How to Make Your Own Sourdough Starter

If you’ve ever been curious about baking sourdough, you’ve likely come across the term ‘sourdough starter’. It’s a basic blend of flour and water that, when left to ferment, becomes rich with natural yeast and beneficial bacteria—essential ingredients for helping your bread rise and gain that signature tangy flavor. Did you know you can even make your own sourdough starter? While a starter may seem high-maintenance, it’s surprisingly easy to keep happy and healthy once you get the hang of it. If you’re not into DIY, skip to the end of the blog to find out how you can snag some starter straight from the A&A kitchen!

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In this post, I’ll guide you through making your own sourdough starter so it can live indefinitely and produce delicious bread for years to come! Ready? Let’s get to it!

What You’ll Need to Make Your Own Sourdough Starter

• Flour (you can use all-purpose; I prefer a fresh-milled hard white wheat. I order all my grains in bulk from Azure Standard)
• Water (preferably filtered or distilled to avoid chlorine, which can inhibit fermentation)
• A clean jar (a glass container is best so you can see the starter’s activity)
• Something to cover your jar loosely while you wait on your starter to become active and bubbly

How to Make Your Sourdough Starter:

Day 1:
Mix
Combine 50g flour and 50g water in a clean jar.
Stir until no dry flour remains.
Loosely cover with a lid or cloth.
Leave at room temperature (around 70°F or 21°C) for 24 hours.

Day 2:
Check and Feed
You might not see much change yet — that’s okay.
Discard half of the starter.
Add another 50g flour and 50g water.
Stir and cover again. Leave at room temperature (around 70°F or 21°C) for 24 hours.

Days 3–6:
Feed Daily
Each day, discard half of the starter and add fresh flour and water (same amounts).
By Day 3 or 4, you should start seeing bubbles and notice a tangy smell — that’s fermentation!
Keep feeding at the same time each day. After a few days you can begin using the discard for things like sourdough discard crackers. I usually wait a few days until I notice a nice tangly smell, before using my discard.

Day 7 (or when it’s ready):
Ready to Use
Your starter is ready when it doubles in size 4–6 hours after feeding, smells pleasantly sour, and has lots of bubbles. Time to enjoy your first loaf of bread!
Test with the float test: drop a spoonful in water — if it floats, it’s ready!

Feeding Schedule: Room Temperature vs. Refrigeration

HOW OFTEN YOU FEED YOUR STARTER DEPENDS ON HOW OFTEN YOU PLAN TO BAKE:

• If You Bake Daily or Every Few Days: Keep your starter at room temperature and feed it once every 12-24 hours. The warmer your kitchen, the faster it ferments, so in warmer climates, you may need to feed it twice a day.
• If You Bake Weekly or Less Frequently: Store your starter in the refrigerator. A refrigerated starter only needs feeding about once a week. To use it for baking, bring it out of the fridge, feed it, and let it sit at room temperature until bubbly and active.

Tips for Keeping Your Sourdough Starter Healthy

• Feed It Consistently: Try to feed your starter around the same time each day (if kept at room temperature) to establish a steady rhythm.
• Adjust for Temperature: In hot weather, you may need to feed your starter more often or keep it in a cooler place.
• Keep It Clean: Use a clean spoon each time you feed to avoid contamination.
• Give It Time to Rest: If your starter ever seems sluggish or overly acidic, you can give it a refresh by feeding it more frequently for a few days until it becomes active again.

A Note about your Starter Peaking When You Didn’t Expect It To

Adjusting the ratio starter/flour/water allows you to time when your starter reaches peak activity, so it’s ready when you want to bake. For example, in warmer conditions, where fermentation happens very quickly, a higher ratio might be necessary. I wrote more about feeding ratios here.

In short, you will need to learn your starter. When it’s hungry, you feed it. You can tell it’s hungry if it has been bubbly, active, reached its peak, and then started to fall. Make sure you take notes, so you can learn its rhythm.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Too Sour? If your starter smells overly sour or like vinegar, it may be underfed. Discard a larger portion than usual and give it a couple of feedings at room temperature to help it regain balance.
• No Bubbles or Activity? A slow starter might be too cold or underfed. Try placing it in a warmer spot and feed it twice a day to boost its activity. If your house is chilly, try placing it in the oven with the light on!
• Gray or Hooch on Top? Hooch is a dark liquid that can appear if a starter is hungry. Simply pour it off, discard a portion of your starter, and feed it to bring it back to life.

Long-Term Storage Options

If you need to take a break from baking, you can store your starter for longer periods by:

1. Freezing It: Transfer some starter to a freezer-safe container, label it, and freeze. When you’re ready to use it, thaw and feed it until it’s bubbly again.
2. Drying It: Spread a thin layer of starter on parchment paper, let it dry completely, and break it into pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Not into DIY’ing?

That’s ok! Grab some sourdough starter from the A&A kitchen! Get your fresh-milled starter here. Or you can get all-purpose starter here.