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 am curious to know why you only use the whole wheat flour on day 1 only – some recipes say use whole wheat flour until day 4 and then switch to all purpose flour. My house is cold – do you have a recommendation for how to keep the starter at the right temperature 70-75 F. Thank you
Hi Robin, the whole what allows the fermentation process to jumpstart on day one. If your home runs colder, you can leave it in the oven with the oven light on (Just don’t turn your oven on), that will keep it about the right temperature for you and eliminate any drafts. You can also wrap it in a towel and place it in a warm corner of your home or near a somewhat warm appliance (not too warm though). I hope these tips are helpful.
Thank you – this is my third try – I think the first 2 times did not work because kitchen is too cold – I transferred rooms and wrapped it in the towel and covered it with Saran Wrap instead of the week lid – day 3 my first feeding looked weak – fingers crossed it stays the same – is it best to cover with the weck jar lid or with a piece of Saran Wrap? If it looks like it gets stagnant again should I switch to feed with whole wheat instead of all purpose flour? Appreciate your help
For covering, use the Weck jar lid set on top (not sealed) to allow some airflow. Saran Wrap limits airflow and traps too much moisture which can slow fermentation. If it starts looking sluggish again, you can switch to whole wheat again for a couple of feeds.
Hi Hoping starter is salvageable and I don’t have to start again – after I fed with 100gm flour and 100gm water – I realized my scale wasn’t zeroed when I discarded the starter from the jar – so instead of having 100gm starter left in the jar I had 165gm to which I fed the 100gm flour and 100gm water – what do you think I should do or do I need to start again – Thanks
It should be fine. It just means you underfed it. Discard down to your normal amount and continue to feed it at the 1:1:1 ratio.
Hi Natasha, can I use a glass jar that weighs 463 grams before putting at zero?
Hi Veronica, the weight of the jar itself does not matter as long as you remember/ write down how much it weighs to be able to calculate how much starter you have left. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha!
I started my starter yesterday and the rye flour and water has already doubled! Should I wait until tomorrow to feed or should I discard and feed today? Thanks!
Hi Lindsay! That’s fine. Even if it grows, continue as instructed and feed on day 3.
Thank you! I can’t believe how big it got! It’s triple the size now!
Hi Natasha, I’m on day 9. My starter has never doubled but has grown each time and has lots of bubbles. Is it time to test it? And if it’s ok can I put it in the fridge and start the maintenance schedule? Thanks!
Hi Amy! You can go ahead and try the float test. If your starter is consistently growing and bubbling, and also passes the float test, it should be ready. You can refrigerate it.
Hi. I just started making the sourdough starter and it’s been going on great. I’m now on day 5. I’ve been using the discard since day 1 to make bread recipes like cinnamon rolls, focaccia etc. , added with a little yeast to aid and they’ve turned out great! But then I read that you’ve been insisting NOT to use the discard which is less then a week old… please guide. Have I been eating something that will harm???
Hi Sal! You can use the discard at any point, but generally it’s recommended to wait until
after you have an established starter because it can have an off setting smell and taste in the beginning stages.
I forgot to feed my starter on Day 3, and today is Day 4. Should I continue feeding it as usual tonight on Day 4, or should I feed it now and again tonight to get back on schedule?
Hi Swati, as long as it smells and looks okay, I would resume the normal schedule today, it may take an extra day or two to get back to normal.
HI! I am on day 10 and on day 3 my starter doubled.. and since then, no activity. Should I start over or keep going? I am consistent on the time of feeding, discarding 100 g and feeding with 100g of flour and 100 g of water. absolutely nothing is going on, i see a few bubbles here and there and that is IT. HELP!
Hi there! Check the temperature in your room, if it’s too cold, move it to a warmer spot. Ideal temperature is 79-75 degrees. Make sure to use unbleached flour and de-chlorinated water. Spring or filtered water works best. Lastly, you can feed it with whole what or rye for a few feedings to help it a boost.
Natasha, my starter was on day two and it tripled in size. This morning I could see that it had receded overnight. Keeping on your schedule for day three, I fed it this morning and I can see growth again. This is so exciting because I have tried making a starter many times and never had any success. Thank you for the excellent instructions and video. By the way, I used King Arthur whole wheat flour this time instead of AP flour.
Hi Natasha, after first fiddling my starter grows very fast, I have to wait 24 h or I can feed it again? Thank you.
Hi Eka! If it’s too warm in the room, it can cause it to ferment faster and run out of food. If so, it needs to be fed more frequently. If that’s the case, move it to a cooler spot (ideal temp is 70-75 degrees). It really only needs to be fed once a day. It’s normal for it to start to peak and then deflate.
Thank you for the info on Sourdough starter.I have started the Sourdough 1 time and i didnt have the answers that you gave me . I will restart the dough tomorrow .i fill like i have the answers that i didnt before ..i will follow you and ill do it this time so Thanks for showing me the videos on “Sourdough Starter Recipe (VIDEO)”
You’re very welcome, Tim! I’m happy it was helpful!
Hey, this my first time making sour dough starter! I am on Day 4 and its developing hooch should I restart over or can I still use it?
Hi Aniya! Hooch is normal, it means it’s hungry. Just continue the process.
Hi I am on day 9 of my starter and I have not seen it rise once, I don’t know if I should just throw it away or if I should just keep going? And also, I did not feed it on day 7, and day 8 because my sister did that and now hers is very active.
If there’s no mold and it doesn’t smell rancid or spoiled, I’d say keep going. What type of flour are you using? A few things to help, don’t skip feedings, stay consistent with feeding it everyday at the same time. Check the temperature, ideal room temp is 70-75 degrees. If it’s too cold, ir will struggle. Using filtered or spring water and unbleached flour. You can feed ir with whole-wheat or rye flour to give it a boost. If you still see no activity after a few more days, you can start over but follow these guidelines. If your stater is too thin, you can make a thicker paste to hen feeding, like thick pancake batter, just use less water. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha! I recently started my sourdough journey, and when it came time for the first feeding, I uncovered the lid and noticed a terrible smell. I’m not sure why, as I followed all the instructions carefully. I was able to feed it on day three, but I realized it was too close to the stove, which caused it to double quickly before collapsing. I’m considering starting over because of the smell. Do you have any advice?
Hi Melissa! The smell could be a sign of something off, or it could be the smell of the natural yeasty process getting started. If the smell is really bad (like rotten or like mold) it’s probably best to start over but if not, keep going, it will eventually level out into a more pleasant and sour smell. Regarding the collapsing, move it to a cooler spot away from heat. Starters like a consistent room temperature environment.
Natasha,
After three tries & two other recipes before coming to your page on day 4 I think my starter is going in the right direction.
My concern is that last night was day 3 & I didn’t get to feed it until 36 hours instead of 24 hours. Do you think it will be okay?
Also can I use my discard from day three as a starter for someone else just treating it as a day 3 starter?
Hi John, The discard isn’t really useful for much as you are developing it. I mean you could but it’s not real sourdough with the good healthy cultures in there yet. When you have your starter developed, you should try the sourdough discard crackers or sourdough cheese crackers – both are so good and easy. You can also collect your discard for a few days and then make crackers.
Hi Natasha!
My starter is now 14 days old and only rises about 1 inch and it takes it almost 12 hours to do that. I feed it around 5:30 pm. My house runs on the colder side. I did have the false rise on day 3 & 4. but nothing like that since. I have noticed that when I go to feed it, my lid is a little vacuumed on. I’m using the Weck jar and lid. Is that normal? Any tips on getting it to rise?
Hi Toni, if your house runs cold, that could be the culprit. I found if my house is on the colder side, I would turn the oven light on and leave the jar in the over by the light and it typically rises within that 4 hour mark or so. I would see if that would help it.
Hi Natasha!
So my starter is now 16 days old. My starter doubles but it’s definitely after the 6 hour mark. It also does float. And it doubles but it’s not super active. It looks bubbly on the inside but not on top Is this okay to start using?
Hi Becca! If your starter is consistently doubling and it passed the float test, it should be ready to use.
I’ve had my sourdough starter for about a week, but it is no longer rising after I feed it. Any suggestions?
Also, I tried to make a loaf of bread around day seven or 8 and the starter floated when I tested it…But the bread did not rise very much. How do you tell when it is actually ready and won’t make a flat loaf?
Hi Madeline, Its hard to say without being there, but it sounds like you did the float test which is great. You need to ensure your starter is doubling in size and you are using it at the peak of that. Once it falls you would need to feed and prep it again. I would recommend going through the starter and bread recipe notes again to be sure no steps were missed. I wish I could be more helpful from afar.
Hi! My starter is almost a month old. On day 17 or so, it started doubling. It doubled for about 5 days in a row (taking forever to double!) and then just stopped doubling all together. It still rises a bit but nowhere near double. What should I do? And also, can I at least start using the discard so I’m not wasting flour?
Hi Cherith! Yes, it’s fine to use the discard. It’s normal for sourdough starters to have fluctuations, but it should still be able to double regularly. A few things to help, make sure the room temp is not too cold (ideal is 70-75 degrees). If it’s cold, move it to a warmer spot and/or feed with slightly warmer water. If you’re not already, use de chlorinated water (filtered or spring water) or if you’re using tap water, let it sit out for 24hrs for the chlorine to evaporate.
You can try to give it a boost with rye/whole wheat flour. If your flour/starter is runny, try a thicker consistency, like thick pancake batter or feed it more frequently (twice a day). Hopefully these changes should help get it back on track.
If I make sourdough only once a week and keep my starter in the fridge I do the same method discard 100grams and add 100 grams of water?
Hi Rachel, yes, if you’re keeping your sourdough starter in the fridge and only baking once a week you can follow the same process. Be sure it comes to room temperature.
On day 3 at 10am I discarded and fed my starter. At 4pm someone used the air fryer that I left the starter next to and unfortunately the heat from the fryer made the starter double in size. Can I discard and feed again to save the starter? (It looks like it should on day 6-7) or should I just start over? Thank you!
Hi Lexi! Your starter is likely fine. Go ahead and discard/feed it again to keep it on track. If it still shows good fermentation activity (bubbles, rise, and a pleasant tangy smell), there’s no need to start over, it should balance out.