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
great page..started my starter 3 days ago…say a prayer it works I am sooo looking forward to some sourdough bread and would hate to have to waite for longer …lol x
Hah, that’s great to hear. Glad to have you along and happy baking!
Hi! When you say discard to get rid of everything but 40 grams of starter, do you actually mean throw it away? I am new to all of this and would feel bad throwing perfectly good starter away. Can I just put another 40 grams in another jar and have two going? I hope what I am asking makes sense! Thank you
That’s correct, throw it out (or compost as much as you can like I do). You can definitely use that discard portion to create another starter, give it to a friend or check out my Recipes (near the bottom) for other food to make with your starter in your kitchen!
Hey! I’ve been trying to make starter for weeks – and I never seem to get past the day 4 or 5 stage in terms of bubbles. It rises and falls like clockwork, but I can’t seem to get the huge bubbles like you have. I’m using a 50/50 mix of rye and all-purpose. I’m using a jar covered with a paper towel and an elastic. Any tips?
Hey there, Lisa! Have a look at my Sourdough Starter FAQ and take a look at the section about a “dying” starter 🙂 Keep at it, your starter will take hold given enough time!
Hi! I have started my sourdough starter 9 days ago and today is the first day It really showed some activity (big bubbles, rising) but it has a strong smell, kind of like acetone. Is this normal? I’ve been using only whole wheat flour.
Thanks!
Hey! It could be that your starter is going too far (fermenting too long) before you’re refreshing it. Try to check in on it periodically through the day (if you’re home) and take note of when it rises to its peak and starts to fall. You might need to feed it sooner, especially since you’re using whole wheat flour!
Thanks! I’m gonna try feeding it more often!
Hi Maurizio, I have started my 1st starter for couple days only. Always thought the flour that I used was 50% T65 + 50% Rye +100% water. After second feeding, my starter smells quite sour and pretty runny on day 3. Then the 3rd feeding was 50% T65 + 50% Rye + 60% water. Just realise the flour was T80 instead of T65, which means I was using wheat flour all the time…
For my next feeding, should I use 100% APW + 60% water? or do you have any suggestion?
Thank you in advance.
Also, thank you for this outstanding and useful blog.
Today I fed the starter with 50% T80 + 50% Rye + 60% water, after couple hours the starter didn’t have any changes at all, not even a bubble. So I fed again, but only 100% T80 + 60% water this time.
You’re very welcome! You can use any combination of flour you’d like but in the beginning, when trying to get your starter established, I like to use a percentage of whole grain rye flour to help kickstart the process. Once your starter is rising and falling predictably you can change to whatever mixture you’d like.
So, if you have that rye flour hanging around, continue with that and the T80 (this is a “more whole wheat” flour than white flour). Keep an eye on the mixture, it could ferment faster than the timeline I have listed here due to the added whole grains.
Hope this helps, stick with it!
Hi Maurizio. Everything was going really good at the beginning, by the third day I got a really nice fall and rise. Then on the fourth day, I did the feeding and then after that (now it is day 5) nothing seems to be happening. Should I scrap it and start again?
Jayden, have a look at my Sourdough Starter FAQ, there’s answers to your exact question!
I am so sorry. I should have looked there first. Thank you heaps for still getting back to me.
Hi Maurizio! im in a bit of a pickle. My starter is looking great but I’m going away for march break. So what should i do.
Hey, Christian! Keep it in the fridge, it will last a long time there between feedings — easily one week.
Hi Maurizio! I’ve been following your very informative blog for over a month now. And I’ve been trying to grow a starter for the last 3 weeks. It seems to only progress as far as your Day 4, but without any bubbles on top. In fact, I almost never see bubbles on the top. There will be bubbles on all sides and the bottom, however, more time than not there is a slightly hardened crusty layer on top. No bubbles. What gives? The humidity in my kitchen is around 35% or lower, so I think that means I should add a bit more water. And I do that. But I can’t seem to get this starter to progress much farther. Any suggestions?
Are you keeping your jar loosely covered? You might want to keep a loose-fitting lid on top (so gasses can still escape) like I do here, I keep the glass cover for these Weck jars on top without the clamps. It’s most likely that crusty layer preventing you from seeing any bubbles — which are not necessary but they do help give you a sense of progression.
Hi Maurizio, is it ok to change the jar? it is Pretty dirty with remains of the starter and i can barely see the moves of the starter…
Absolutely. I change mine when it gets overly dirty, probably once every week or two. Just make sure you rinse it out well in case there’s any soap reside in there.
Nice site! LMK if this has been asked… but what to do with the discarded product? I don’t like throwing out perfectly fine “food” I can do math and keep several feedings at a time… that a good idea?
Thank you! You can use your leftover starter in a surprising number of things in the kitchen! Here’s a link to my top leftover starter recipes. In addition, have a look at my Recipes page (link @ top) near the bottom, there’s a few more ideas!
You can also store the discard in the fridge for a short time until you can get to using it. Just smell/taste a bit to ensure it’s not overly sour and it’s a good flavor addition to most baked goods!
Hi Maurizio! just wondering if I have to wait 8 days of feeding to start baking my own loaf. I’m just pretty eager to start. thanks
Hey Christian! You need to wait until your starter displays signs of sufficient strength. A good indicator is when it’s rising and falling predictably each day — meaning, for example, you feed it sometime in the morning and by the evening it needs more food again (it’s risen to some height and then starts to fall).
Have a look at my Sourdough Starter Maintenance Routine post for some pictures and words about what to look for!
Hi Maurizio! Been working on my starter for about a week and a half – getting some great activity, but the starter doesn’t pass the float test. Is that something to be concerned about? Or should I go ahead with a levain build and see if the levain floats?
Thanks!
The float test is definitely not a 100% full proof method but it is a very good general indicator when your levain has enough activity to leaven your dough. You want your starter to rise and fall predictably each day and show signs of strong fermentation (sweet/sour smell, bubbles, etc.) before making a levain. I’d focus on your starter for a week if you can wait that long. Focus on feeding it at the same times each day, keep it warm (75ºF) and observe its behavior. Once you see this rise and fall happen around the same time each day make a levain and test the levain with the float test. If it doesnt float give it another hour or two to ferment more and test again.
If you haven’t yet had a look at my Sourdough Starter Maintenance Routine, check it out! I have some in depth discussion on what I mean by rise and fall and also signs to look for during the entire fermentation process.
Hope this helps!
Thank you I have successfully completed 8 days of the starter and have two loaves rising as I write this. I have attempted this before without success, I believe the use of rye flour is the difference, I chose to use only the rye. I can’t wait to bake these two loaves and will come back and post how they turn out.
That’s so great to hear, thank you! Happy baking 🙂
Hi Maurizio,
My first day went by too quickly…and the flour and water mixture appeared effervescent…I did a second feed in the morning…and by late afternoon it was pretty active..and now it flatten down back to its original state and its only 6 pm…I am in the tropics and it gets pretty hot..is this normal?
That is normal for a very hot and humid climate. You might need to use even less starter at each feeding to lengthen the timeline between refreshments. You can always just feed more often, too, either way. Try to find a cool spot in your kitchen!
Thanks mate, I have found a cold spot.. and it’s progressing wonderful.. I am on my third day.. no mishaps all cool and smelling well! Thanks mate!
Hi Maurizio,
I am looking at your posts and I am really excited to try these techniques to bake a great loaf.
I am from Central India the weather here is completely different from where you are. During the day we 30C to 40C and at night its around 20-30C. Would the amount of Fermentation change for me drastically?
Also Rye flour is not available, so can i get the same results with wheat flour?
Hi! Temperature is very, very important with baking. The warmer the temperatures the faster the fermentation. Just keep an eye on the dough and judge when to move on to each next step based on how it looks and feels instead of the actual time I describe here. Watch the dough not the clock, as they say.
If you can’t get rye flour that’s ok, just use whole wheat for that component.
Happy baking!
No wonder my breads are this sour.
Hi Maurizio!
Your blog is simple perfection! Sourdough explained so easily for us beginners 😉 Thank you!
On the 3rd day my starter looked a lot like your day 5 shown in this post.
I continued to feed it as per the schedule, but now coming into its 5th day I don’t see much activity. Also this morning I had to add a bit more flour, because it had a soupy consistency. I am waiting for it patiently and hopefully it will grow to be a great starter.
Thank you!
Thanks so much Dimana! Stick with it, eventually you’ll see activity come back. Have a look at my Sourdough Starter FAQ for answers to more questions like yours!
Happy baking 🙂
Hiiiii Maurizio,
Thank you so much for your website! It’s brilliant! I started to create my own starter 8 days ago and I find myself really sad (this is the second one I try and it seemsto end up the same way…). I do as you said 40 gr flour (wholemeal flour) and 40g water. First few days were fine, on day 3 it looked so nicely bubbly and even rose a tiny bit, I was really excited! And then on day 4, it was just flat with a few little bubbles like on day 2 and now on day 8 there was even noooooo bubble this morning… I tried to keep it in a slightly warmer area, I keep it wrapped up in a towel… I don’t know what to do… Should I start all over again?
Thanks for your precious advices!
Coraline
Caroline, so sorry for the late-ish reply! This is very, very common. Stick with the feeding schedule and your starter will eventually come around. That initial spurt of activity can be due to other bacteria/yeast in the culture that we don’t want to stick around for the long run anyways.
I’ve answered this question, and a few other common ones, over at my Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions page, have a look — I hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio
Thank you for your advice, I followed your instructions and after a couple of weeks I have my starter ready. Just one questions, what kind of lens/camera do you use, your pictures are amazing. Regards.
Right on that’s so great to hear! I knew you’d get there, you just have to stick with it. I’ve used various cameras but at the moment I have a Nikon D810 with 50mm prime lens. Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio, i just started the process. I started two sourdough starters, one will be feed with 50/50, rye and apw white flour, the second will be feed with 50/25/25, rye, buckwheat and apw white flour. I have a question, after i reach day five, and start to feed them more than once a day, do i still have to discard as much sourdough until reach the jar weight plus the 40 grs? Or after day five, you just feed them and discard as much as you feed?
Regards!!
Sounds great. You really only need to discard as much as is necessary. There’s really no set number that works best for everyone here, it depends on your environment. Once your starter is rising and falling predictably discard enough of your starter so it will make it to the next time you feed it before falling. If you discard more (and leave less in the jar) then it will last longer between feedings and vice versa. For more on this have a look at my starter maintenance routine post! Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi Maurizio,
What a fabulous blog you have.
Quick comment: I have never had 100% hydrated starters looking like yours and I am wondering if the elevation at Albuquerque (5300 ft for readers) is causing your starters to evaporate more. I mean it’s pretty high and dry up there. I live at sea level in the pacific northwest and my starters looking like yours are at 70% hydration, those at 100% are much more liquid for me and don’t rise like that. We have A/C in the house, yet it’s pretty humid around here too. Curious about your thoughts.
Thank you for the great resource you have put together. Incredible photos. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Max! Your insight on elevation is spot on. Because I’m so high and it’s so very dry here 100% hydration here might mean something completely different for those at more humid environments. Baking is a very environment-sensitive thing as flour absorbs moisture in itself, when you hydrate that flour with water it might not need as much as I do here to get to the same level of viscosity.
Thanks again for the comments and so happy to have you along — happy baking!
Hi Maurizio,
first of all, congratulations for such a great Blog. I’m pretty new to the sourdough, and I have learnt a lot from your posts, and step-by-step receipes 🙂
I just wanted to clear one doubt out about the mix you make to feed the starter. On “Day 1” section, you describe the flour mix as “400g of rye flour, and 400g of all purpose white flour”, but when I went to “Ghater Materials” section and followed the Amazon link for the rye flour, it seems to be “whole rye”, right?
So… whole rye, or just rye flour?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Thanks, I really appreciate that! Yes, I always use whole dark rye flour for feeding my starter (more nutrients).
Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio, thanks for your answer, I got to cultive my sourdough and after 9 days it was strong enough (or at least I think so), so I am preparing a bake for tomorrow, by now things look pretty promsing. Will put the results on Instagram (@hmonsalv), my firts sourdough tartines, and all thanks to you! Let’s Rock&Roll 😀
That’s great to hear! Almost always you just have to stick with it, the culture will come around. Hope the bake went well!
Hi Maurizio, the leaven was really great, but somehow the result was not as expected. I think that the problem was during the knead, I did all the folds, but somehow when I tried to proof, there was no gluten at all to keep the shape of the loaf, so I tried wait 1-2 more hours and do another 2 folds, and then tried again, but still I had the same issue. So I decided to put the dough on the fridge 1 day. After 24h retardation the dough was easy to handle and proof, but I guess that it was over fermented, and the loaves did not get a good oven spring. The crust was okay, but the crumb was too compacted. I will put the result in a couple of minutes on Instagram (@hmonsalv). Cod you please give it a check and advice? Thank a lot in advance! 🙂
Hi Maurizio,
Thank you so much for putting in the effort for your blog – it’s a fantastic resource. Am still very new to baking bread and am going start my 1st Starter .. I live in Malaysia and we are in the Hot and High humid through out the years – average temp now is abt 30-35 degrees Celsius but we have had some days where it went up to 40 degrees. Can i keep my starter inside the fridge after i have mix them?
You’re very welcome! You can definitely use the fridge to cool things down but extended time in there will slow things down too much, I’m guessing. I would instead try to find the coolest part of your kitchen and try to use cold water to mix your starter if necessary. You could keep a small cup in the fridge and then mix that with half tap water to cool things off, of if your starter is fermenting too fast use an entire cup of cold water.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Maurizio, will try that out.
Hi Maurizio,
Its been a while since I posted but it’s because I’m busy having great success with your recipes including your waffles and pancakes. I’ve been doing this for a year now and began offering workshops to see if there is interest. Both times I’ve had 8 people join in. Lots of young eager moms wanting to feed their family well. This is very exciting for me and them of course. Anyway my question for today is, have you used bread flour in place of all purpose flour? I have read the protein content is higher in bread flour and makes for a higher rise. What are your thoughts? Plus my last few loaves are not producing a great crumb which decreases the volume of the bread. Do I need to feed my starter a bit longer for a more mature starter before using it in the leaven or is something else causing it?
That’s really great to hear and it’s awesome to hear from ya! I tend to use “bread flour” (flour that’s around 13% protein level or higher) sparingly unless the recipe really needs the extra strength. Sometimes this higher protein flour can lead to a chewy crumb. That said, it doesn’t hurt to experiment with it!
Given that it’s the dead of winter be mindful of the temperatures in your kitchen and your dough, when the temps drop (even a few degrees) it’s easy to overlook and your dough might not be reaching the same level of fermentation during Spring/Summer. There are a lot of other things that can cause quality to dip and it’s hard sometimes to nail it down — try to change just one thing each bake and see if it helps.
You definitely want to have your starter performing strongly, though, no matter what conditions we happen to be in!
Hope this helps and good luck troubleshooting 🙂
Thanks for clearing that up Maurizio. I think you may be right about the temperature. I’m finding my starter a little sluggish at 68 so today it’s up a couple of degrees warmer and Im already noticing a difference in activity. Trying my hand at a spelt/white/wheat leaven blend plus an oatmeal soaker, The final dough has added honey, spelt and all purpose flour. It’s probably nothing new for you but it feels good knowing my confidence is rising enough to try new recipes. Thanks again for your labor of love through this blog.
You’re very welcome! Yes, 68F is a bit cool, try to hit 72-75F if at all possible (I know this can be hard in the winter). Your bread sure sounds delicious to me! I just love spelt, as you might be able to tell from my recipes 🙂
You’re welcome and happy baking Sharon!
Thank you so much for putting in the effort for your blog – it’s a fantastic resource. So sorry for being long winded Am still very new to baking bread and am starting my third starter in 2 weeks .. I live in Western Australia and we are in the middle of summer – average temp now is abt 30-35 degrees Celsius but we have had some days where it went up to 40 degrees
I try and keep the starter in the coolest part of the kitchen just because it’s so hot here .. the first starter smelled like vomit after 3 days so I went with my gut that something is wrong and discarded it .. 2nd one didn’t have much activity and was more like a think shake consistency with smallish bubbles even after 5 days .. there isn’t big air pockets and overnight on day 6 it just lost all the bubbles.
I am determine to make the third one successful so comparing it to your pictures for each day closely – day one looks ok although (I think because it’s so warm here) the starter looked like day three at abt 18hours .. but when I checked it again at 24hours, it’s lost the big pockets (still plenty of small bubbles) so I fed it none the less but noticed my starter is more liquidy and I can’t scrape it into a ball shape like you described – I am paranoid now – have I got to start again or ? Should I add more flour compared to liquid? Help…
You’re very welcome, glad you’re liking my website! Your extremely warm temperatures will likely change the way your starter looks than in my pictures (and I’m assuming it’s more humid there, too), but also the higher temperatures in your kitchen will accelerate the whole process quite a bit. Keep an eye on your mixture throughout the day if you can, you might need to start giving it 2x or 3x feedings a day sooner than what I discuss here (again, increased temperatures will really speed things up!). If you notice after a few days your starter rises up and then falls down and starts to get very liquid and sour smelling feed it as soon as you can at that point.
You can definitely add more flour if you want the mixture to be a little more firm like in my photos. It’s very, very dry here so you might just need to increase the flour amount over what I discuss to make your mixture more firm, if you like (either way is fine).
I hope this helps! Just stick with it and adjust your feedings as necessary based on how it’s looking. Increase to 2x feedings sooner if you notice activity earlier. Keep me posted on how it’s going!
Hi Maurizio – thank u so much for your guidance .. the weather here is an absolute mess .. after my initial query with those really hot days .. the weather dipped to the low to mid 20s and there wasn’t any activity but like u said .. I kept at it .. we just had another two days of low 30s and rest of week is now back to mid-low 20s 😖 It’s smelling very sweet n yeasty but it hasn’t risen to the point it starts to fall … do/should I move to twice a day feeding regardless or wait n see still? I started this starter 28/01 am… its 10 days tomorrow 🙈 .. sorry to have to bother u again 😞
No problem! It’s probably this cold weather that’s slowing things down. If you can keep it warmer try to do so, it will speed things up! You really only need to do two feedings if your starter rises and falls by the time you get back to it. The key is that second feeding per day is done because it just can’t make it any longer and needs new food. Hope that makes sense!
Yes it makes sense – I thought so but just wanted to be sure as I really want the starter to be successful as I am so eager to start baking
Thank you so much!!!
HI Maurizio, you’ve been so helpful answering other people’s questions, I hope you wouldn’t mind weighing in on mine. My starter seems to be pretty active, it bubbles up dependably, though it’s not very old, and I keep it in in the fridge between baking sessions. I seem to get good gluten development during the bulk rise (I start with 3 minutes of slap and fold), but I don’t get either bubbles in the dough, nor does it really increase in size over the several hours of bulk fermentation. It doesn’t really rise during the proofing in the fridge either, but it does make bread, just not very good bread. It has a few very large holes, and the rest of the dough is very dense. Do you think this is a starter issue? Should I focus on building up the strength of the starter for a week or so before baking again? Again, there’s just not much action during the bulk ferment. Thanks
Keith–yes it sounds like your starter might need some strengthening before you do another attempt. I’d focus on keeping it warm (75F minimum) and feeding it as close to right when it needs food as possible (that is right when it’s at its peak height). If you’re home on the weekend you could check in on your starter every once in a while to see how it’s rising until it gets to the top and then starts to fall — feed it right then. If kept at a consistent temperature this peak should be about the same time each day. This consistent rise is an important indicator your starter is strong enough to make a levain for a particular build.
If you’re not noticing much activity just keep feeding it as needed and use a bit of rye flour or whole wheat in your mix to add some extra nutrients for fermentation.
I hope this helps!