Sourdough Starter
Perfect for beginners, this Sourdough Starter recipe will have you baking gorgeous loaves of fresh, crusty sourdough bread in your kitchen in no time! And you'll love watching it perform its bubbly magic week after week! Trust me, this is the foolproof recipe you'll need to start baking sourdough!
Servings: 1 starter
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour (+ 1/2 cup more for the week)
- 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour (+ 2 1/2 cups more for the week)
- 1/3 cup Filtered Water (Non-Chlorinated Water) (+ a little more than 1 1/2 cups more for the week)
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Day 1 Morning: Add ¼ cup Whole Wheat Flour, ¼ cup All Purpose Flour & 1/3 cup Filtered Water to Jar, stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, put the lid on loosely (just be gently, and don't screw it on too tight), and let it sit for 24 hours.
- Day 2 Morning: Stir starter, put lid back on loosely & let it sit for 24 hours.
- Day 3 Morning: Transfer 3 tbsp. starter to clean jar, discard the rest. To clean jar, add ¼ cup Whole Wheat Flour, ¼ cup All Purpose Flour & 1/3 cup Filtered Water. Stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, and put the lid on loosely. Now is a great time to place a rubber band around the outside of the jar, at the top height of your starter. This will help you to be able to see if it is rising at all yet during the day. After attaching a rubber band, let your starter sit for 12 hours.
- Day 3 Evening: In same jar, feed it 2 tbsp. AP Flour & 1.5 tbsp. Filtered Water, stir gently with spatula, put lid back on loosely & wait 12 hours.
- Day 4 Morning: Transfer 3 tbsp. starter to clean jar, discard rest. Add ½ cup AP Flour & 1/4 cup Filtered Water. Stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, put lid on loosely, and let it sit for 12 hours.
- Day 4 Evening: Feed it 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour & 1.5 tbsp. Filtered Water, stir gently with spatula, put lid back on loosely & wait 12 hours.
- Day 4 Bonus Tip: If your sourdough starter isn't rising by day 4, after a feeding cover it with plastic wrap and a rubber band on top to hold it in place, then place it in a turned off oven with the oven light on and oven door closed for a few hours a day. The slight warmth from the oven will be the perfect cozy spot to help it wake up and get rising.
- Day 5 Morning: It will be liquidy & may not rise… that’s okay. Transfer 3 tbsp. start to clean jar, discard rest. Add ½ cup AP Flour & 1/4 cup Filtered Water. Stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, put lid on loosely, and let it sit for 12 hours.
- Day 5 Evening: Feed it 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour & 1.5 tbsp. Filtered Water, stir gently with spatula, put lid back on loosely & wait 12 hours.
- Day 6 Morning: Transfer 3 tbsp. starter to clean jar, discard rest. Add ½ cup AP Flour & 1/4 cup Filtered Water. Stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, put lid on loosely, and let it sit for 12 hours.
- Day 6 Evening: Feed it 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour & 1.5 tbsp. Filtered Water, stir gently with spatula, put lid back on loosely & wait 12 hours.
- Day 7 Morning: Transfer 3 tbsp. starter to clean jar, discard rest. Add ¼ cup Whole Wheat Flour, ¼ cup AP Flour & 1/3 cup Filtered Water. Stir well with small spatula, scrape down sides, put lid on loosely, and let it sit for 12 hours.
- Day 7 Afternoon: After 4 hours, it’s time for a float test. Transfer 1 tbsp. starter to glass or bowl filled with room temp water. If it floats, it’s ready to bake. If it doesn’t float yet, continue with feedings for another day, and test again.
- Once your starter is ready to bake, remove the amount of starter needed for your recipe, and then feed the starter in the jar ½ cup All Purpose Flour and ¼ cup Filtered Water, stir well with spatula, let stand for 4 hours, then transfer to the fridge. This is where your sourdough starter jar will live now. :) The consistency of your starter this point will be like a thick batter. When feeding, always make sure that starter is completely moistened, with no flour showing. If needed, just add an extra 1/2 tsp. of water at a time to achieve that consistency.
- Maintenance Feedings Once a Week: Continue to feed your starter 1x each week by removing and discarding half of your starter, then adding to the jar 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour + 1/4 cup Filtered Water, and stirring well with a small spatula until it's all combined. After your weekly feeding, let your starter jar sit out on the counter for about 4 hrs, then place it back in the refrigerator.
Notes
Helpful Hints:
- Always keep sourdough starter out of direct sunlight.
- If sourdough starter isn't rising by day 4, after a feeding cover it with plastic wrap and a rubber band on top to hold it in place, then place it in a cold oven with the oven light on for a few hours a day. The slight warmth from the oven will be the perfect cozy spot to help it wake up and get rising.
