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–+ servings
Active sourdought starter with bubbles.
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5 from 7 votes

How to Make a Sourdough Starter Day By Day

Learn how to create a sourdough starter day-by-day with just flour and water. Let's explore the best practices and what can go wrong when working with wild yeast.
Prep Time7 days
Total Time7 days
Course: Sourdough
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 1 starter
Calories: 228kcal
Author: Tatiana Kamakura

Equipment

  • Glass Jar with lid
  • Spoon or Fork

Ingredients

  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup water
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a clean glass jar, mix the water and flour until there are no clumps or dry bits of flour. Close the jar with its lid without sealing it completely.
  • Next day, discard half of the sourdough culture.
  • Add equal amounts of water and flour, and stir until homogeneous. Cover and let it rest for another 24 hours at room temperature.
  • Repeat for the next 7 days, or until the starter is rising and falling on a 6-8 hours interval.

Notes

It's easier to measure the ingredients using grams. For grams, change in the recipe card to METRIC.
You can make a sourdough starter with unbleached all-purpose flour/bread flour only, or a mixture of rye flour/whole wheat flour with white flour. Here, I'm giving you both options, both in grams and cups if you still don't have a kitchen scale.
My recommendation:
    • Rye/whole wheat flour + all-purpose/bread flour: add ¼ cup (30g) rye or whole wheat flour + ¼ cup (30g) all purpose or white bread flour + ¼ cup (60g) water.
Do not use bleached flour.
I’ve made a starter using only all-purpose flour because I wanted to see if it was possible. It took me 3 tries and 25 days to get it fully active. While it can be done, I wouldn’t recommend it—it’s neither the quickest nor the most cost-effective method. A mix of white flour (all-purpose or bread flour) and whole wheat or rye is the best option, especially if you’re making a starter for the first time.
Keep your culture at room temeprature, ideally between 70°F and 80°F (21°C to 27°C).

Nutrition

Serving: 1starter | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 3mg
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