorry, I just don’t understand something 🙁
When you discard back to the point of the jar weigh+40g, do you throw the part that you took from the jar? or what do you do with it? because I’m on day 6 but it’s so confusing and I think I messed it up.. any tips? thank you so much.
Help please, don’t know how to continue
Yes, you throw away the part that you took from the jar (or save it to put in pancakes or many other things!)
The point is that you are removing part of the starter and replacing it with *new* food for the culture that you have created.
@maurizioleo:disqus @ehrinpoklen:disqus Thank you both very much! Well, I fed it only twice on day 7 (tuesday) and I left it outside since then (no feeding). Should I do a three time feeding now? or just keep it in the fridge until I bake? I just hope it’s okay. It’s a little cold here nowadays. Thank you again.
@maurizioleo:disqus @ehrinpoklen:disqus And when I do the regular feeding (in the maintenance post), is it okay if I will do the same as here? take out enough starter so it will be the jar weigh and 40g more and add 40g of flour and 40g water?
Sure, that works!
Feed it three times a day when it needs it — that is when it’s fermenting very vigorously and it rises to its peak quickly and needs refreshment. Because it’s cold in your kitchen you might not need to feed it three times a day, two might be just fine. The key is to give it more “food” (fresh flour & water) when it needs it!
Yes, as @ehrinpoklen:disqus mentioned below you throw that part out (or use in something else)! Your starter culture needs new flour and water to continue fermenting and the “used” part that we discard has been fermented and stripped of the nutrition it needs.
If you have a minute check out my Sourdough Starter FAQ for more questions and answers!
Hello Maurizio! Wow, what a lot of detailed information! I have one question, I’m sure I will have a lot more later but here it is for now:
On the very first day, when you mix the flour mixture with the water, it is not clear if you are supposed to put the lid on. I wasn’t sure so I put the lid on loosely, just enough to keep dust or ants out but not sealed, if you know what I mean.
I noticed that in the second step, the first feeding, you mentioned removing the lid. So I assume that in between feedings during the first eight days, we do indeed put the cover on?
Should it be tightly sealed, or loosely placed like I did?
Thank you!
*Update* I am using a 1 quart Ball mason jar and with it loosely covered I have found that things are moving along quite nicely! So, no need to reply, unless you think I’m blowing it!
Thanks Ehrin (and thanks for answering the other reader)! Yes, I always keep the lid on. I do not tightly close the lid, it just sort of rests on top (so gasses can escape out if necessary but nothing can get in).
Hope that helps!
That sounds good to me! (replied here instead of your email :))
Hi Maurizio, thanks for your detailed sharing on making sourdough starter. I follow the steps but not sure wherther the starter works or not. My problem is, after day 6, there are air pockets when I pull back the top of the starter, almost same as your photo. However, after several times pulling the starter, it becomes soupy and air pockets have been gone. The smell is vinegary. Does it normal?
It sounds like your starter might be fermenting for too long and it needs a feeding there at some point. If you notice the culture becomes very liquidy and smells acidic you might want to consider giving it a feeding right before it reaches this point. Usually you’ll see your culture rise up and then fall before this happens but you might have been away and not noticed.
Keep feeding it and keep at it, this type of thing does happen — it’s normal.
I see, thank you so much!
Hi Maurizio, thanks so much for sharing such amazing information. I have a quick clarification question (I’m sorry if someone already asked you this way down below somewhere :)). Starting day 6, when you increase the feedings to twice/three times per day, on the 2nd and 3rd feedings, do you still discard all but 40mg of starter prior to each feeding or do you just keep adding flour & water to the existing starter? Thanks a lot. Andrey
You bet! You will always discard down to 40g (or whatever you decide is best going forward, in the winter I keep more in the summer I keep less). Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello Maurizio and thank you for this wonderful blog. A very good friend gave me some starter today. She only bakes once a week and keeps it in the refrigerator so that’s where mine is. She said she fed her’s today. My question is I am not sure how much starter to remove before I feed it. I don’t have a separate weight on the starter vs. the container. I was wondering if you have any information or advice. She uses unbleached flour and whole wheat flour in her starter. Thank you so very much. Franco
What you could do is use a new, clean jar. Just weigh the jar so you know how much it weighs then pour in some of the starter you want to keep. You’ll then have a baseline for future feedings!
Unbleached white flour and whole wheat will work well! Hope this helps, happy baking, Franco!
This web site is a treasure trove of information. Thanks for maintaining it! I’m thinking about beginning a starter, but certainly wouldn’t bake more than once a week. You mention the need to avoid a starter sitting too long and becoming too acidic. Were this to happen, could it be corrected, or would the starter have to be scrapped? Separately, in some of the photos, it appears you line bowls with towels. Is that accurate? If so, what is the reason for this? To the newbie, it seems it would dry out the dough. Thanks for the help!
You’re very welcome, thanks for the kind words! Yes, you can definitely correct it, up to a point. It’s totally fine if your starter falls and sits there for a while, but if it goes days at this level then it may not be recoverable — there’s a limit. I don’t obsess about it, if it falls it’s fine I will get to it soon and everything will be fine 🙂
I do line some of my baskets with towels, I find it’s easier to cleanup than the flour in the basket. If I am doing a fruit loaf (or something that could leak out of the dough) then I always use towels. It might dry out the dough a little but it’s never been a huge problem, I still keep my baskets completely wrapped in a plastic bag when in the fridge. Check out my tools page for links to all of these things!
Hey Maurizio,
I can always successfully get my starter to bloom after a couple days of feeding, the start doubling in volume over 8-12 hours. By day 4 the starter begins to fail, getting soupy and extremely vinegary and eventually moldy. I’ve tried feeding twice per day but on day the process seems to always repeat. Particularly as I’m throwing out half of my starter for volume control
From your post, after the initial bloom it seems I need to feed twice per day and keep it pretty dry, but I’m wondering if you’ve ever run into this and could help? Thanks 🙂
I have not personally run into this issue, no. If your starter is established and rising/falling predictably then you can change several parameters to speed up or slow things down. Adding more whole grain flour, warmer temperatures (water and/or ambient), and more mature starter carryover at each feeding will all increase the speed at which your starter ripens. It sounds like your starter is fermenting too fast before you can get to its next feeding (hence the vinegar smell and complete breakdown). You can try to keep the mixture cool, use less whole grain flour or, my preference, reduce the percentage of carryover starter at each feeding. For example, instead of discarding down to, say, 20% mature starter, go all the way down to 10%. This should slow things down considerably.
I hope this helps!
Maurizio. I’ve noticed that your starter looks like the colour of a 50/50 mixture of whole wheat and AP flour. My 50/50 of Dark Rye and AP looks much, much darker and quite a bit stiffer than yours. It’s almost a grey colour. Any ideas as to why? Thank you
Hi, Mark! If you’re talking about pictures of my starter lately then you’re right, I actually have changed my maintenance to 50% ww and 50% apw. I’m happy with the performance and flavor of this mixture and I’ve found it to be a little easier for me personally to maintain (it doesn’t ferment quite so fast).
Your starter, with that mixture of flour, sounds exactly correct. The higher rye you add the more grey it will look and the more stiff it will become. Nothing wrong with this at all, it’s up to you how you maintain it! Hope that helps 🙂
Hello Maurizio. Congratulations on your Editors’ / Readers’ Choice Awards recently received. Glad to see it!
I’ve been continuing to bake sourdough bread. Just finished my third batch. Each batch showed noticable improvement over the previous. My batch from yesterday was the best so far, but clearly is not rising as high as it should during baking. Very few large voids with crumb tighter and not as airy as your photos illustrate. My leaven looked good and passed the float test. Reduced hydration for this batch to 72%. Bulk rise dough temp was 81F. Bulk rise for 4 hrs. Proofing in baskets 4 hrs. Both were done at 78-82 F ambient. One thing….I did turns during the bulk rise at 30 minute intervals through 3rd hour. Maybe too much? Dough too strong? Is this an oven spring issue? Thank you for your continuing support.
Thanks so much I really appreciate that!
Your times and temperatures look fine to me. Make sure that 4 hour room temperature proof is enough, you can do the “poke test” to ensure the dough is fully proofed and ready to go into the oven (Google that term for videos). At those times and temperatures the dough should be ready to go, though.
Doing those folds at that time should be ok, ideally you’d like to do them early on so the dough is not disturbed too much at the second half of bulk but it’s not critical.
I’d say make sure that dough is ready to go with the poke test and you really only want to do folds if you have to, meaning the dough looks slack and you’re not really fighting it. If, after the last set of stretch and folds, the dough is very hard to stretch out and fold over then call it quits on those sets.
Finally, it could be your shaping technique. Try to handle the dough as little as possible while still imparting enough tension in the dough for it to hold it’s shape. I know those are vague terms but it something that requires practice and experimentation!
I hope this helps. If you are still having issues feel free to send me over an email through the Contact link at the top and we can take it further! Happy baking 🙂
Thank you Maurizio for sharing this post. I live in Toronto and I haven’t been able to made the starter. I tried in the furnace room but it got mold really quickly. Yesterday I starter my 3 attempt and am trying what you suggested about the warm kitchen towel under the jar. Let’s see. Please if you have any other tips for creating starters during Winter let me know. I am really sad I haven’t been able to do this since a month ago when I started. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! It’s important to try and keep your jar at a warm temperature, 78F – 82F would really speed things up. A warm towel works really well, or you can use your oven with the light (only the light) on inside to generate some heat. If you have an ambient temperature thermometer that will help you keep an eye on the temp so you can turn on/off the light when needed.
To reduce the chance of mold you can stir your starter halfway between your feeding times. This will help prevent the top from having too much oxygen exposure for too long of a period.
Good luck and stick with it!
I used what we all call the “rice bag”. I made a rather large (holds 1 lb) bag of rice from an old XL long sleeved shirt sleeve. I cut the sleeve off, tied a knot at one end, filled it with rice, leaving room to tie a second knot. Microwave the bag for 2 1/2 minutes and manipulate it to evenly distribute the heat. place a potholder on the rice bag, and your jar with your potential starter on top. I have the same winter problems here in NW Ohio, but now that I do this a few times a day, my started is right on schedule – smelling vinegary on day 4. Hope this is helpful!
Love this idea! I actually used to use something like this for when I had a sports injury to warm my muscles 🙂
Hi Maurizio.
I am going to do a bake on Sunday with my new combo cooker. So far I have been feeding at 10pm and find that my starter has risen nicely when I get up at 6:30am and has fallen again when I get home about 6/7pm.
If I am to prep on Saturday, bake on Sunday and it is Wednesday now, how should I adjust my feeding pattern?
Sorry for the late reply I’ve been out on travel! I like to feed my starter 2x a day for 2 days leading up to a bake to get it ramped up and ready for baking. I would feed twice a day on Thursday and Friday and keep my culture at a warm temperature (or use more starter carryover) so it’s just about to fall when its next feeding is about to happen.
Your site is great. Enthusiastically, I began my starter yesterday evening. Today, it still looks like a solid lump of flour and water- no change in shape, and definitely not goopy-looking like all your photos. I used a mix of rye and apw, and filtered water that had been standing out over two nights. I had also disinfected the jar before beginning. Any suggestions on what may have gone wrong? Many thanks!
Laura — thanks! It’s ok if you’re not seeing any activity, just keep at it and eventually your starter will take hold. Try to keep the mixture at a warm temperature (like 75-80ºF) if possible — this will help speed things along. If you haven’t yet checked out my Sourdough Starter FAQ have a look, lots of answers to other unexpected issues that might come up!
Hi Maurizio. Just discovered your site. Congrats.
I’m currently in the way with Tartine instructions but getting something odd – the pre-starter (day 3) is separating in 3 fases: on the botton of jar it seams to be a compact flour, in the center portion a liquid fase and on top something like your own starter at day 3. Do you think it’s already ruined? Any advises?
Thanks.
Thanks, Carlos! I don’t think it’s ruined. It’s ok if the mixture separates a bit but it usually means you need to do a feeding (refreshment) with new flour and water earlier before it gets to that point. Try to keep an eye on your culture and do this feeding when it reaches a peak height and starts to fall. Have a look at my post on maintaining your sourdough starter to get an idea of what the peak looks like (lots of pictures). Hope this helps!
Thank you very much, Maurizio.
Hi Maurizio,
my starter in day 3 is super happy! he had grown more the 3 times the original size and the bubbles are huge!!!
I am in Brazil, and in my kitchen I bake cakes every day for years now. (hot weather). Should I try to leave less starter in the next feeding?
I love your website, it is rare to find someone so willing to share knowledge.
Thanks a lot!!!
Janaina
Janaina — that’s fantastic, really great to hear that and thank you for the kind words 🙂 Yes, if it’s really warm in your climate you can use less starter at each feeding to slow the entire process down. Additionally you could use cooler water or keep your jar in a cooler part of your house.
Happy baking!
Hello Maurizio Leo,
First of all I would like to say thank you for this wonderful article! I just started to make my first starter and I hope it will go well! However I do have few questions.
1. What to do with discarded starter? Just throw it away or there is something we can do with it?
2. Baking part was not mentioned, I assume those who are following you already know how to bake it. Question is when the starter is ready, should I add 40g mixture and water to make it like a dough ball? Or when it’s ready shape it by adding a bit wheat flour? What would be the perfect temperature for the oven? 160*C? How long should I bake it? ~30-35min?
Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Answers:
1. You can use your discarded starter for many other things in your kitchen. Check out my Recipes page where I list several things (banana bread, waffles, galette/pie crust, etc.).
2. You use the starter described in this post to create what’s called a “levain”. The levain is what you use in your bake and your starter is a separate culture you keep feeing and never totally use in any recipe (this way you always have a starter to build a levain and bake with). Check out my Beginner Sourdough recipe to understand the entire process from start to finish (including oven times and temps)!
Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio,
Along with my established 100% organic bread flour starter, I have been following your steps to make a sourdough starter using your 50% rye / 50% AP flour formula.
It’s been slow going however, on Day 6 I saw enough activity to begin feeding it twice a day. All seems to be going well except for the VERY strong smell – the best way I can describe it is that it smells like nail polish remover. I started to smell that throughout the process and it has been building. Is this normal?
I don’t have that issue with my 100% organic bread flour starter (it, for the most part, always smells “right”) but since I have never made a starter using rye, wasn’t sure. Thoughts?
Also, I noticed that in this formula that you transfer over 40 g of the mature starter and feed it 40 g each of the 50/50 rye/AP flour mix and 40 g of water (which I have been doing). I was wondering, when does one switch over to the maintenance ratio (i.e. of transfering over 20% of the mature starter and feeding it equal amounts of flour to water of say 100 g (which is what I believe you’ve explained you do)?
Also when one is switched over to maintaining, is it okay to feed it less flour / water than 100 g? To explain, I tend to transfer over about 34 g of mature starter and then feed it equal amounts of flour to water of generally 60 g. Is this okay? I don’t want the environment to get too acidic in there but I also don’t want to go through my flour stash so quickly, as I bake about once a week.
Also, when I am maintaining, is it okay to vary the amount of mature starter transfered over as long as I feed it equal amounts of flour and water by weight (of at least the weight of the mature starter transfered over)? Or does that negatively effect the behavior of the starter? I think I know the answer to this, but would love to know what you think as I have been wondering! I am trying to figure out what I am worrying needlessly about and what continues to deserve precise attention.
Thank you so much, Maurizio; look forward to your input!
Warmly,
Christina
Christina — with more rye flour fermentation will proceed much, much faster than with just wheat (even whole wheat). It’s totally fine, just something to be aware of. What you could try is reducing the amount of rye to, say, 25% and then 75% AP. This will slow fermentation down some and reduce the acidity produced. There’s nothing wrong at all with even a 100% rye starter, many bakers do this, you just have to really watch the culture and fermentation rates. It can be hard to tell when it’s “ripe” as well since it doesn’t have quite the same rise and fall as a more-wheat version.
An alternative to changing the ratio might be to try and feed with more flour and water than you are right now and see if that helps reduce the sharp smell by the time you do your next feeding — I am guessing it would. It’s most likely that your starter is fermenting faster than you expect and thus the sharp acidic smell.
Let me know how that goes!
Thank you so much for the quick reply, Maurizio; I’ll give your suggestions a try.
I was in the middle of editing/adding more questions to my post when you replied…would you mind responding to them also when you get a chance?
Thank you, thank you!
🙂
This should actually answer all your newly added questions:
Once your starter is rising and falling predictably you can change to whatever flour types you’d like (rye, white wheat, whole wheat, etc.) and in whatever ratio you’d like (e.g. 75% white wheat and 25% rye). You can also maintain your culture in whatever way works for you, your environment and your culture itself — if you want to feed with less than 100g flour & water that’s perfectly fine. If you want to use only 10% carryover mature starter that’s totally fine.
I’m constantly changing the feeding schedule of my starter by small amounts, I’m also changing the carryover percentage of my starter by small amounts — it all depends on the weather and my schedule. A good example is tonight I just fed my starter but I noticed the temp in my house is 70ºF (lower since winter is coming), I also know that I want to build a levain in the early morning tomorrow to bake bread during the day, so instead of carrying over 20g (and feeding 100g flour + 100g water) I carried over a little more, 30g, so fermentation speeds up a bit and my starter will be ready for me in the morning. The key here is that you can change that value around based on your schedule and the environment. As winter approaches I slowly start carrying over more and more so my starter is ready for a feeding first thing in the morning. As we know, lower temperatures slow fermentation rates so the increased inoculation (carryover) at feeding sort of counteracts that temp different. I hope that makes sense.
So to sum up, it’s fine to change any of the variables we have to play with (temperature, inoculation percentage, flour types and percentages), we just have to be cognizant of what effects each change has on fermentation rate and acid production. In my experience the thing I try to avoid at all costs is when my starter has essentially consumed all the food (flour + water) I’ve given it, it starts to collapse on itself, and begins to smell extremely acidic. This will be very apparent when this happens, not only the overly sour smell but also if you stir it everything has broken down so far that the mixture feels like soup — very liquid-like and no firmness at all.
I hope this all makes sense! If it stirs up more in depth questions feel free to shoot me over an email (the Contact link at the top) and we can discuss more. Ciao!
It totally makes sense, thank you, Maurizio, and really cleared up a lot of the questions I had. Thank you, thank you, and I will definitely take you up on the offer and email directly should any more in-depth questions arise. Ciao! 🙂
Hi Maurizio.
I bought an ambient temp thermometer and put it in my kitchen. The temp in there is fluctuating between 60F overnight and about 80-85F during the day. Can you suggest any tips for keeping it at a fairly constant temperature in the jar? Apart from installing and running an air conditioner?
You could try to keep your jar with starter more insulated somehow. For example, you could place your jar inside a thick-walled bowl that’s covered, or a cooler (like an insulated box for drinks) — anything that will help regulate temperature. The oven (turned off) might also be a good choice since it’s essentially a large insulated box.
Aside from that you might want to look into this Bread Proofer. While I don’t normally recommend spending money on gadgets that add to clutter, this box is well worth the price. I keep my starter in there when it gets really cold in my house and I leave it on overnight to keep the temperature regulated to about 75ºF. You can also use it to proof your dough when baking — helps quite a bit as temperature is really important.
Hope those ideas help!
Thanks Maurizio. The temp in my kitchen lifted to 25c yesterday as it was 30 outside. It’s starting to warm up here as we’re in the middle of spring. Usually it’s averaging the mid 30’s by now but we’ve got a late season this year. My starter is beginning to show signs of life. I’ve also named him “Benedict Crumberbatch”.
I also did a second starter using the instructions from Tartine Bread which was a bit bigger of a batch, so that was 75g of flour and water and only covered with a tea towel rather than a loose jar lid. Is there anything wrong with doing bigger starter batches? The larger one seems to be rising more than the first one in the jar. I’m so pumped about getting started baking my own sourdough and would like to share the starter with friends.
I also was thinking that I rather than discarding half my starter every day, I could just split it in half and start a new starter in a second jar so I have 3 or 4 on the go. That way I can put them in different parts of the house to see where it develops best. Might be confusing, and use more flour, but I want to get this going as best I can and share starters with people I think need sourdough in their lives.
Love that name, hah! Nothing wrong with doing a larger starter batch, the increased size might also help regulate and insulate temperature changes since there is more mass (however the downside is you have to use more ingredients).
Sounds like a good plan! I might also recommend try moving an ambient temperature thermometer around and leave it there for a few hours to see what spots in your house are at what temperature — this way you can move your starter to a warmer spot when needed or vice versa.
Happy baking and really glad you’re sharing this with friends!
You’re very welcome!
I had a started during the summer but it died while we went on vacation. I decided to start it up again and loved your version of doing things! So I’ve been trying for two weeks now, and am at a loss. My last starter was amazing! But this one is very soupy all the time, and the bubbles it gets are very tiny and mostly at the surface. I also have to feed it twice a day to keep the bubbles going. It smells perfect, but looks like blah. It is fall and very cold here, my house is never hotter than 65. Is it just too cold to make a starter? Or should I just use my soupy starter because it smells correct?
At 65F you’ll definitely have a sluggish starter, that’s pretty chilly! Is there a warmer place in your kitchen you can keep it? Sometimes on top of the fridge it’s a little warmer, at least here it is 🙂 I like to keep mine at least around 70F if possible, preferably 75F. If your starter is overly soupy you can reduce the amount of water you feed it with until it gets to a consistency you like. I’m always adjusting the hydration of my starter up and down a few grams until things are where I prefer them (there’s no “right” number).
However, if it’s soupy, has tons of bubbles and rose to a peak and fell because it’s gone too long before feeding then that’s a different story. This indicates you should have fed earlier before it gets to that point to ensure it’s as strong as it can be. If you’d like to reduce how fast it ferments use less carryover when you feed it. In other words, when you discard a bunch of the mature starter leave less in the jar when you feed it with fresh flour and water, this way you can elongate the period between feedings.
I hope that helps, let me know if this is at all unclear or you need some more help! I’m really confident we can get a strong starter going for you.