With this easy Sourdough Starter Recipe, you can make delicious Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Pancakes, waffles, pizza, pretzels, and more right at home. It’s easier than you think, and with just two ingredients—water and flour—it’s inexpensive to make Sourdough Starter from scratch.
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While you may have heard that making sourdough is a complex process that requires time, money, and an inherited starter—I’m here to tell you not to be intimidated. People have been doing this for thousands of years without fancy techniques or tools, and I’m going to teach you how to do it, too.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
It’s basically a fun at-home science experiment with a delicious result. Sourdough starter is wild yeast that is cultivated using water and flour and then used to make baked goods rise, like sourdough bread. It’s been around since before the Ancient Egyptians, and it was the only way to make leavened bread until active dried yeast became available in the 1800s.
While commercial yeast is faster to use since you don’t have to wait for the yeast to ferment, it won’t give you the great benefits of sourdough, the distinctive sour taste, or the same feeling of achievement!
Sourdough Starter Recipe Video
See Natasha create her own sourdough starter with just flour and water. With patience and consistency, it’s simple and fun. It’s so easy, so let’s start your sourdough journey now!
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
While the process sounds mysterious, it’s so simple. Watch our video tutorial to see our simple process in action. Ready? Let’s start growing some wild bacteria on our kitchen counter–err–let’s make sourdough starter!
The 3 Stages of Creating a Sourdough Starter
There are 3 basic steps to making your own sourdough starter. In this sourdough starter recipe, I don’t overcomplicate it because it’s truly a simple, forgiving process.
- Create – a medium for yeast and bacteria to thrive (water + yeast)
- Grow – Strengthen and build up population of yeast and bacteria with regular feedings
- Maintain a healthy starter with consistent daily feeding of flour
How long does it take to create a sourdough starter?
This sourdough starter recipe takes about one week of consistent feeding to nourish and strengthen the yeast, but these are a few of the factors that can change how fast your starter grows, so patience is also important (but so worth it):
- Room Temperature – 70 to 75˚F is ideal
- Flour type – start with whole wheat or rye flour and use all-purpose for feeding
- Water quality – use spring water, filtered or dechlorinated water
- Feeding schedule – be consistent
Tools for Making a Sourdough Starter
It’s simple to make a sourdough starter with just two tools.
- Clear Glass Jar – use a quart mason jar or 3/4 qt Weck Jar with loose-fitting lid. Thoroughly wash and rinse. A Weck Jar is my favorite because it weighs exactly 400 grams without the lid so the math is easy, and it has a loose-fitting lid which is important to prevent pressure build-up. You can also set a lid loosely over a mason jar.
- Digital kitchen scale – you can make a starter without a scale (I’ve included cup measurements) but your process and later bread-making will be so much faster, easier, and more precise with a scale that measures in grams. It’s worth the small investment now.
Pro Tip:
A rubber band or dry-erase marker makes it easier to track the starter’s starting point and feeding times. And a silicone spatula makes for the easiest cleanup.
Ingredients
There are only two ingredients for creating a sourdough starter: Flour and water. We use two different flours here, one to establish the starter and one to maintain it (see the explanation of flours above).
- Whole Grain Rye Flour or Whole Wheat Flour – organic is best, but regular Rye or Wheat will work as well. These sturdy, less processed grains create a stronger starter more quickly, but you don’t have to continue to bake with these flours.
- All-purpose flour – I prefer organic here as well and avoid bleached flour. After the wild yeast is established, this flour is used to maintain and feed the starter since is cheaper and what most people stock in their pantry
- Water – use room temperature filtered water, spring bottled water or dechlorinated water is needed since chlorine hinders yeast growth. To dechlorinate your water – boil and cool tap water, or leave a jug of water on the counter for a day to dechlorinate. If your house is cooler, use lukewarm water (not more than 85˚F). Avoid cold water which will slow the growth.
What is the best flour to create a sourdough starter?
To begin and establish a starter, use wholegrain rye flour and whole wheat flour – preferably organic. I have created starters with both and they grew equally well. See a photo of the difference below. In rye flour, the germ and bran haven’t been processed away as in all-purpose refined flour, so it gives more food for the wild yeast to eat.
I have tested creating a starter with all-purpose flour and it took 3 times as long to show bubbling activity. All-purpose is best used to grow and maintain your starter but you should initially start with rye or whole wheat flour.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
It’s simple to make sourdough bread starter in just a few minutes each day. In most cases, you’ll be making bread in just a week!
Day 1: Make your Starter (Stage 1 – Create)
- Stop! Before you do anything, record the weight of your jar on a kitchen scale in grams on the jar with a permanent marker.
- Mix 100g (3/4 cup) Rye or whole wheat with 100g (1/2 cup) room temperature water into the glass jar. Once combined the mixture should be thick (rye flour is especially thick, like a sandy paste), but it will become thinner as the yeast breaks down the gluten. Scrape the sides of the jar.
- Cover the jar with a loose-fitting lid at room temperature for 24 hours. Mark the height of your starter with a rubber band or dry-erase marker and record the date.
Pro Tip:
The ideal room temp for growing sourdough starter is 70-75 degrees. Don’t be tempted to put your starter in a warm oven to speed it up. I tried that, and it grew too fast and exhausted my yeast so it stopped growing and I had to start over. Allowing the yeast to grow and develop slowly in the environment it will be used in is best.
Day 2: Check your Starter
- No Change – You probably won’t see anything changed. You may see some small bubbles, but leave it to rest for another 24 hours.
Day 3: Visible Bubbles (Stage 2 – Grow) and First Feeding
- Discard: Remove and throw away half of the starter (discard in the trash so it won’t clog your plumbing). You should have 100 grams or 1/2 cup remaining in the jar.
- Feed: Add 100g (3/4c) ALL PURPOSE FLOUR and 100g (1/2c) room temperature water.
- Mix the starter with the added flour/water until completely mixed. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides, then loosely cover and rest for another 24 hours.
Pro Tip:
If you don’t see visible bubbles it may be due to your environment, flour, or just plain luck. Discard and feed anyway to continue with the schedule. You may need to add a few extra days at the end to strengthen your starter, but that’s ok! Patience is key, so keep on the plan.
Day 4: Lots of bubbles
- Discard all but 100g of the starter.
- Feed: mix in 100g all-purpose flour and 100g room temperature water
- Stir, scrape the sides, cover, and rest again
Pro Tip:
Some starters seem to slow down growth at this stage (called a false start) for seemingly no reason. This is normal, so just keep with the schedule.
Day 5: More bubbles and some growth
- Discard all but 100g of the starter
- Feed: Mix in 100g all-purpose flour and 100g room temperature water
- Stir, scrape the sides, cover, and rest again
Day 6-7: Nearly doubling in size!
- Discard all but 100g of the starter
- Feed: Mix in 100g all-purpose flour and 100g room temperature water
- Stir, scrape, cover, and rest until the starter has doubled in size. Continue this routine until the starter doubles in size in 4-6 hours, and then begins to recede after 12 hours. This means it’s probably ready to use!
Testing Sourdough Starter for Readiness
- Growth Rate: The Starter grows to more than double in size within 4 to 6 hours and recedes after 12 hours.
- Smell: The starter should smell good—like sourdough bread or like brewing yeast, have bubbles and a dome-shaped top
- Floats: Drop a bit of starter into a bowl of water. If it floats, it’s ready to bake bread. Hooray!
Maintaining a Sourdough Starter (Stage 3: Maintain)
Once it passes the float test and your starter is established, you can feed it daily or weekly depending on how often you want to bake. See our detailed Tutorial on how to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter. You can even dry it out to take a months-long pause. This is great news because you can travel or pause without ruining your starter.
- Frequent baking: Store at room temperature. Begin daily discard and feeding schedule to keep the starter healthy and continue strengthening it (Discard all but 100g of the starter and Feed by mixing in 100g all-purpose flour and 100g room temperature water)
- Less frequent baking: Store in the refrigerator. Once a week, discard and feed then let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before refrigerating. If baking, remove the starter from the fridge and bring to room temperature overnight. Discard and feed. When the starter reaches its peak, remove the portion needed for the recipe, then feed and refrigerate.
Pro Tip:
Once your starter is mature, don’t throw away your sourdough discard. You can use it in recipes like Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Crackers, Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, and many other sourdough discard recipes.
Naming Your Sourdough Starter
Many people choose to name their sourdough starters. I loved my sister-in-law’s idea and copied it—Doughseph. After three years of making the dreamiest sourdough, he’s a part of the family.
Why Won’t my Sourdough Starter Rise?
It’s common to have a starter that isn’t ready by day 6 or 7. Keep feeding it for another week until you see it double and the texture is spongy and puffy with large and small bubbles. It should also smell sour and pleasant.
Sourdough is very forgiving so long as you don’t add hot water which kills the yeast. Just keep feeding it and discarding and it usually bounces back.
It’s easy to make sourdough bread at home using this simple sourdough starter recipe. Start today and you can enjoy a loaf of homemade bread in about a week!
More Bread Recipes
While your starter is growing, try these easy, beginner-friendly recipes to enjoy delicious bread made right at home.
Sourdough Starter Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 100 g Whole Grain Rye Flour or Whole Wheat Flour, preferably organic (100g = 3/4 cup)
- 500 g All-purpose flour – preferably organic and avoiding bleached flour, used to maintain and feed the starter
- 1 qt filtered water or spring water is even better*, room temperature
Instructions
Day 1 Make your Starter
- Record the weight of your jar in grams before you add anything and label the jar with your starting date for easier tracking.
- Add 100 grams (3/4 cup) whole wheat or rye flour and 100 grams (1/2 cup) water. Stir together thoroughly with a fork (it will be very thick), scrape down the sides with a spatula. Cover with a loose-fitting lid and let it rest at room temperature for 24 hours*. Put a rubber band around your jar to mark the growth of your starter. Label the jar with a date to track.
Day 2: No Changes Noted
- Likely nothing is happening. You might see some tiny bubbles or it will look exactly the same. Let it rest for another 24 hours
Day 3 (stage 2) Visible Growth and Bubbles in Jar
- Remove and discard half of the starter in the trash so it does not affect the plumbing. You should have 100 grams (1/2 cup) of starter left. Add 100 grams (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour and 100 grams (1/2 cup) room temp water. Stir thoroughly, scrape down the sides of the jar, cover loosely, and rest at room temperature for 24 hours
Day 4 (72 Hours into the process): See a lot of bubbles
- Remove and discard all but 100 grams of starter. Add 100 grams (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour and 100 grams (1/2 cup) room-temperature water. Stir thoroughly, scrape down the sides of the jar, cover loosely, and rest 24 hours. Note: In a couple of my many tests, my starter seemed to slow down its growth on day 4 for no apparent reason. If that happens, just keep feeding it – it will turn back around.
Day 5: Visible growth and bubbles.
- Remove and discard all but 100 grams of starter. Add 100 grams (3/4 cup) All-purpose flour and 100 grams (1/2 cup) room-temperature water. Stir thoroughly, scrape down the sides of the jar, cover loosely, and rest 24 hours.
Day 6-7: Your starter may double or more
- Remove and discard all but 100 grams of starter. Add 100 grams (3/4 cup) All-purpose flour and 100 grams (1/2 cup) room-temperature water. Stir thoroughly, scrape down the sides of the jar, cover loosely, and rest until more than doubled in volume.
Testing Your Starter
- When your starter is ready, it should peak between 4-6 hours and start to recede after 12 hours. It should smell sour and pleasant, drop a dollop of your starter into a bowl of water. If it floats, it’s healthy enough to use in recipes. If your starter isn’t ready by day 7, continue feeding it following this schedule. It may take a bit longer depending on many factors—such as the flour use and the environment.
How to Maintain your starter
- For frequent bakers: store at room temperature. Discard and feed every 24 hours. To use the starter, feed and wait for the starter to reach its peak, 4-6 hours then remove the portion needed for the recipe.
- For casual bakers (weekly): store in the fridge. Once a week, discard and feed the starter, then let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before returning it to the fridge. If baking, remove the starter from the fridge and bring to room temperature overnight. Discard and feed. When the starter reaches its peak, remove the portion needed for the recipe, then feed and refrigerate.
Notes
- Temperature is key: The room temperature will affect how quickly the starter develops. The ideal growing temperature is 68-75 degrees. a cold kitchen may take longer. For colder kitchens, consider storing in a warmer location or start with lukewarm 85˚F water.
- Use non-chlorinated water: Chlorine can hinder the growth of yeast and bacteria. Use filtered water or spring water for best results. To dechlorinate your water, you can boil and cool or set your water into a vessel and leave it on the counter for 1 day to naturally dechlorinate and come to room temperature.
- Consistency: try to feed your starter consistently at the same time each day.
- Patience is essential: Starters can vary in how quickly they develop, so don’t worry if yours takes a little longer. Don’t try to speed it along in too warm of an environment or you can exhaust your yeast.
Filed Under
I know it was mentioned that activity would begin on day two but I noticed it doubled after the first day. should I feed or wait to feed on day two? Many Thanks !
Hi Rosanna, yes, I would keep feeding it. If you see activity on the first day, that’s a great sign of a nice strong starter happening.
What type of spatula do you use to scrape down jar of starter. I bought a bundle that are a good width, but the handle is too short. Thank you!
Hi Sue! I just use a silicone spatula. I’m not sure what size the handle is. But I would go based on the depth of your jar, try to find one that has a long enough handle based on that measurement.
Hi Natasha
This is my first try at SD starter. I started on Saturday. Sunday nothing happened. Monday I fed it and within 5 hours it grew to the top of the Weck jar. 😳 Yesterday it didn’t move at all. I fed it today again. I’m using room-temperature bottled spring water and fresh AP flour. Room temp is 70.
Should I just continue or start again? Ugh!
Hi Maureen, that is interesting and unusual that it would have such a quick rise the second day. I would continue.
My starter rose the 2nd day only, but I didn’t feed it..since u mentioned it to feed it on the 3rd day…but it didn’t rise on 3rd day and lots of liquid got collected on top
Should I have fed it on the 2nd day only?
Hi Avni! Liquid on top is an indication that your starter is hungry. Continue to consistent daily feedings and it will be ok.
Hello Natasha,
Hope you are doing well:)
I started with the sourdough journey, followed all the steps and Instructions from your video, on day 4 the sourdough rose beautifully with lots of bubbles and all and then collapsed and after that it is taking complete 24 hours to rise and rising slowly, it’s day 7 and still it’s rising slowly, with just bubbles on top, can you tell me what is the problem here?
I am from India, and as of now the in house temperature is 20 to 21 degree celcius.
Hi M, you could try put the starter in a slightly warmer spot (24-27˚C). Slower activity could be due to a cooler environment. Try put it on top of your refrigerator or in a warmer spot in the house. Did you start with a whole grain flour and then switch to an all-purpose flour? You could try feeding with a whole grain flour once more to help growth. Also make sure to feed it at a 1:1:1 ratio by weight. Also make sure to use filtered or dechlorinated water (leave the water out for 24 hours for the chlorine to evaporate).
Hi, Natasha. First of all thanks you for answering my questions. My starter was doing well, after the first feeding it had a nice rise and then my starter is showing not much activity at all, just a few bubbles on the top, I don’t see any bubbles on the side or bottom, today is the second day like this. The room is 71 degrees, I am using organic all purpose flour for feeding, spring water also. How many days is it going to be like this? Thanks
Hi Ana, I’m so glad it was doing well to start, that’s a great sign of it gaining strength to start with. Patience is definitely the key here, I would keep feeding it everyday regularly and around the same time for the next 7 days if not longer. The 71 degree temperature is great, the start would thrive and gain strength quicker at a slightly higher temperature.
Also I forgot do you warm up the water a bit when you feed the stater or just room temperature water is fine. Thanks
Room temperature water is fine.
Hi, I started my starter yesterday morning, I noticed today that it has risen almost double, I think it would be ready for the first feeding tomorrow which it will be two days after I started, is it ok to go ahead with the first feeding or I should wait until the third day. Thank you
Hi Ana! You should go ahead and feed it and maintain a regular and consistent feeding schedule everyday. If your starter rises too fast, you may try to move it to a slightly cooler spot in the room or use slightly cooler water.
Hi, Natasha, can I use organic bread flour to feed the starter or organic all purpose flour, is just that bread flour is higher in protein content. Thanks
Hi Ana, you could use either flour to feed the starter.
I have tried 3x and my starter has failed. I follow it to a t with your instructions but come day 6, 7, etc. there is no growth. I even continue to feed pass then but no response.
Hi Heather. The first thing I would check is your room temperature and make sure that it is warm enough and an ideal temperature. If not, I would move it to a slightly warmer spot in the room. You may also try using slightly warmer water to help give it a boost. If you are not already using filtered water, I suggest switching to filtered or spring water.
My first batch of white flour starter from another site didn’t pan out, but this one worked great. Betty is reborn, and she’s a healthy strapping girl! Going strong on month 2 using cheap AP (unbleached enriched) to start and for weekly feedings… though I did use Bob Red Mill’s organic Rye to start her up. Thank you! Loved lots of other recipes from your site!
Hi Natasha, so excited to get starting, but after reading all comments.. I am a bit concern because right now I am in Costa Rica .. and it’s warm in here! Any recommendations for hot and humid places like CR?
Hi Lily! I’ excited for you to get started too! It’s a wonderful journey and you’re going to love it, especially once you get the hang of it. Since you’re in a more humid and warmer climate, it may be best to take a few extra steps to ensure your starter is healthy and at its peak performance when you use it. You’ll want to consider the starters hydration by using a tad less water as warmer temperature may make it thinner/ more fluid. You will also want to keep an eye on the temperature, since you’re in a warmer climate your starter will ferment quickly and you may need to feed it more often. As long as your started is rising and smells good – you are on the right track. You got this Lily!
The whole wheat flour might not be the right one! But here we go! I will keep you posted in 24 hours!
Hello Natasha, I am on day 3 and noticed my starter has bubbles on the bottom, but it is growing mold on the top and it smells bad. What could I have done wrong? I am just starting my sourdough journey and want to do it by creating the sourdough starter. Please help!
Thank you!
Hi Alexandra! It could be several reasons. First and foremost, make sure to clean your container well before starting and use clean utensils. Use good quality flour, make sure it’s not old. Cover your container with a breathable cloth that allows airflow. Use filtered or spring water and verify that your room temperature is ideal. Anything over 75 degrees can encourage bacteria growth.
I hope that helps.
Hello , I’m little confused cause I’m the video you waited two days to feed your starter but you said on the third day you fed it. So I waited till the third day that’s after it rose and went back down and now its day 6 and I see bubbles but uses not rising at all
Hi Dina, every kitchen and environment will cause your starter to react a little differently. Mine took 2 days to form some bubbles on top so I feed it on day 3 as I said in the video. Did it double and go back down on day 3? that can happen if you use warm water or too warm of an environment which can exhaust your yeast. That happened to me and I had to start over. If you are on day 6 and there is no growth at all, that may be what happened and I would start over if you aren’t seeing any growth at day 6.
Need Help!! lol… I started with 100 grams of Rye Flour and 100 grams of spring water (room temp). On my day 4 my starter doubled in size. It overflowed the jar which actually surprised me. I repeated the process of removing 100grams for day 5 and now I’m on day 6. However I am not seeing my starter double in size. I’m wondering if something happened on day 4 with my starter? I’m not sure if I should throw the starter out and start again. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi Jerri, sometimes if the yeast got exhausted in too warm of an environment or if warm water was used, that can happen, just keep feeding it and it should turn around. If you see no growth at all, you can start over.
Excited to try this process! I’m curious just on the first feed, instead of throwing out the excess. Can I put it in a second weck jar to have a second starter?
Hi Amanda. You can use your sourdough discard to make other starters, however, it’s best to wait until you have a healthy and establish starter.
Hi Natasha, where did you get your weck jars, I followed your link but it took me to glass canning jars with clamped rubber seal lids. Are yours plastic?
Hi Marina! I checked the link, those jars are correct. They are glass.
Thank you for putting this together, Natasha! I started a new sourdough starter following your instructions. I am a newbie at this. I look forward to SD English muffins and bread in the near future.
Hello Natasha, my starter grow double on 2nd day. Is that normal?
Hi Hiedie! Continue to feed it on a regular schedule. Things to check on are the temperature of the room and temperature of the water to see if they are ideal.
If it grows too rapidly, you can move it to a slightly cooler spot or use slightly cooler water to see if that helps.
Hi Natasha! If my starter grew to double the size after 24 hours, should I feed it at that 24 hour mark in time, or should I wait till the 48 hour mark in time? Thanks!
Hi Sairina! You should go ahead and feed it at the 24hr mark. If it doubled, it likely consumed all of its food and is ready for another feeding. Also- check the temperature of your room and water to make sure it’s ideal. If it grows at too rapid of a rate you may try moving it to a cooler spot or using slightly cooler waters
Hi natasha , thank you for your amazing video and recipes. i use your guide to make a starter from scratch after one week i start baking then i feed it then refrigerate it for days before i decide to bake i take it out and let it be in room temp then i start to feed it. i leave it for 8 hours and there is no action and in the next day in the same time i refeed it and still no rise and it seems more liquid * i feed it with all purpose flour
I would leave it at room temperature for at least a few hours (or overnight) then feed it. Feeding a cold starter will take a long time for it to grow.
Hi Natasha,
I am having a hard time with my starter. When I first mixed whole wheat flour and filtered water it doubled in 24hrs so I did my first feeding with King Arthurs organic unbleached flour. After the first feeding, it bubbles a lot but doesnt rise and smells like a nail polish. I have no problem getting the starter to rise with initial whole wheat flour feeding. But as soon as I start my first feeding with King Athur organic unbleached all purpose flour and filtered water, it simply bubbles and doesnt rise at all. My room temp is fine 70-75F. It looks wet and smells like a nail polish. Do I need more flour? If so, what are the proportions/ratios?
Thank you so much!
P.S. my 3rd time starting it and I just dont understand what am I doing wrong?
Doubling in 24 hours is probably exhausting your starter – did you use warm water rather than at room temperature (70-75˚F)? Sometimes it pauses at day 2, 3 or 4 and looks like it’s not doing much but you have to keep feeding it. Sometimes it takes a little longer.
Thank you so much for getting back to me! I am using room temperature water. Everything by the book aka your instructions. I still fed it last night and it finally started rising this morning. Still smells like a nail polish though 😕. May I ask you? I am all new to the sourdough world. I have read that mixing whole wheat and all purpose 50/50 as feedings give better results with rising. Have you done/tried it? Or stick with all purpose for feedings? Thank you again!
After the first stirring, I just use all-purpose to feed it and haven’t had any problems but you could add more whole wheat flour to jump start it if you think it needs more. It wouldn’t hurt it. It should smell sour/ vinegary, but I’m not sure I would describe it as nalpolish remover.
Natasha!!! Finally! It took a turn and now rising consistently and also smells more sour/vinegary. In the beginning it was giving off a weird nail polish/ acetone type of smell. I haven’t switched to the whole wheat. Keep the feedings with all purpose flour. Thank you so much again for all your help and recipes!