How To Create Your Own Sourdough Starter
One of the biggest baking challenges I’ve mastered is sourdough. It took so much trial and error…so many failed attempts, but I kept at it and am happy to report that I’ve figured it out! Obviously, it’s not as easy as activating some yeast and mixing it with salt, flour, and water. Baking with a sourdough starter can be tricky, especially if you’re using your own!
A lot of our Daybake Baking Club members have mentioned their interest in making their own sourdough starters, but along with that interest, they’ve expressed a little fear and intimidation, which is why I’ve put together this handy-dandy guide to cultivating one. All it takes is a little patience and some TLC. If you follow the steps of each day, you should have a lively, active starter of your very own within a week! Here’s how to make one.
Pro-tip: Before you get started, consider this: creating your own sourdough starter is kind of like adopting a little pet. You should always remember to feed your little sourdough pe,t and make sure to clean its jar once in a while, and think about giving it a name. This is Ned. He’s my OG sourdough starter. Let’s make Ned a buddy, shall we?
Day 1: Let’s get this sourdough starter, started, shall we? On the first day, you’ll want to find a wide-mouthed jar to start cultivating. I prefer using glass over plastic, but you can use whatever you’d like.
Once you’ve got your jar picked out, mix ½ Cup of Whole Wheat Flour with ½ Cup of All-Purpose or Bread Flour together in your jar. Then, add ½ Cup of Water to the mix, stirring it all together to make a paste. You can use different measurements of Flour and Water, if you want to create a larger sourdough starter. Just remember it’s two parts Flour to one part Water no matter how much you decide to use. Cover your jar and leave it alone in a nice, cozy space in the kitchen that isn’t too cool or too warm.
Choose a name for your starter if you’d like, but that’s it–just a little mixing in a jar and you’re on your way.
Day 2: When you check on your little baby sourdough starter 24 hours later, it likely won’t have changed much. It’ll still look like a bland, pasty mess. Don’t stress! This is totally normal. Scoop out half of your bland, pasty mess and throw it away. I know, I know…it seems gutting to throw it away, be brave and do it.
Once you’ve overcome the sadness of tossing out your baby starter, add a fresh ½ Cup of Flour and ¼ Cup of Water to the jar. Mix it. Tuck it in for the evening and leave it alone until tomorrow.
Day 3: By day three, you might see a little activity! Don’t worry if you don’t, but check your sourdough starter for some tiny bubbles. If you see some, that’s great! If you don’t, don’t sweat it. It’s all going to be OK.
Repeat the steps from Day 2 and come back tomorrow for more.
Day 4: By now, your little baby should start showing signs of life! You should have a few bubbles and you should be able to notice your starter growing. Ned’s buddy grew so much, I’m going to have to swap out its jar for a bigger one.
Repeat the same feeding process you learned on Day 2! You should be getting the hang of this by now. It’s as easy as discard…feed…repeat!
Day 5: It’s time to start feeding your sourdough starter twice daily to get it super active and healthy. Discard…feed…repeat x 2! Keep your eye on your starter; it’s fun to watch it grow and bubble.
Day 6: By now, you should be a pro! Your starter should be turning into a bit of a monster and instead of smelling like paste, it should start to take on a bit of a sour smell, which is a good thing! Repeat the double feeding again today. And don’t worry about the messy jar. Once your starter is alive and well, you can transfer it into a cleaner one.
Day 7: Today is the day we see if the starter is strong enough to bake bread! Discard and feed your starter like normal, then keep your eye on it. When it looks as though it has doubled in size, it’s time to test how active and strong it is.
Get a small glass of room temperature water and set it aside. Take a spoon and scoop out a small amount of your starter. When doing this, be careful not to knock out the bubbles or air. Drop the scoop in the water and wait to see if it floats. If it floats, your starter is ALIVE and ready to start using it in recipes.
If it doesn’t float, don’t worry. Just continue to feed it and watch it grow, then try the test again. Once it floats, you’ll be ready to bake. Some starters take a little longer to activate than others, so don’t get worried. This is totally normal.
At this point, your starter is young and will likely enjoy a daily feeding for a few weeks until it starts rising and falling predictably, but it’s strong enough to start baking bread or other things. Once you’re able to predict how it behaves after feeding it, you can start storing it in your fridge and feeding it on a weekly basis, rather than daily. Just be sure to feed it and do the float test before you bake with it. And if you kill it, I won’t tell anyone. You can just start a new one with this handy-dandy guide. It’s no big deal!
Stay tuned. I’ll show you how to bake the best loaf of sourdough you’ve ever eaten!