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How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch: A Beginner’s Guide

A highly active sourdough starter, full of bubbles, filling a large glass jar placed on a sunny kitchen counter.
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Follow this day-by-day guide to create your own active, bubbly sourdough starter using only flour and water.

Ingredients

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  • 100g Whole Grain Rye Flour or Whole Wheat Flour (for initial mix)
  • 100g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (for subsequent feedings)
  • 100g Unchlorinated Water (room temperature)

Instructions

  1. Day 1: Mix 50g of whole grain flour and 50g of water in a clean jar. Stir until fully combined. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature (68-75°F or 20-24°C) for 24 hours.
  2. Day 2: You may see little to no activity. Discard half of the mixture (about 50g). Add 50g of all-purpose flour and 50g of water to the remaining starter. Mix well, cover loosely, and wait 24 hours.
  3. Day 3: You might see some small bubbles or smell a slight sour odor. Discard half. Feed with 50g all-purpose flour and 50g water. Wait 24 hours.
  4. Day 4: Activity should increase. If you see significant bubbles, switch to feeding twice a day (every 12 hours) using a 1:1:1 ratio (50g starter : 50g flour : 50g water). Discard down to 50g before each feeding.
  5. Day 5 – 7: Continue feeding twice daily using the 1:1:1 ratio. The starter should begin to double in size consistently within 4-8 hours after feeding. If it smells strongly acidic or vinegary, increase the feeding amount slightly or feed more frequently.
  6. Day 8+: Your starter is ready when it reliably doubles in size within 4-6 hours after feeding and is full of bubbles. You can now transition to a maintenance feeding schedule if you are not baking immediately.

Notes

  • Use filtered or bottled water if your tap water is heavily chlorinated.
  • Maintain a consistent temperature for best results; warmer temperatures speed up fermentation.
  • If you see pink or orange streaks, discard the entire batch immediately and start over, as this indicates mold.
  • To keep your starter active long-term, feed it daily if kept at room temperature, or store it in the refrigerator and feed it once per week.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://tasteportfolio.com/sourdough-starter-beginner-guide-day-by-day/