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
Hi! It is 8am on day 4 and I see a light brownish liquid on top of my starter. But I feed it yesterday at 5. I am using bread flower for my feedings. What do I do?
Hi Eva! Liquid on top usually indicates it’s hungry and ready for another feed. Are you keeping it in a warm spot? It could be your climate. Ideal temperature is 70-75 degrees, but if it’s humid or warmer, it may need to be moved somewhere cooler or fed more frequently. You could also try feeding with cooler water.
Hi! I would like to make this starter but the only wholemeal flour I have at home at the moment is spelt flour, will that do? Thanks for sharing amazing recipes! Great fan here
Hi! Based on my research, yes, you can use spelt flour to make sourdough started, however you will need to make adjustments for each type of flour and consider adjustments to the process as well. Some things to consider, while spelt flour can be used 1:1 with wheat flour, it absorbs more water than wheat flour so you may need to adjust the water amount.
Hi I was wondering if I can just use bread flour. Will that slow down the process or harm it in any way?
That could work, however, using bread flour may slow down the fermentation process so there will be a longer development time. Let us know how it goes if you do an experiment!
Hello!
I started my starter on Saturday evening, and after 24h it had already doubled in size. After reading the comments and seeing that you suggested feeding when it had doubled even if it was earlier than the 48h, I fed the starter. However, since then it has not risen at all…
I have been getting a liquid layer on the top of it and I can see small bubbles on the surface, but that’s about it.
Should I feed more often? Should I start again? Help!
Hi Larissa! Liquid on top indicates that it’s ran out of food and is hungry. If you live in a humid/warmer climate, your starter may develop faster. It would require more frequent feeding if that’s the case.
Ideal room temp is 70-75 degrees. If it’s too warm you can move it to a cooler spot. Or if you are not able to do this, you may try feeding twice daily. Just keep going, but be consistent. You don’t need to start over unless you notice any mold. Some other things to help- use spring or filtered water, you can try feeding with whole wheat or rye for a few feeds if it stalls (this will give it a boost).
Can I use King Arthur’s Bread Flour? I have been using it in other bread recipes with success.
That could work, however, using bread flour may slow down the fermentation process so there will be a longer development time. Let us know how it goes if you do an experiment!
Hi Natasha! Quick starter question…I started my starter yesterday late morning and today, early evening it has already doubled in size. Do I feed it now or leave it until tomorrow morning when your tutorial says to start feeding on Day 3?
If it has doubled in size, it’s a good sign and it means the wild yeast and bacteria are active, likely because your environment is warm and your flour is friendly to fermentation. Yes, you can go ahead and feed it now since it’s showing signs of activity.
Hi. Day 2 and starter rose above the rubber band slightly with some bubbles. Should I leave it for another 24 hours like you mentioned or should I do a feed today as well???
Hi there! I think it’s a good sign of that the fermentation process is happening. You can leave it for another 24 hours and let it continue to develop, but if you’re feeling uncertain, an additional feeding shouldn’t hurt.
Thank you!!! I just let it go and fed it on day 3. I am on day 7 now, feeding time is usually 9pm. I noticed last 2 feedings, the starter is rising quite quickly within 2 hours and by next feeding it recedes but doesn’t stay doubled. Should keep feeding beyond day 7 until it stays doubled?
Hi, it sounds ready based on how you’ve described it. It should peak within 4 hours but an active healthy starter can peak in 2 hours. It shouldn’t stay risen for 24 hours – it will come back down after it’s peaked, you just want to make sure you are using it to make bread dough at it’s peak.
Hello Natasha. I am on day six with my starter and it has more than doubled in size and lots of bubbles. but when I went to feed it, it was very liquidy. I could actually pour the discard out. so I decided to use less water. I fed it with 100 g of bread flour 75 g of filtered water. Is this ok. Any other suggestions.
Hi Trish! Yes, if it’s very thin, you can feed it with more flour and less water to make a thicker consistency, like pancake batter. Check the temperature of the room, if it’s too warm, your stater could be running out of food faster and need more frequent feedings. Or it could be your climate, if you live in a humid area, you can use less water.
Thank you. Holy smokes. My starter just tripled in size today I. 6 hours. Day 6. Is it ready for baking. Or do I feed for another day. I know you combine days 6-7 in your instructions but I’m not sure if it’s ok to start the bread process now.
Hi Trish, it sounds like it’s ready to be used, but be sure to follow all the steps under the “Testing Sourdough Starter for Readiness” section of the post, including the float test! I’m so happy for you!
Also. I’m a bit confused when jumping from your sourdough starter recipe to your sourdough bread recipe. At the beginning of the bread recipe, it says to feed your starter again one or two times before making your sourdough bread. And this time it calls for 50 g of starter 50 g of bread flour and 50 g water. As I mentioned before I’m on day six and my starter has tripled in size and lots of bubbles so it sounds like I need to feed my starter again in those 50 g proportions? It’s late in the day to start next step. Is it ok to let starter sit overnight before making bread? If I wait do I need to feed starter again. Thank you. The feeding part is a little confusing.
Hi Trish, the most important thing is to use the starter when it’s at it’s peak. If its a healthy starter (ie. one that hasn’t been neglected for weeks in the refrigerator), you can usually feed it just once and then you’re good to go.
Hi Natasha, I am on day 2 (23 hours precisely) and my starter is more then half in size, very airy and bubbly. Is something wrong? Should I start from beginning?
Hi Natasha! That’s normal. You do not need to start over, just keep going, you’re on the right track. It will likely slow down over the next few days and pick back up. Just be consistent with feeding and discarding on schedule.
Can you use bread flour instead of all purpose. Also if you started with bread flour can you use all purpose In The same starter batch
Hi Trish! Yes, you can.
Hello Natasha🙂 My starter is 18 days old. My starter has lots of bubbles and is rising, smells great but will not float yet. What could be wrong?
Hi Marsha! If your stater is consistently bubbly and doubling after feeds, it should be ready. Try the float test when it’s at peak rise (4-6hrs after). If your stater is thick, you may slightly loosen the texture by adding a bit more water. A dense/thick starter might not trap enough gas to float when placed in water.
Good Morning – Suggestions appreciated – I have been at this since March 10, starter grows ~3/4 – 1 inch per day with bubbles, starter is sitting next to Keurig machine which has warmth coming from it with towels covering both trying to keep the warmth in. Yesterday I fed the starter with combination 25g organic whole wheat flour and 75g organic all purpose flour, today I fed the starter with 100g organic whole wheat flour. Any help is appreciated. Thank you
Hi Robin, it sounds like you’re taking all the correct steps, keep feeing it consistently if you’re not seeing it double in size. I also recommend checking the surrounding temperate to be sure it’s truly in the ideal temp range.
Hi Natasha, great tutorial! I am from Malaysia and the state I live in has quite a high humid environment. I just have a couple of question. My starter has risen significantly and gradually dropping. I have been feeding it consistently from day 0-day 3 and have start discarding then refeeding on day 4. It’s day 5 today, it has risen within 1 hour and stayed for 4 hours then now slowly dropping at 4.5 hours. Is this how it is suppose to react? I’m planning to refed it again now to avoid it from being overly fermented.
Hi there! In a humid and warm climate, your starter will ferment faster. The rise and fall is normal. You can feed it a bit more flour or use less water making a thicker paste to help slow it down. Refeding before it fully collapses is also a good idea. Just keep going, it sounds like you have a healthy and active starter which will be ready to use soon.
Thank you, Natasha. My starter is doing well now but I have not tried baking with it yet. I would like to know in order to keep it healthy and alive, should I be feeding it every week? If yes, do I need to makesure the starter is at room temperature, feed and once there is growth then I can put it back in the fridge? And if I were to bake it, should I be taking the required amount of sourdough, feed it and let it to ferment then proceed with the normal sourdough making process?
Hi Maallini, I answer most of these questions in the recipe post and video, I highly recommend looking through it one more time, if you keep it in the fridge, you can go up to a week before feeding it, but I wouldn’t recommend going longer. if you keep it at room temperature on the counter, you would want to feed it daily.
Thanks Natasha. You’ve been very helpful.
Hi!! I’m on day 8 & it’s so sluggish, I’m realizing it the temperature & I’m trying the oven with light on trick. A couple questions.
Is it bad that I’ve been feeding it with whole wheat flour this entire time instead of all purpose?
Also, once it’s established & passed the float test, do you have to bake right away or can that be put in the fridge for baking later?
Thank you!!
Hi Olivia! Yes, whole wheat flour works great too. Once your stater is ready, you can refrigerate it following my instructions in my blog post here: How to Feed Sourdough Starter.
So Day 4 it looked great in the morning I discard half and then added 100g flour and 100g of spring water well about 6 hours later it almost tripled so I was so proud of myself and then this morning Friday when I went to feed it was back down to the rubber band. What happened. I discarded half and added the 100 g flour and 100 g water. It was quite liquid. Should I have fed it last night before I went to bed?
Hi Karey, make sure you are starting with 100 grams of discard. It sounds like you are keeping more than that in the jar if you are just discarding half of it. If you start with 100g discard and feed it with 100g water and 100g flour you have 300 grams of starter. If you discard half of it, you’re starting with 150 grams of discard.
Thanks Natasha! I shouldn’t have to start over right?it was just the 3rd day that I had a little extra. I just looked at it tonight and it’s growing and has bubbles. I’m going to see how it looks in morning…as long as it doubles it’s good right? I will feed again and make sure it’s considered on doubling for a few days
No, you don’t need to start over. Just keep going and it will bounce back.
Do you have to discard the sourdough and feed it before you make it? Can I just use the discard as its as if I’m feeding it while making it.
Hi Ashley! Yes, if your stater is healthy and established and you don’t want to use the discard in recipes, you can take the portion you would normally discard and feed it, then let it rise until bubbly and active.
After day 2 there was no growth or bubbles. I had the jar in a 68° room. I moved it to a 72-75° room. After day 3 still no doubling. But did see a lot of bubbles. I fed and kept at 72-75° and after day 4 no growth or bubbles again. Any tips?
Hi Anthony. It’s not uncommon for it to slow down and seem sluggish. Good call moving it to a warmer spot. A few more things to help- Make sure to use unbleached flour and switch to spring or filtered watered if you’re not already. If your stater is very thin/runny, you can make a thicker paste using a little less water. You can also try feeding it with rye or whole wheat flour for a few feeds to give it a boost. Sometimes it can take a little longer to establish but with consistency and time, you’ll have a healthy and active stater.
I started my starter using whole wheat flour and within 24 hours it doubled and I thought it was doing great. I fed it using I unbleached flour and the next 24 hours it had not grown and had liquid on the top. What did I do wrong. I’ve tried this a couple of times and each time the initial whole wheat does great and then nothing. I don’t want to use all whole wheat as I’ve heard it can cause bread to be dense.
Hi Buck! Using whole wheat flour for starter is a great way to boost fermentation. You won’t notice it much in your bread if you’re not using whole wheat to make the actual bread.
Liquid on top is normal, it means your starter is hungry and needs to be fed. I would check the temperature in your room make sure it’s not too warm for your starter to ferment too fast or you would need to increase its feedings. If your room is too warm, move it to a cooler spot or use slightly cooler water to feed it. An ideal room temperature is 70 to 75°F. You can feed it with whole wheat flour once or twice to give it a boost and then resume feeding with unbleached all purpose flour. Also, I recommend using filtered or spring water.
Thanks so much for the reply. I have to say it’s one of the most frustrating adventures I’ve tried but I’m determined not to give up. We keep our house at 67 F so it can get cool at night. I got a sourdough warmerand set at 72 F. Could they be the problem with it getting liquid on top? It never did rise. I’ve poured off the liquid and fed with whole wheat flour so hopefully it will come back.
you’re welcome! Sourdough starter can feel tricky at first, don’t give up! The liquid on top usually means the starter is hungry, so pouring it off and feeding is exactly what you want to do consistently. It sounds like your house temperature may fluctuate too much, so the warmer at 72 should help it stay pretty consistent. Using whole wheat flour is a great idea and will help it regain strength again. You got this!
Hi Natasha,
I am trying the sourdough starter for the second time and this time the temperature of the house is 29C. The starter doubled in size in 24 hours. There are lot of bubbles and it’s growing. What to do?
Hi Meg! It sounds like you have a very healthy and happy starter – that’s so exciting! I would keep feeding it consistently each 24 hour hours. Its a great sign that it is doubling in size, this is happening since your home is warmer the fermentation is happening quicker.
Hi again,
So I did not feed it in 24 hours, though it rose quite a lot and not it’s deflated. Read your comment just now. According to your instructions I should be feeding it after 48 hours/ in the 3rd day. Will be feeding it tomorrow and then will let you know what’s happening!
Hi Meg! That’s correct. You will feed it on day 3.
Hi Natasha,
Question again – actually my sourdough rose beautifully by day 6 and it’s falling out of the jar, wanted to know that should I wait till it’s feeding time or can I feed it now?
Good to hear that, it’s a good sign that it’s active and ready to be fed. You can feed it now if you feel like it’s at or near its peak activity and just make sure to discard some of the starter before you feed it, as the volume can increase quickly.
Hi there! I was using your recipe for a sourdough starter and am having some trouble. Day 4 barely rose and when I went to feed it the starter was pretty liquidy. When I fed it I did a few more grams of flour to help. Today on day 5 it didn’t rise at all and is still really liquidy. It seems that every time I start a starter this always happens and I can’t get it thick again. Any suggestion?
PS I’m loving all of your videos!
Hi Debbie! It sounds like your starter may be over-fermenting or it may be too hydrated.
A few things to try- make a thicker paste when feeding, try a 1:2:2 ratio. You can also try some whole wheat or rye flour for better structure and to give it a boost. If your kitchen is too warm, you’ll need to feed it more often or move it to a cooler spot. Just keep going and it should thicken it!
Hi
Do you have a recipe for gluten free sour dough bread
Hi Marie! I do not have a recipe for that.