Well, it finally happened. A couple months ago I let my sourdough starter die. Which turns out to be a good thing after all since I have been wanting to learn how to make my own sourdough starter from scratch for years now. So I decided to use this somewhat unfortunate event as an excuse to learn this new skill. I guess you could call it a silver lining. I’ve always heard that this was a very simple process and that definitely proved to be true! I had a new bubbly sourdough starter ready to bake beautiful loaves of bread in only 9 days with minimal effort.

What is a Sourdough Starter?

A sourdough starter, commonly referred to as a “mother”, is a simple mixture of flour and water that has been fermented resulting in a bubbly leavening agent used to bake bread and other delicious treats. The sourdough starter can be used in place of standard commercial yeast you purchase at the store and is the traditional method used for bread baking for most of history.

Did you know there is natural yeast in the air all around us? This natural yeast feeds the flour and water mixture, which causes fermentation to occur and beneficial bacteria to form. Then once the starter has been successfully populated with beneficial bacteria and yeast, you can simply feed it flour and water to keep it healthy and maintained and use that bubbly substance to leaven breads. All living things require food and water to survive and thrive and a sourdough starter is no different in that sense!

Other Options for Sourcing Sourdough Starter

Order Online

When I was first starting out, the thought of learning how to bake sourdough bread seemed to be a daunting enough task on it’s own . Therefore, making my own starter seemed to be an impossibility to me then (although I now know how funny that is because it is so easy!).

So if you aren’t up for this little kitchen science experiment and just want to jump right into sourdough baking I totally understand and you can just order one online instead.

Get Some From a Friend

If you know someone who makes sourdough I am sure they would be happy to share some with you. It only takes a little blob to get started! People are always looking for ways to use up their sourdough discard so there is always plenty to spare.

A few years ago, A friend of mine graciously gifted me my first sourdough starter and walked me through the process of making sourdough bread. That was just what I needed to gain the confidence and get started on my sourdough baking journey.

Is Maintaining a Sourdough Starter Hard?

In all honesty, it is not hard to keep your starter alive, so don’t let this experience of letting mine die deter you from sourdough baking! Most people just leave theirs in the refrigerator which gives you much more time between feedings around every 1-2 weeks.

However, over the past two years I have been in the habit of making sourdough part of my regular routine. Therefore I usually leave mine out on the counter and feed it daily for use in different recipes. I have been doing it this way for almost 2 years without issue. BUT, one day I had left mine out on the counter too long (2-3 days) and my house was VERY warm because we heat with a wood stove. And well, you know, life happens and is full of distractions. Let’s just say I neglected it for a little too long!

Because of this, it forced me to make another one from scratch and I would love to share with you these simple instructions so you can know how to make a sourdough starter for yourself!

How To Make A Sourdough Starter

Tools You Will Need

• kitchen scale
• glass bowl with a lid (or use a clean tea towel or loosely cover with plastic wrap)
• wooden spoon or rubber spatula (something non-metallic)
• glass mason jar with a plastic lid for storage (or these glass gallon jars with lid if you plan to maintain a large amount of starter)

Ingredients

• unbleached all-purpose flour (whole wheat, rye, or einkorn are all great options too if you prefer)
• filtered water (do not use tap water! I use and love my Berkey water filtration system)

Instructions

Day 1- Weigh out 100g (grams) of flour and 100g of water into a clean glass bowl and mix thoroughly together. Cover with lid, tea towel or loosely with plastic wrap and let sit on your countertop for 24 hours.

Day 2- Discard about half of your mixture (it’s okay to estimate this). Then, weigh out another 100g of flour and 100g of water into the same bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and let sit on your countertop for 24 hours.

Day 3- Day 6- Repeat steps for day 2. Around day 5 you may start to notice a strong yeasty smell. This is a good sign, but keep going it is not finished yet.

Day 7 and beyond- Repeat steps for day 2, except this time feed every 12 hours instead of every 24 hours. Your starter can be ready in as little as 7 days or take up to 12 days depending on some other factors in your environment. You will know your starter is ready when you see notice lots of bubbles and when it doubles in size 4-12 hours after you feed it. See notes below for more info on how to know your starter is active.

Congratulations!- You made your own sourdough starter from scratch! This is a 100% hydration starter. This is just a fancy way of saying it is made up of equal parts of flour and water by weight. Transfer starter to a mason jar with a plastic lid and store in your refrigerator until you are ready to bake bread. See notes below for instruction on storing, feeding and other tips for your new starter!

Notes

Cover Suggestions

Many people suggest using a tea towel to cover your mixture. While this way does work, I found I would get a dry layer on top which I personally didn’t like. You can just mix it in and it will rehydrate into the mixture if you use this type of cover. I prefer to use a glass casserole dish with a lid instead.  This same dish can be used for the rising phases when you make sourdough bread. They are a multiple use item which is something I love since I am somewhat limited on space! You can find these usually for a couple dollars at thrift stores.

Discarding Starter

I know that discarding half of the mixture each time may seem wasteful, but it is necessary. Doing this will insure that the yeast and beneficial bacteria present have enough “food” to feast on and gain strength. Also if you don’t discard you will end up with WAY too much starter and an overflowing bowl.

How to Know Your Starter is Active

You will know your starter is ready when you notice lots of bubbles and when it doubles in size 4-12 hours after you feed it. You can also do the “float test”, where you plop a small blob of starter into a glass of water. If it floats you know it is active and ready to use. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have an active starter by day 7. Mine was ready at day 9 and it can take even up to 12 days. So be patient and stick with it. It will work I promise!

Storing Your Starter

You will want to store your starter in your refrigerator in between uses. This slows down the rate at which the yeast eats it’s “food”. Therefore it gives you a longer stretch in between feedings. A good rule of thumb to keep it healthy is feeding your starter every 1-2 weeks. Alternatively, you can keep your starter on your countertop at room temperature. However you MUST feed it every 12-24 hours. So, only do this if you are planning on doing a lot of baking that week. The warmer your house the faster it will eat it’s food and the sooner you will need to feed it.

Feeding Your Starter

You want to feed your starter equal amounts of flour and water by weight. This will maintain your starter at “100% hydration” which is what is used in most recipes your will find. I like to measure in grams because it is the most precise.

A good rule of thumb for the amount to feed your starter is as follows:

Weigh your sourdough starter. Then, feed it the same amount of both flour and water by weight. For example: If your sourdough starter mixture weighs 50 grams, then feed it 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water and mix thoroughly.

This will ensure it gets enough “food” to get a good rise. You can actually get away with feeding it a little bit less, but I would suggest starting this way until you get the hang of things.

Using Your Starter

Take the starter out of the refrigerator the night before you want to get your dough started. Give it a feeding and let it sit out on the countertop overnight. By morning it should be bubbly and doubled in size. This means it’s active and you are ready to start using it in any sourdough recipes you like! Take out the amount needed for your recipe and put the rest back in the refrigerator until the next feeding.

Knowing how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch is a good skill to have. It will put your mind at ease knowing that if you have one of those “whoopsie” moments you can get back into baking delicious loaves of sourdough in no time. I hope this was helpful to you in getting started on your sourdough baking journey! Let me know how it goes in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by the homestead and God bless!

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

1 Corinthians 5:6-7